Egon Müller (born 26 November 1948 in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider and was winner of the

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 champions ...

in 1983, winning the title in his homeland with a maximum score of 15 points. He earned 44 international caps for the West German national speedway team.

Career

Motorcycle speedway

Egon Müller won the German Champion seven times (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1985). He rode briefly in the United Kingdom in 1973 for the Coatbridge Tigers (Scotland), and in 1976 for the

Hull Vikings The Hull Vikings were a speedway team from Hull, England, who operated primarily from The Boulevard (stadium) and Craven Park from 1971 to 2005. History The team originated as the Hull Angels and were based at Hedon Stadium in Hedon on the ...

. Despite him only appearing for a handful of meetings in 1976, Hull were granted a 'Egon Muller (Rider Replacement)' facility for the entire 1977 season. Müller won the Long Track World Championship in 1974, 1975 and 1978. He finished second in 1980 and 1984, and finished third in 1976 and 1982. He also represented

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

in the

Speedway World Pairs Championship The Speedway World Pairs Championship was an annual speedway (motorcycling) event held each year in different countries. The first competition was held in 1968 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994 it was merged with the World Team ...

, finishing a best of 3rd in

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 Democrat ...

at Hyde Road in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

paired with

Hans Wassermann Hans Wassermann (born 1 September 1953) is a former international speedway rider from West Germany. Speedway career Wassermann won a bronze medal at the Speedway World Pairs Championship in the 1977 Speedway World Pairs Championship. He has a ...

. Müller also competed in the Speedway World Team Cup where he led the West Germans to a third-place finish in both

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 ...

at the

Olching Speedwaybahn Olching (Central Bavarian: ''Oiching'') is a town in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Munich. Geography Olching lies approximately halfway between Dachau ...

Olching Olching (Central Bavarian: ''Oiching'') is a town in the district of Fürstenfeldbruck, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Munich. Geography Olching lies approximately halfway between Dachau ...

, and again in 1982 at the

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 ...

in London, England. He was also a four-time winner of the Continental Final which was the last World Final qualifying round for European-based riders. Müller won the Continental Final in 1976, 1981, 1984 and 1985. As of the

2015 Speedway Grand Prix The 2015 Speedway Grand Prix season was the 70th edition of the official World Championship and the 21st season of the Speedway Grand Prix era, deciding the FIM Speedway World Championship. It was the fifteenth series under the promotion of Benfie ...

series, Egon Müller is the only German rider to have won the Speedway World Championship when he took out the title with a 15-point maximum at the Motodrom Halbemond in

Norden Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to: Places England * Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane * Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle * Norden, Greater Manchester, a vi ...

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

from

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

Billy Sanders William Robert Sanders (9 September 1955 – 23 April 1985Oakes, P (1982). ''Daily Mirror 1982 Speedway Yearbook''. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ) was an Australian international Speedway rider who won six Australian Championships and w ...

and 1980 champion Michael Lee. At a time when the Speedway World Championship Final was a single meeting that could throw up a surprise winner on the day, Müller was generally seen as a 'one hit wonder' in the same way that Poland's 1973 World Champion

Jerzy Szczakiel Jerzy Szczakiel (28 January 1949 – 1 September 2020) was a Polish speedway rider. He was one of three Polish nationals to have won the Speedway World Championship, the others being 2010 World champion Tomasz Gollob and the 2019 Speedway Grand ...

was. However, Müller was a perennial championship contender having made four previous World Final appearances (1976, 1977, 1980 and 1981) as well as being a triple Long track World Champion, and an eight time German Champion. Following the 1983 World Final, rumours surfaced that West German officials had given Müller extra practice time on the Norden track that the other riders were not given. Other rumours also surfaced that many of the riders believed that the track had been prepared more like a long track in order to give Müller an advantage, with the track actually receiving a grade by the tractor after each race. In commentary for British television, 1976 World Champion Peter Collins noted that the Motodrom that day was more like a Grass track than a regular speedway which definitely suited the West German. Just two weeks after his 1983 World Championship win, Müller was reportedly involved in a motor accident on the

Autobahn The (; German plural ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track' ...

where he wrote off his Porsche. The accident saw him spend a couple of days in hospital with minor leg injuries. Just one week following this, he competed in the 1983 World Long Track final in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. Müller went on to ride in the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

World Finals but could not replicate his 1983 win, finishing in 14th place with just 3 points from his five rides on each occasion. In 1987, while crossing the road in Amsterdam, he was hit by a car and broke his kneecap. This affected his career and he concentrated on longtrack afterwards.

