Born | Abensberg, West Germany | 17 June 1934
---|---|
Nickname | Wack Hofmeister |
Nationality | German |
Career history | |
Germany | |
1950s | MSC Abensberg |
Great Britain | |
1957 | Southampton Saints |
Individual honours | |
1958, 1959, 1960 | Long Track World Champion |
1957, 1959, 1960 | Continental Final Champion |
1956, 1959, 1961 | German Longtrack Golden Helmet |
1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961 | German Longtrack Silver Helmet |
Josef Hofmeister nicknamed Wack Hofmeister (born 17 June 1934) is a former motorcycle rider from Germany, who competed in Grasstrack, Longtrack and motorcycle speedway. He competed in six World Longtrack Championship Finals and won a hat-trick of titles between 1958 and 1960. Josef was also a World Speedway finalist on four occasion.
Hofmeister started his career in 1949 in the youth class and retired 1963 at just 29 years of age. In the 1950s and early 1960s, he was the first German star of international motorcycle racing.
He was a three time winner of the Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship or European Championship as it was called, when he won it in 1958, 1959 and 1960. [1] [2]
In 1957, he reached his first world final, making his way through the rounds to compete in the 1957 Individual Speedway World Championship. [3] He only ever had one match in British speedway for the Southampton Saints, during the 1957 Speedway National League season. [4]
In 1958, he reached his second world final, competing in the final of the 1958 Individual Speedway World Championship. [5]
In 2022, he received the honour of having the Altes Stadion Abensberg renamed after him. It would be known as the Wack Hofmeister Stadium. [6] [7]
After retiring Josef Hofmeister ran a sports shop in Kempten, Allgäu.
Ove Fundin is a Swedish former professional motorcycle speedway rider. He competed in the Speedway World Championships from 1951 to 1970. Fundin is notable for winning the Speedway World Championship Final five times, a record bettered only by Ivan Mauger and fellow Swede Tony Rickardsson who each won six World Championships. He finished runner-up in the championship 3 times (1957–59) and was third in 1962, 1964 and 1965 meaning that from his first win in 1956 until his last in 1967, Fundin did not finish lower than a podium place in a record eleven World Finals. He was known by the nickname of the "Flying Fox" or just "the Fox" because of his red hair. In 2013, Fundin was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.
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The Wack Hofmeister Stadium formerly the Altes Stadion Abensberg is a motorcycle speedway and association football stadium located slightly east of the centre of Abensberg in Germany.