Adolf "Adi" Funk (1 July 1951 – 27 January 2010) was an Austrian motorcycle speedway rider who won the Austrian Championship four times. He earned 25 caps for the Austria national speedway team.[1]

Adi Funk
Born(1951-07-01)1 July 1951
Klosterneuburg, Austria
Died27 January 2010(2010-01-27) (aged 58)
Felixdorf, Austria
NationalityAustrian
Career history
Austria
1975Blau Gelbe Stars
Great Britain
1976King's Lynn Stars
1977Leicester Lions
Individual honours
1975, 1980, 1981, 1982Austrian Champion

Biography

edit

Born in Klosterneuburg, Funk rose to prominence in the early 1970s, and by 1974 had the highest average in Austrian speedway.[2] He finished in fourth place in the Austrian Championship in 1974 and won it for the first time the following year, also winning the Austrian Pairs Championship (with Alex Taudtmann).[2]

In 1976 he rode in Britain for King's Lynn Stars[3] but struggled to score well, averaging only 2.8 over the season and was released.[4] The following year he rode for Leicester Lions, and while his average improved, it was still below three points per match. He went on to win the Austrian Championship for three successive seasons between 1980 and 1982.

Funk also represented Austria several times.[5]

Funk died in January 2010. A memorial meeting in his honour was held in Mureck the following year.[6]

World final appearances

edit

World Pairs Championship

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Oakes, Peter & Mauger, Ivan (1976) Who's Who of World Speedway, Studio Publications, ISBN 0-904584-04-6, p. 141
  3. ^ "Austrian may be mystery rider". Lynn Advertiser. 20 February 1976. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "Reading ready to topple champions". Reading Evening Post. 2 April 1977. Retrieved 26 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Lions Roar, Automedia, p. 165
  6. ^ "Generalprobe in Mureck", Kleine Zeitung, 29 April 2011, retrieved 2012-03-17