Gerd Riss
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]
Career
[edit]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 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[6] 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.[7]
Results
[edit]World final appearances
[edit]Individual World Championship/Grand Prix
[edit]- 1987 -
Amsterdam, Olympic Stadium - 10th - 12pts
- 1989 -
Munich, Olympic Stadium - 9th - 5pts
- 1991 -
Göteborg, Ullevi - 16th - 1pt
- 1993 -
Pocking, Rottalstadion - 11th - 6pts
- 1995 - series - 17th - 16pts
- 1996 - series - 19th - 12pts
- 1998 - series - 25th - 6pts
World Pairs Championship
[edit]- 1988 -
Bradford, Odsal Stadium (with Tommy Dunker) - 8th - 21pts (17)
- 1989 -
Leszno, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium (with Karl Maier) - 4th - 36pts (14)
- 1990 -
Landshut, Ellermühle Stadium (with Klaus Lausch) - 9th - 15pts (0)
- 1991 -
Poznań, Olimpia Poznań Stadium (with Klaus Lausch - 4th - 18pts (9)
World Under-21 Championship
[edit]- 1985 -
Abensberg, Abensberg Motorstadion - 5th - 9pts
- 1986 -
Rivne, Rivne Speedway Stadium - 13th - 4pts
World Longtrack Championship
[edit]- 1984
Herxheim (6th) 13pts
- 1985
Esbjerg (8th) 15pts
- 1986
Pfarrkirchen (4th) 17pts
- 1987
Mühldorf (9th) 9pts
- 1988
Scheeßel (5th) 26pts
- 1989
Marianske Lazne (11th) 12pts
- 1990
Herxheim (14th) 9pts
- 1991
Marianske Lazne (Champion) 24pts
- 1992
Pfarrkirchen (4th) 18pts
- 1993
Mühldorf (16th) 5pts
- 1994
Marianske Lazne (Third) 17pts
- 1995
Scheeßel (Did not ride)
- 1996
Herxheim (Champion) 25pts
- 1998 4 app (4th) 59pts
- 1999 5 app (Champion) 115pts
- 2000 1 app (18th) 17pts
- 2001 4 app (Champion) 95pts
- 2002 5 app (Third) 89pts
- 2003 6 app (Third) 98pts
- 2004 5 app (Champion) 103pts
- 2005 4 app (Second) 75pts
- 2006 3 app (Third) 50pts
- 2007 3 app (Champion) 53pts
- 2008 4 app (Champion) 79pts
- 2009 5 app (Champion) 126pts
- 2010 3 app (13th) 53pts
Best Grand-Prix results
[edit]Berghaupten First 1999
Bielefeld First 2004, Second 2002, Third 2003
Collier Street First 2001, Third 2003
Eenrum Second 1999
Harsewinkel Third 2000
Herxheim First 2001, 2009
Jubeck First 1999
Marianske Lazne First 2009, Second 2008
Marmande First 2009, Second 1999, 2007, Third 2006
Morizes First 2008, Second 2001, 2004
Mulhdorf First 1998, 1999, 2005, Third 2003
New Plymouth First 2004, Second 2003
Parchim First 2001, 2002, 2005
Pfarrkirchen Second 2004, 2007
Scheeßel Second 1998
St. Macaire Second 2010, Third 2008
Vechta First 2009
Other results
[edit]West Germany Longtrack Championship
- 1985
Pfarrkirchen (6th)
- 1986
Jübek (4th)
- 1987
Herxheim (5th)
- 1988
Pfarrkirchen (Champion)
- 1989
Harsewinkel (4th)
German Championship
- 1991
Mühldorf (Champion)
- 1992
Scheeßel (Third)
- 1993
Jübek (Second)
- 1994
Vilshofen (Second)
- 1995
Pfarrkirchen (Champion)
- 1996
Scheeßel (Champion)
- 1997
Lüdinghausen (Champion)
- 1998
Pfarrkirchen (Champion)
- 1999
Herxheim (Second)
- 2001
Berghaupten (Second)
- 2002
Harsewinkel (Champion)
- 2003
Lüdinghausen (Second)
- 2004
Mühldorf (Champion)
- 2006
Berghaupten (4th)
- 2007
Mulmshorn (Champion)
- 2008
Pfarrkirchen (Second)
- 2009
Mühldorf (Champion)
Grasstrack European Championship
Family
[edit]Both of his sons Erik Riss and Mark Riss ride at the highest level.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 528. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
- ^ a b "Gerd Riss". Grasstrack GB. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Ultimate Rider Index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Speedway and Longtrack". Speedway.org. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "1984 season" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Best Pairs International Championship FIM". Historis Sportu Zuzlowego. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "FIM Legends". fim-live.com. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "Rider index". Speedway GB. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- 1965 births
- German speedway riders
- West German speedway riders
- Polonia Bydgoszcz riders
- Expatriate speedway riders in Poland
- Living people
- German expatriate sportspeople in Poland
- Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship riders
- German expatriate sportspeople in England
- People from Leutkirch im Allgäu
- Sportspeople from Tübingen (region)