Born | Bad Wurzach, West Germany | 17 March 1965
---|---|
Nationality | German |
Career history | |
Germany | |
1983–1984 | Krumbach |
1987 | Pocking |
1988–1992 | Landshut |
1995–2004 | Diedenbergen |
Great Britain | |
1984 | Poole Pirates |
1985 | Wolverhampton Wolves |
1988 | Ipswich Witches |
Poland | |
1999 | Bydgoszcz |
Individual honours | |
1991, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 | Long Track World champion |
1987, 1990 | Continental champion |
1986 | West German champion |
1992, 1994, 1996 | German champion |
1988 | West German Longtrack champion |
1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009 | German Longtrack champion |
Team honours | |
2007, 2008, 2009 | Team Long Track World Championship |
1998, 2001 | German Championship |
Gerd Riss (born 17 March 1965) is a former speedway rider from Germany, who competed in motorcycle speedway and Longtrack racing. [1] He is an eight-times World longtrack champion. [2] He also earned 22 international caps for the West German national speedway team and 12 international caps for the German national speedway team. [3]
Riss reached his first world longtrack final in 1984, finishing a creditable sixth behind Erik Gundersen, at the Sandbahn Rennen Herxheim in Herxheim, Germany. [4] He rode for MC Krumbach in 1983 and 1984 and started for the first time in the British leagues when he joined Poole Pirates for the 1984 British League season. [5] Riss joined Wolverhampton Wolves in 1985 but left mid-way through the season. [6]
Riss consistently reached the World longtrack final every year from 1984 until 1997 and in 1987 also appeared in the 1987 Individual Speedway World Championship final at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. [2]
Riss represented his country in four consecutive Speedway World Pairs Championship finals from 1988 until 1991 [7] and was a member of German national team at the 2001 Speedway World Cup.
He cemented his place as being arguably the second best longtrack rider in the world behind Simon Wigg by winning the crown in 1991 and 1996. When the world championships of both the conventional oval and longtrack switched to a Grand Prix series, riders found it virtually impossible to compete in both. Riss decided to concentrate on longtrack and the decision paid dividends because he dominated longtrack speedway, winning six more world titles in 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009, to set a record of eight championship wins. Only Robert Barth prevented him from claiming more during the period.
In 2014, He was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements. [8]
West Germany Longtrack Championship
German Championship
Grasstrack European Championship
Both of his sons Erik Riss and Mark Riss ride at the highest level. [9]
Egon Müller is a former international motorcycle speedway rider and was winner of the Speedway World Championship in 1983, winning the title in his homeland with a maximum score of 15 points. He earned 44 international caps for the West German national speedway team.
Kelvin Martin Tatum MBE is a former British international motorcycle speedway and grasstrack rider. He earned 65 international caps for the England national speedway team.
Simon Antony Wigg was an English speedway, grasstrack and longtrack rider who won five World Long Track Championships and finished runner-up in the Speedway World Championship in 1989. He earned 57 international caps for the England national speedway team.
Marvyn Cox is a former motorcycle speedway rider. Cox was twice a winner of the German Individual Championship in 1993 and 1995, when he raced under a German licence. At retirement he had earned 25 international caps for the England national speedway team.
Josef Franc is a Czech former international motorcycle racer who competed in Grasstrack, Longtrack and motorcycle speedway. He earned 8 international caps for the Czech Republic national speedway team
Bohumil Brhel is a Czech former motorcycle speedway rider. He earned 10 international caps for the Czechoslovakia national speedway team and 15 caps for the Czech Republic national speedway team.
Jiří Štancl is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from Czechoslovakia. He earned 39 international caps for the Czechoslovakia national speedway team.
Matthias Kröger is a former speedway, long track and grasstrack rider from Germany. He earned 6 international caps for the German national speedway team.
Robert Barth is a former German motorcycle speedway rider, who is a four time champion of the world.
Stephan Katt is a former motorcycle Grasstrack, Longtrack and speedway rider from Germany. He earned one international cap for the German national speedway team.
Andrew Appleton is an English motorcycle racer.
Steven Schofield (born 27 February 1958) is a former motorcycle speedway rider who competed in speedway, Longtrack and Grasstrack Racing. He earned 12 international caps for the England national speedway team.
Zdeněk Schneiderwind is a former motorcycle speedway rider who competed in speedway, Longtrack and Grasstrack racing.
Marcel Gerhard (born 25 August 1955) is a Swiss former speedway rider.
Karl Maier (born 24 August 1957) is a former speedway rider who competed in motorcycle speedway and Longtrack racing. He reached seventeen world longtrack championship finals and was world champion four times. He also earned 38 international caps for the West German national speedway team.
Tommy Dunker (26 June 1969 – 4 July 2024) was a German speedway rider.
Klaus Lausch is a former motorcycle speedway rider who competed in speedway, Longtrack racing. He reached seven World Longtrack world championship finals and earned 27 international caps for the West German national speedway team and 2 caps for the German national speedway team.
Aleš Dryml Sr. is a former motorcycle speedway rider who competed in speedway, longtrack and grasstrack racing. He earned 32 international caps for the Czechoslovakia national speedway team.
Don Vincent Godden (born 13 November 1936 - 28 May 2011) was a Motorcycle rider who competed in Longtrack and Grasstrack Racing. He competed in twelve World Longtrack Championship Finals and won the title in 1969. Don's son Mitchel is also a successful Longtrack and Grasstrack racer, as is his grandson Cameron.
Bernd Diener is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Germany. He competed in Speedway, Longtrack and Grasstrack and is a two times World longtrack team champion.