Martin Smolinski continues to write speedway history.
The Olchinger won the German championship in Stralsund on Saturday.
Olching
- It is already the eighth title of this kind for the 36-year-old. He last celebrated the championship in 2019. In 2020 the competitions had to be canceled due to the corona pandemic. But at that time Smolinski would not have been able to participate anyway. In a serious training fall in Leipzig, he dislocated his hip. In a complex operation, the femoral head was provided with two screws, the acetabulum with one large and two small plates and four screws. How it would go for the speedway ace was in the stars. “After my accident, I didn't know if I could walk again. Now I'm back at the top ”, the Olchinger cheered after winning the title in Stralsund.
The way back to old strength was not an easy one. Again and again Smolinski was thrown back during his rehab. Even another operation was necessary. In addition, there were mental blows to the neck. Because of the persistent injury, the 36-year-old had to withdraw from the Grand Prix, among other things.
In Stralsund all that was forgotten and Smoli was completely the same again. The German championship was driven in a knockout system in which those drivers who are third or fourth in a run twice in a row are eliminated. Smolinski, who was able to skip the qualifying round thanks to his seeding, did not even come close to being eliminated. With three race wins, the Olchinger catapulted himself straight into the final. And here, too, he was unbeatable: with a start-to-finish victory, he made the title perfect. Kai Huckenbeck was runner-up, bronze went to Norick Blödorn.
With the eighth championship title, Smolinski extends his lead in the all-time best list of German speedway champions.
With eight titles, the Olchinger now leads the list, ahead of Egon Müller, who has won five, and Gerd Riss with four titles.
And if you also take the GDR champions into account, the 36-year-old has also overtaken Diethelm Triemer, who won the GDR title seven times.
In addition to Smolinski, three other drivers who belong to the MSC Olching started in Stralsund.
Erik Bachhuber finished 11th, Valentin Grobauer was eighth and Michael Härtel just missed a podium in fourth.
