88th Berlin Six Day Race

Germany, January 7-12, 1999

Night 1     Night 2     Night 3     Night 4     Night 5     Night 6

Thanks to Fat Nick for helping with some 6 Day results and Mario Stiehl, who is our Berlin reporter.

The Teams

 1. Robert Bartko (Ger) - Marco Villa (Ita) Cantina Tollo
 2. Etienne De Wilde (Bel) Spar-RDM - Andreas Kappes (Ger) Agro-Adler
 3. Adriano Baffi (Ita) Mapei - Andrea Colinelli (Ita) 
 4. Jimmi Madsen (Den) Team Accept Card - Carsten Wolf (Ger)
 5. Thomas Liese (Ger) - Ronny Lerche (Den)
 6. Olaf Pollack (Ger) Agro-Adler - Gerd Dörich (Ger)
 7. Bruno Risi (Swi)  - Kurt Betschart (Swi)
 8. Tayeb Braikia (Den) - Jakob Piil-Storm (Den) Team Accept Card
 9. Mario Vonhof (Ger) EC Bayer Worringen - Scott McGrory (Aus) Die Continentale
10. Rik Van Slijcke (Bel) Spar-RDM - Jens Lehmann (Ger)
11. Lorenzo Lapage (Bel) - Frank Corvers (Bel) Collstrop
12. Lars Teutenberg (Ger) EC Bayer Worringen - Andreas Beikirch (Ger) Die Continentale
13. Guido Fulst (Ger) - Ralf Liehner (Ger) Berlin
14. Pierre-Yves Archambault (Fra) - Christian Weber (Ger)
15. Christian Lademann (Ger) - Sebastian Siedler (Ger)
16. Rob Hayles (GB) - Andreas Walzer (Ger) Team Gerolsteiner
17. Stefan Steinweg (Ger) - Erik Weisspfennig (Ger)
18. Frank Kowatschitsch (Ger) - Roger Furrer (Swi)

Sprint Cup:

Florian Rousseau (Fra)
Jens Fiedler (Ger)
Eyk Pokorny (Ger)
Anthony Peden (NZ)
Jan Van Eijden (Ger)

Stayer's Race:

Carsten Podlesch (Ger) Agro-Adler, Gangmaker: Dippel
Hanskurt Brand (Swi) Die Continentale, Gangmaker: Aebi
Ronald Rol (Ger), Gangmaker: Durst
Sabino Cannone (Ita), Gangmaker: Walvre
Stefan Schmitz (Ger), Gangmaker: Schmadtke
Marc Seynaeve (Fra), