Sanok + Franz Zorn = gold medal. In the case of the European Individual Ice Speedway Championships, this rule works perfectly. Twice medals of the continental championship were handed out in this city and each time it was the Austrian who reached for the most precious metal. Ahead of this year’s competition, he assures us that he is keen to do it a third time.
Franz Zorn: Of course I will come to Sanok to fight for the final triumph. But every one of my rivals will come here with this in mind, and I know that a difficult fight awaits me. Nevertheless, I always set myself high goals, and that is to defend my title.
Angelika Nowicka: How popular is Ice Speedway in Austria? If you could juxtapose its popularity with any other sport.
The sport itself is very popular, especially in the region where I live. There are mountains and capital conditions conducive to organising and practising winter sports. I live in Saalfelden, which is less than 50 kilometres from Inzell in Germany, where there is a beautiful indoor artificial ice rink, very famous in the Ice Speedway world. As for popularity, it’s hard to compare it with other sports. Of course, the number one sport in Austria is alpine skiing. However, I would immodestly say that I am a very recognisable person at home. Hence, I would place our sport high in the hierarchy, taking the aforementioned aspect as a starting point.
It’s been about sport, now maybe a few words about you. Do you remember the time when you started to become popular?
It was the year 2000, when I was in the running for the World Championship. I lost it by just one point. And then one day I got a call from Red Bull and that’s when it largely dawned on me that someone was noticing my results. At the time, Red Bull loved strong, high-adrenaline sports, and ice speedway is exactly that. Unpredictable and spectacular.
Last year we saw you on a project with Max Verstappen and an F1 car, this year it involved a former Moto GP rider and a motorbike from that series. Will you say more about your own impressions?
The FAT Ice Race, as the event is called, took place about 10 kilometres from my house. It went off sensationally and the complete audience had a great time. Dani Pedrosa came and rode on the ice on a KTM RC 16 motorbike, with studded tyres. Unfortunately it was very warm that day. Hence I had a lot of problems to stay on my thin tyres on the already melted ice and snow. Hence, we may not have been able to fully chase, but Dani certainly had a lot of fun. We had a little rehearsal beforehand. I gave him a few pointers on how to navigate this kind of tyre, but he quickly developed his own style and was excellent at it.
I noticed in the pictures that there were also Formula One representatives there, such as Mark Webber, who is a big speedway fan. Are you closer to Moto GP though or Formula 1?
I am definitely closer to Moto GP. During the summer season, of course, I frequent the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring or Misano in San Marino. Apart from that, I’ve known many riders from the very beginning of their careers such as Jack Miller or Jorge Martin. However, whenever we meet in the paddock, they always tell me that they can’t even watch the sport that I do. And what I do is downright unimaginable to them.
So what do you think ice speedway has in it that is so unimaginable?
It’s a very individual sport. It’s very technical and very expensive, not only in terms of engines and all the equipment, but even in terms of training opportunities. To prepare for the season you have to travel north, usually to Sweden, where I have 2,600 kilometres. One such trip is about 800-900 euros. But there we have a very good training base, although this year we were very unlucky. It snowed very early and covered the lakes, which made it impossible to train on the frozen surface. However, the organiser prepared a stadium for us and we had test rides. In addition, I took part in the Swedish Superleague competition, which was also good training for me. However, that happened some time ago. For the last four weeks we have been spending a lot of time in the workshop and preparing the motorbikes for the event in Sanok.
You’ve been riding for many years now. What do you see as the biggest differences between what the sport looked like when you started and what it looks like today?
The sport itself doesn’t change much. There is always one and the same principle in it, if you want to be the best, you have to win. It was with this in mind that I started in 2000, when I won the World Vice-Championship, it was the same in 2008, when I won the European Championship, and it is the same for 2023, when I once again become the best on the Old Continent. Apart from that, the biggest difference I see is in the speed of the motorbikes. As time goes by, we have better and better technology that allows us to be faster and faster.
Do you sometimes think about the past? If you could turn back time would you change anything?
I wouldn’t change anything, I would do the same things as before. Ice speedway is an amazing sport. The adrenaline, the scale of the risk and the high speed – I wouldn’t swap it for anything. Besides, it’s never too late for anything. Every year I take part in an event in memory of Rupert Hollaus, the legendary Austrian rider, where I race my Yamaha road bike. And with quite good results. It is never too late to fulfil yourself and pursue your passion.
Then I’ll ask you about the future. Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I’m sorry, but I can’t answer that question for you. I simply do not know the answer to it. I don’t know what will be tomorrow, next month, let alone in 5 years. However, I hope that I will still be alive and enjoying my health. Apart from that, I always think about the immediate future and my sporting goals. I want to defend my European Champion title in Sanok and I focus all my energy on that.
Tickets
Ticket sales for the event in Sanok are already underway. Ticket packages have been prepared for two days of ice speedway on the “Blonie” track, and you can also purchase tickets separately for each day. Prices are the same as last year. Sales are conducted online – at bilety.speedwayevents.pl and at ebilet.pl.
Price list
Two-day packages
VIP (included in the price: parking place, high-class catering, gift set, place with the best visibility on the grandstand, competition program)
599 PLN – normal
349 PLN – concessionary – persons under 18 years of age
Grandstand
99 PLN – normal
79 PLN – concessionary (children and youth from 7 to 18 years old; pensioners)
Crown of the Stadium:
79 PLN – normal
59 PLN – concessionary (children and youth from 7 to 18 years of age; pensioners and retirees)
Tickets for one day (Saturday or Sunday)
VIP (included in the price: parking place, high-class catering, gift set, place with the best visibility on the grandstand, competition program)
349 PLN – normal
199 PLN – concessionary – persons under 18 years of age
Grandstand:
59 PLN – normal
49 PLN – concessionary (children and teenagers from 7 to 18 years old; pensioners)
Crown of the Stadium:
49 PLN – normal
39 PLN – concessionary (children and youth from 7 to 18 years of age; retirees and pensioners)
Children under 6 – free admission with an adult guardian.
