Klaus Lausch (born 19 February 1964) is a German former motorcycle rider. He competed in speedway and longtrack racing. He reached seven World Longtrack world championship finals and earned 27 international caps for the West German national speedway team and 2 caps for the German national speedway team.[1]
 Klaus Lausch in Stal Gorzów colours, 1992 | |
| Born | 19 February 1964 Wasserburg, West Germany |
|---|---|
| Nationality | German |
| Career history | |
| Germany | |
| 1982–1984, 1986 | Landshut |
| 1988, 1990–1992 | Diedenbergen |
| Great Britain | |
| 1984–1985 | Oxford Cheetahs |
| Poland | |
| 1991 | Gorzów |
| Individual honours | |
| 1988 | World longtrack silver medal |
| 1988, 1989, 1990 | German Individual Championship |
| 1986 | West German Longtrack champion |
| Team honours | |
| 1982, 1984, 1986 | West German team title |
| 1985 | British League champion |
| 1985 | Knockout Cup |
| 1985 | Midland Cup |
Career
editLausch began his career at AC Landshut and reached the final of the 1982 European U21 Championship.[2] Lausch helped Landshut win two West German Team Championships in 1982 and 1984 respectively.[3]
Oxford Cheetahs had returned to the British League in 1984 and had signed Hans Nielsen for a record £30,000, Simon Wigg for £25,000, Marvyn Cox, Melvyn Taylor and Jens Rasmussen. Following an injury to Taylor, the Cheetahs moved to sign Lausch as a replacement and his career took off afterwards.[4] The following season in 1985, he was part of the Oxford team[5] that won the treble of league, Knockout Cup and Midland Cup despite breaking his collarbone during the season.[6]
After returning to Germany in 1986, he won another West German title and surprisingly made the decision not to return to British speedway, despite a demand from British clubs existing. He won his first German Individual Championship in 1988.[2][7]
Lausch secured three consecutive German titles by winning both the 1989 and 1990 editions of the championship. He joined MSC Diedenbergen in 1990 and had a season in Poland riding for Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski in 1991.[8]
Alongside conventional speedway, Lausch was successful in longtrack and would reach seven world finals, including winning a silver medal in 1988.[9] Additionally, he won the 1986 West German Longtrack Championship.
World Longtrack Championship
editFinal
edit- 1985
Esbjerg (11th) 6pts - 1987
Mühldorf (14th) 5pts - 1988
Scheeßel (2nd) 32pts - 1989 Mariánské Lázně (17th) 1pt
- 1990 Herxheim (5th) 28pts
- 1991 Mariánské Lázně (11th) 7pts
- 1992 Pfarrkirchen (8th) 10pts
World Final appearances
editWorld Pairs Championship
edit- 1986 - Pocking, Rottalstadion (with Karl Maier) - 6th - 27pts (5)
- 1990 - Landshut, Ellermühle Stadium (with Gerd Riss) - 9th - 15pts (15)
- 1991 -
Poznań, Olimpia Poznań Stadium (with Gerd Riss - 4th - 18pts (9)
German Individual Speedway Championship
edit- 1988 Brokstedt (Champion) 14pts (After run off with Tommy Dunker).
- 1989 Norden (Champion) 15pts
- 1990 Neustadt (Champion) 15pts
References
edit- ^ "Ultimate Rider Index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Klaus Lausch". WWOS backup. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Historyczne Zestawienie Wynikow 1992-2015". Speedway History. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ Bamford/Shailes, Robert/Glynn (2007). The Story of Oxford Speedway. Tempus Publishing Ltd. pp. 128–135. ISBN 978-0-7524-4161-0.
- ^ "Speedway". Banbury Guardian. 15 August 1985. Retrieved 24 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Grahame's glory". Birmingham Mail. 1 November 1985. Retrieved 21 October 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Loader, Tony (1991). Loader's International Speedway Annual 1991. Tony Loader. p. 166. ISSN 1036-4404.
- ^ "Klaus Lausch". Polish Speedway Database. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "Klaus Lausch". Grasstrack GB. Retrieved 17 March 2024.