Simson friends: Last race falls victim to conditions
Created: 07/05/2022, 09:09
By: Peter Loder
Are you training at the speedway stadium soon?
Paul Knott with young motorsport friends.
archi © WEBER
It should have been the last Simson race on the grass slope at Marienweg near Gut Graßlfing.
Around 50 participants from all over Germany would have come on their mopeds from the former GDR forge.
But just under two weeks before the start, event manager Paul Knott pulls the emergency brake.
Olching – As a reason, he cites official requirements, “which we, as a small association with 54 members, cannot handle financially”.
The Simson-Freunde, who are mostly based in Olching and whose independent club was formed from the Motorsportfreunde (MSF), had already held the races five times.
"Always problem-free and without bureaucratic hurdles," emphasizes Knott.
Straw bales to secure athletes and the public would always have been enough.
It's different this year.
Appraisal required
The district office, as the responsible approval authority, has made a safety report a requirement.
However, since the club is not registered with either the ADAC or one of the major motorsport associations, an external expert should have checked and approved the site.
Knott was signaled in advance that no race could be started without tire barriers and specially fixed fences.
(
By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular
FFB newsletter.)
So far, up to 400 spectators have mostly followed the extraordinary spectacle, in which the participants complete the race on an oval circuit on a meadow the size of a soccer field.
"Apart from the impossible short-term procurement of 1000 used tires, we can neither afford an expert nor a fence." Especially since this year's race, which was to experience a new start after a two-year Corona break, was the last one on the Grasslfinger property would.
The owner canceled the lease.
New route?
In the meantime, Knott seems to have found what he was looking for in a new Simson series.
At least negotiations with the motorsport club (MSC) Olching have been started.
A corresponding grass area would be available in the interior of its speedway stadium - and all official requirements would also be met.
The current approval process is not yet complete, as Bernd Wanninger, who is responsible for the district office, explains, but Knott has meanwhile pulled the ripcord: "I've tried everything, now I'm giving up."
The lawnmower tractor races planned as part of the supporting program have also been cancelled.
On the other hand, the Bulldog meeting planned for Sunday, July 17, will take place as planned.
Knott: “All I need is a serving license.
And I got them in the Olching town hall without any problems.”
You can find more current news from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck at Merkur.de/Fürstenfeldbruck.