Zdeněk Kudrna (born 2 September 1946 in
Čisovice
Čisovice is a municipality and village in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
The village of Bojov is an administrative part of Čisovice.
Notable people ...
,
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
- died 1 June 1982) was an international
speedway
Speedway may refer to:
Racing Race tracks
*Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta
*Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana
Types of races and race cours ...
rider who reached he
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest-ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world, run under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The first official championsh ...
final in 1979. He also finished third in the
Individual Ice Racing World Championship
The Individual Ice Speedway World Championship is an Ice speedway championship held annually to determine an individual World Champion.
History
The first Championships were held in 1966. A European Championship was held for the two years precedi ...
twice, in 1977 and 1979.
[Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ] Kudrna was Czech
Ice Racing
Ice racing is a form of racing that uses cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, or other motorized vehicles. Ice racing takes place on frozen lakes or rivers, or on groomed frozen lots. As cold weather is a requirement for natural ...
champion six times, after the last of which he was awarded title ''Sportsman of the Year'' by the Czech Motorcycle Federation.
Kudrna first rode in the UK for the Exeter Falcons in 1979 with compatriots
Aleš Dryml Sr.,
Jan Verner
Jan Verner (born 3 March 1951) is a former international speedway rider from the Czech Republic.
Speedway career
Verner reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in the 1977 Individual Speedway World Championship.
He rode in the ...
and
Václav Verner
Václav Verner (1949-2018) was an international speedway rider.
Speedway career
He was the individual champion of Czechoslovakia, after winning the Czechoslovakian Championship in 1971, finished runner-up five time (1970, 1976, 1977, 1978, 198 ...
. Also in 1979 he finished seventh
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest-ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world, run under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The first official championsh ...
final and was a member of the
Czechoslovak team that finished third in the
Speedway World Team Cup
The Speedway World Team Cup was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The competition started in 1960 and was replaced with the Speedway World Cup in 2001.
Format
From 1960 until 1985 each team consisted of four riders ...
.
1980 saw him move to the
Birmingham Brummies
Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team founded in 1928. They were inaugural members of the Southern League in 1929. The team have twice finished runner-up in the highest tier of British speedway, during the 1952 Speedway National Lea ...
where he was nicknamed ''
Kermit'' due to his bright green leathers. The Czechoslovak authorities refused him permission to ride in the UK in 1981 but in 1982 he returned to the Brummies.
World Final Appearances
Individual World Championship
*
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
-
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
- Reserve - did not ride
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
-
Chorzów
Chorzów ( ; ; german: link=no, Königshütte ; szl, Chorzōw) is a city in the Silesia region of southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central cities of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population ...
,
Silesian Stadium Silesian as an adjective can mean anything from or related to Silesia. As a noun, it refers to an article, item, or person of or from Silesia.
Silesian may also refer to:
People and languages
*Silesians, inhabitants of Silesia, either a West Sla ...
- 7th - 8pts
World Team Cup
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
-
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
White City Stadium
White City Stadium was a stadium located in White City, London, England. Built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, it hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and other sports like swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car ...
(with
Jiří Štancl
Jiří Štancl (born 18 November 1949 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from Czechoslovakia.
Career
Štancl reached the final of the Speedway World Championship on nine occasions between 1971 and 19 ...
/
Aleš Dryml Sr. /
Václav Verner
Václav Verner (1949-2018) was an international speedway rider.
Speedway career
He was the individual champion of Czechoslovakia, after winning the Czechoslovakian Championship in 1971, finished runner-up five time (1970, 1976, 1977, 1978, 198 ...
) - 3rd - 19pts (4)
*
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
-
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
,
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
(with
Jiří Štancl
Jiří Štancl (born 18 November 1949 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from Czechoslovakia.
Career
Štancl reached the final of the Speedway World Championship on nine occasions between 1971 and 19 ...
/
Aleš Dryml Sr. /
Václav Verner
Václav Verner (1949-2018) was an international speedway rider.
Speedway career
He was the individual champion of Czechoslovakia, after winning the Czechoslovakian Championship in 1971, finished runner-up five time (1970, 1976, 1977, 1978, 198 ...
