Terrible Speedway Accident - Zbigniew Raniszewski

[Grachan 7,362]

From the In Memorium site:

 

RANISZEWSKI, Zbigniew (Bydgoszcz & Poland).........................April 21, 1956.............Vienna, Austria

 

DIRTL, Fritz (Austria)......................................................................J

une 10, 1956............Oberhausen, Germany (L-T)

 

[speedyguy 20]

See match results: Dirtl was riding in this meeting, (plus our own Phil Bishop, as a Guest.)

 

.

 

 

 

Yes, I thought this was an FIM sanctioned meeting. That means the venue mst have met their standards.

[speedyguy 20]

From the In Memorium site:

 

RANISZEWSKI, Zbigniew (Bydgoszcz & Poland).........................April 21, 1956.............Vienna, Austria

 

DIRTL, Fritz (Austria)......................................................................J

une 10, 1956............Oberhausen, Germany (L-T)

 

 

Thank you for clarifying the date and where Fritz Dirtl was fatally injured.

Edited January 20, 2010 by speedyguy

[Deano 1,318]

Thank you for clarifying the date and where Fritz Dirtl was fatally injured.

 

http://www.vcm-sbirky.cz/zlataprilba/historie_2.html

 

There is a bit here on him... just needs translating.

[Pirate Nick 1,801]

http://www.vcm-sbirky.cz/zlataprilba/historie_2.html

 

There is a bit here on him... just needs translating.

 

 

Google translation

 

Fritz Dirtl

 

(1928 - 1956)

 

Promising speedway rider M. Schneeweise student who died early in MS in Oberhausen. Besides the gold helmets, which went on special Schneeweise his mentor, won the title of champion of Austria, long and Short Track, was also successful in road races. What happened to the trophies are still not be detected.

[iris123 20,979]

Fritz Dirtl was born on 09.01.1928 in Vienna.He made his racing debut on a Moto-Guzzi in Baden in 1946.In the Oberhausen meeting Josef Kampers front wheel hit Dirtl and both fell.The Polish rider Polukard then rode over Dirtls head

[Custom House Kid 45]

Look at: http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/2010/01/...ewskiego-video/

 

It is terrible !!!!

 

***Mod Note: Please be clear that this link is NOT for the faint hearted and should only be viewed after taking this into account***

 

I think the other rider involved may have been Phil Bishop! But my translation on a piece i read may be incorrect.

 

[Bobby Garrad 0]

I am afraid ther are tracks still being used today that are very dangerous and before long we will have another fatality. Remove the staircase from this clip and replace it with a concrete wall and you have the possibility of another tragedy.

 

Throttle jamming open from the start is poosible.

 

Ask Stuart Robson.

[Bavarian 766]

From the In Memorium site:

 

RANISZEWSKI, Zbigniew (Bydgoszcz & Poland).........................April 21, 1956.............Vienna, Austria

 

DIRTL, Fritz (Austria)......................................................................J

une 10, 1956............Oberhausen, Germany (L-T)

 

That's correct, except that the Oberhausen track was not a long track (L-T), but a proper 400m speedway oval. The meeting at Oberhausen was in fact the Continental Final of the 1956 FIM World Individual Speedway Championship.

 

 

Let me add a little more about the stadium / speedway track seen in the video of that bizzare fatal crash of the Polish rider Raniszewski. This was the Praterstadion in Vienna (also known as the 'Wiener Stadion'), which was and still is Austria' biggest sports stadium. It was the Austrian equivalent of what Wembley was in England. It hosted the International football matches and major speedway events in the 1950's and 1960's. Severall FIM world championship speedway event were held at this track, beginning with an individual Contionental semi-final in 1952 until the 1963 world team cup final.

 

The stadium today, in a modernized shape, is no longer use for speedway, but football and athletics, and bears a new name (Ernst-Happel-Stadion). It hosted the (soccer) Euro 2008 final between Spain and Germany.

[Deano 1,318]

I think the other rider involved may have been Phil Bishop! But my translation on a piece i read may be incorrect.

 

According to a previous link:

 

14: Kamper, Kaiser, Sidlo, Krzeszinski F 4-2 45-38

 

So ironically Kamper was in the same fatal races of both Krzeszinski and Dirtl.

 

 

It seems pretty obvious to us these days that it was an accident waiting to happen, but perhaps they thought "what are the chances of that happening". They understood the risks before riding, but it seems so tragic that even crudely roping off the area would have stopped man and machines careering under. Lets just hope the poor guy didn't suffer because if you were the nearest, would you have unhesitatingly rushed to help him?

 

[Grachan 7,362]

Let me add a little more about the stadium / speedway track seen in the video of that bizzare fatal crash of the Polish rider Raniszewski. This was the Praterstadion in Vienna (also known as the 'Wiener Stadion'),

 

 

It seems pretty obvious to us these days that it was an accident waiting to happen, but perhaps they thought "what are the chances of that happening". They understood the risks before riding, but it seems so tragic that even crudely roping off the area would have stopped man and machines careering under. Lets just hope the poor guy didn't suffer because if you were the nearest, would you have unhesitatingly rushed to help him?

 

There's a picture of the Praterstadion here: http://sport.ard.de/euro2008/teams_spieler...968_dpa_600.jpg

 

It's quite pixelly when you try and zoom in, but it looks to me like there are three sets of those stairs in quite close proximity coming out of the bend at the far end (ironically boarded over in this picture for a football match).

 

At the very end of the clip you can just catch a glimpse of someone in white overalls running onto the track.

[Custom House Kid 45]

This link mentions Phil Bisop but the translation is poor See here

Edited January 23, 2010 by Custom House Kid

[Bavarian 766]

According to a previous link:

 

14: Kamper, Kaiser, Sidlo, Krzeszinski F 4-2 45-38

 

So ironically Kamper was in the same fatal races of both Krzeszinski and Dirtl.

 

Not so, heat 14 wasn't the fatal race, but only the last race that was completed. That rider Krzeszinski who fell in heat 14 was taken to hospital with lighter injuries (concussion etc).

 

Then came heat 15, the fatal race, which was of course never completed. In that race the Polish pair met Phil Bishop and Josef Seidl (actually a German), who both rode for the Austrian team.

Judging from this piece of information it is highly likely that the other rider involved in the accident is indeed Phil Bishop (or possibly Seidl, but I doubt that). I think it is Bishop behind the unfortunate Raniszewski, and himself lucky to slide off and narrowly miss that concrete stairway.

From the video it is impossible to say how the accident happened or whose fault it was. Not that it matters anyway now after all those years.

[speedyguy 20]

Not so, heat 14 wasn't the fatal race, but only the last race that was completed. That rider Krzeszinski who fell in heat 14 was taken to hospital with lighter injuries (concussion etc).

 

Then came heat 15, the fatal race, which was of course never completed. In that race the Polish pair met Phil Bishop and Josef Seidl (actually a German), who both rode for the Austrian team.

Judging from this piece of information it is highly likely that the other rider involved in the accident is indeed Phil Bishop (or possibly Seidl, but I doubt that). I think it is Bishop behind the unfortunate Raniszewski, and himself lucky to slide off and narrowly miss that concrete stairway.

From the video it is impossible to say how the accident happened or whose fault it was. Not that it matters anyway now after all those years.

 

 

On form, it's likely that Josef Seidl would have been leading the race. He was a top international performer.

Edited January 24, 2010 by speedyguy

[frigbo 518]

The Speedway Star of the time(19th May 1956) has a report which states that Sidlo was involved in the crash. Bishop and Kapala were out front when Sidlo fell in front of Raniszewski.

 

Initially the Poles had refused to ride owing to the safety and surface of the track, but eventually agreed primarily because a World Championship Round was scheduled for the same track later in the year.

 

The following week has a two page article on the first Polish Tourist team to the UK and describes how Raniszewski was due to have been part of the squad.

Edited January 25, 2010 by frigbo