Music/actor

Outside of his sport career, Muller was a pop singer under the stage name Amadeus Liszt (with some hits like "La Donna" in 1986, "Win The Race" in 1987 and "The Devil Wins" in 1989), a moderator at trade fairs, shows and charity events, an actor and a television personality.

World Final appearances

Individual World 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 ...

- Chorzów,

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 ...

- 8th - 8pts *

- Gothenburg,

Ullevi Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi (, ''New Ullevi''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; the ...

- 7th - 8pts * 1980 - Gothenburg, Ullevi - 14th - 4pts *

- London,

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 original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

- 7th - 9pts *

, Motodrom Halbemond - Winner - 15pts *

- Gothenburg, Ullevi - 14th - 3pts *

- Bradford, Odsal Stadium - 12th - 5pts

World Pairs Championship

, Hyde Road (with

) - 3rd - 18pts (11) *

- Chorzów,

(with

Georg Gilgenreiner Georg Gilgenreiner (born 28 August 1948) is a former international speedway rider from Germany. Speedway career Gilgenreiner was champion of West Germany in 1980 at the German Individual Speedway Championship. He reached the final of the Spee ...

) - 7th - 3pts (2) *

- Gothenburg, Ullevi (with Karl Maier) - 6th - 12pts (6)

World Team Cup

(with Karl Maier /

Georg Hack Georg Hack (born 20 February 1950) is a former international speedway rider from West Germany. Speedway career Hack reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in the 1982 Individual Speedway World Championship representing West Germa ...

) - 3rd - 28pts (10) * 1982 - London,

(with

/ Karl Maier /

Alois Wiesböck Alois Wiesböck (born 31 July 1950), in Niederbergkirchen, is a former Long track motorcycle racing world champion and international motorcycle speedway rider from Germany. Craeer Wiesböck was winner of the Individual Speedway Long Track Wor ...

) - 3rd - 18pts (5)

World Longtrack Championship

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

(9th) 10pts * 1974 -

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 ...

(Champion) 30pts *

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. ...

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 ...

(Champion) 27pts *

- Marianske Lazne (Third) 21pts *

- Aalborg (18th) 0pts * 1978 -

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, ...

(Champion) 26pts *

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 so ...

- Marianske Lazne (7th) 12pts * 1980 -

(Second) 18pts *

(5th) 16pts * 1982 -

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

(Third) 21pts *

- Marianske Lazne (8th) 11pts *

- Herxheim (Second) 19 pts *

(5th) 17pts *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

Semi-final *

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

(5th) 15pts *

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

(9th) 15pts *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

- Marianske Lazne (5th) 22pts *

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

Semi-final *

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

Semi-final * 1992 -

Pfarrkirchen Pfarrkirchen is a municipality in southern Lower Bavaria Germany, the capital of the district Rottal-Inn. It has about 12,500 inhabitants and is an important school centre with about 10,000 pupils from all over Lower Bavaria. The town spreads ...

(11th) 6pts *

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

(7th) 11 *

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

- Marianske Lazne (4th) 17pts *

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

Semi-final * 1996 - Herxheim (13th) 5pts Grand-Prix * 1997 5 app (6th) 66pts Best Grand-Prix Results * -

Cloppenburg Cloppenburg (; nds, Cloppenborg; stq, Kloppenbuurich) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of Cloppenburg District and part of Oldenburg Münsterland. It lies 38 km south-south-west of Oldenburg in the Weser-Ems region between Brem ...

Third 1997 * -

Second 1997

West German Longtrack Champion

1973, 1975, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1985.

References

External links

* http://grasstrackgb.co.uk/egon-muller/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Egon 1948 births Living people German speedway riders West German speedway riders Individual Speedway World Champions Hull Vikings riders Australian expatriate speedway riders in England Sportspeople from Kiel