/
Petr Ondrašík
Petr Ondrašík (born 8 October 1951 in Brezolupy, Czechoslovakia) is a former Czechoslovak international motorcycle speedway rider. He earned 26 caps for the Czechoslovakian national speedway team.
Career
Ondrašík reached the World Final ...
) - 4th - 12pt (1)
World Longtrack Championship
*
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
–
Marianske Lazne 6th 14pts
*
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
–
Aalborg
Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...
12th 8pts
*
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
–
Mühldorf
Mühldorf am Inn (Central Bavarian: ''Muihdorf am Inn'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the district Mühldorf on the river Inn. It is located at , and had a population of about 17,808 in 2005.
History
During the Middle Ages, ...
15th 7pts
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
–
Marianske Lazne 16th 2pts
*
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
–
Scheeßel
Scheeßel (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Scheeßl'') is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Wümme, approx. 10 km northeast of Rotenburg, 45 km east of Bremen, and 70 km south ...
8th 9pts
*
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
–
Gornja Radgona
Gornja Radgona (; german: Oberradkersburg, hu, Felsőregede) is a town in Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Gornja Radgona. Once it was a defensive stronghold for today's regional centre and its twin city, Bad Radkersburg, on the ...
14th 4pts
Individual Ice Speedway World Championship
*
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
–
Nässjö
Nässjö () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Nässjö Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 16,678 inhabitants in 2010.
History
For many years, Nässjö was a rural village with agriculture as the dominant occupation. ...
13th 4pts
*
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
–
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
9th 12pts
*
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
–
Assen
Assen () is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1809. Assen is known for TT Circuit Assen, the ...
7th 18pts
*
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
–
Inzell
Inzell is a municipality in the district of Traunstein in Bavaria, Germany. It is known for the Eisstadion Inzell, an outdoor artificial ice rink that has been used for many international speed skating championships. It is now an indoor oval.
Ge ...
3rd 24pts
*
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
–
Assen
Assen () is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1809. Assen is known for TT Circuit Assen, the ...
11th 10pts
*
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
–
Inzell
Inzell is a municipality in the district of Traunstein in Bavaria, Germany. It is known for the Eisstadion Inzell, an outdoor artificial ice rink that has been used for many international speed skating championships. It is now an indoor oval.
Ge ...
3rd 26pts
*
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
–
Kalinin 4th 22pts
*
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
-
Assen
Assen () is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1809. Assen is known for TT Circuit Assen, the ...
4th 25pts
*
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
-
Inzell
Inzell is a municipality in the district of Traunstein in Bavaria, Germany. It is known for the Eisstadion Inzell, an outdoor artificial ice rink that has been used for many international speed skating championships. It is now an indoor oval.
Ge ...
4th
Death
On 31 May 1982 Kudrna was racing in a
grasstrack
Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of track racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in the ...
meeting in
Stadskanaal
Stadskanaal () is a town and municipality with a population of 32,715 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. It was named after the canal Stadskanaal.
From 1800 until 1900 this area was ideal for its peat mining, and so ...
, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. He had already qualified to go through to the next round when midway through the final race, his throttle stuck open and he crashed full speed into the barrier. A wooden stake holding the fence impaled him. Despite being rushed to hospital, Kudrna died the next day from his injuries.
[From the Archives: Speedway star killed by wooden stake]
, ''Birmingham Mail
The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire ...
'', 16 February 2011, retrieved 2011-11-27
References
See also
*
Czech Republic national speedway team
The Czech Republic are one of the major teams in international speedway. They have never won the competition but have appeared in eight finals.
Speedway World Team Cup
Team U-21 World Championship
Team U-19 European Championship
S ...
*
Individual Ice Racing World Championship
The Individual Ice Speedway World Championship is an Ice speedway championship held annually to determine an individual World Champion.
History
The first Championships were held in 1966. A European Championship was held for the two years precedi ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kudrna, Zdenek
1946 births
1982 deaths
Czechoslovak speedway riders
Exeter Falcons riders
Birmingham Brummies riders
Motorcycle racers who died while racing