Ice speedway: After winning team bronze, Christoph Kirchner takes on responsibility

When the German national team were competing for the World Championship bronze medal in the third-place play-off at the Ice Speedway of Nations, it fell to Christoph Kirchner to slot in between the Czech duo. In the decisive race, he didn’t give up, overtook Andrej Divis and thus secured third place in the World Championship for the team. “That was the best way to finish – it all came together,” said Kirchner, who made a proper return to the ice last winter and became the bronze hero despite a fall and an injured ankle. “I did struggle with my ankle after the race, but that didn’t really matter to me by then. In terms of sponsors and the attention I’ve received, the medal has helped me a lot. It’s brilliant that the race is back at all, and it would be good if it were held in different locations. It would be a dream if the whole thing could take place in Inzell one day.”

Following his successful comeback, Kirchner is already fully immersed in his pre-season preparations, although his knee has recently held him back. “Last week I had to undergo another operation. A cyst had formed around the cruciate ligament, which was removed. But I’ve been getting about without crutches again for a few days now and things are progressing quite well,” the veteran told SPEEDWEEK.com, having upgraded his equipment. “I’ve built up a second motorbike as a spare so that I’m better prepared for World Championship qualifying races and other events. The plan is to head up to Sweden on 1 January, train for five days, and then the first league races are due to take place. Depending on what happens with the European Championship dates.”

Whilst the World Championship dates have been finalised and Kirchner is hoping for one of the three German starting places in the qualifiers, the European Championship calendar is still pending, which complicates planning for the Swedish league as its schedule has not yet been finalised. “I’ve secured a place in Östersund for the league and will have to see how it goes, as my kit will be in Sweden from 1 January until the Team World Championships in February,” said the Allgäu native.

Responsibility off the track too

The 37-year-old is also taking on a new role for the coming season: as riders’ representative, he intends to represent his colleagues’ interests within the governing bodies. “Last winter, the process of electing a new riders’ representative was set in motion, and I was elected in the summer. I now have more or less direct contact with the Ice Speedway Expert Group and will be attending the ADAC Hansa Track Sports Conference in Leipzig in December,” said Kirchner. “I want to campaign for greater support for us riders. We need to take a more sensible approach to allocating World and European Championship places – without creating a two-tier system. And we should also send riders to the European Championships who are capable of winning the title.”