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 |
1956, 1959, 1961 | German Longtrack Golden Helmet |
1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961 | German Longtrack Silver Helmet |
1957, 1959, 1960 | Continental Final Champion |
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]
He only ever had one match in British speedway for the Southampton Saints, during the 1957 Speedway National League season. [2]
In 1958, he reached the final of the 1958 Individual Speedway World Championship. [3]
In 2022, he received the honour of having the Altes Stadion Abensberg renamed after him. It would be known as the Wack Hofmeister Stadium. [4] [5]
After retiring Josef Hofmeister ran a sports shop in Kempten, Allgäu.
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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.