The second final of the 2019 German Speedway Championship took place today at the Holsteinring in Brokstedt. The first final between the Vikings from MSC Brokstedt and long-term rivals AC Landshut Devils ended in a draw in the south last weekend. However, the North won the play-off. The advantage for winning the German championship was on the side of MSC Brokstedt - but a lot is always possible at speedway...
In the Speedway Bundesliga, four drivers drive four laps around the approximately 400m long oval track. Only the first three get points. Two drivers from each team will compete in each of the 14 heats. The motorcycles have 500cc, only one gear and no brakes. A round lasts roughly 70 seconds. So variety is ensured.
In contrast for the last time I knew beforehand what to expect. I therefore had two motifs in mind that I wanted to try to implement. The dynamics of the sport were more important to me than portraying specific people. There were enough other photographers there for the latter. So I grabbed a 1,8x gray filter and photographed fast-paced sports in good light with exposure times around 1/3 of a second. For the other subject I wanted to get close to the track with a wide angle. In order not to endanger myself or the drivers, I put my camera on a small tripod and triggered it remotely with my smartphone. In fact, the latter was more difficult than the former. On the other hand, I'm glad that both worked and I was even able to capture a third beautiful motif on the chip.
Back to the reason for my presence at the Holsteinring, the German championship. Right from the start, the opponent from the south took a four-point lead. The equalizer was only achieved in the 9th of the 14 heats. After that, the MSC Brokstedt had the tires in front. Winning the championship was already certain before the last heat. The around 1500 spectators in the area celebrated the Vikings in style. With 45:39, MSC Brokstedt became German champions again after 2014.
Congratulations to the MSC Brokstedt and thank you for the hospitality! And of course thanks to Bjørn for the organization and the driving service.
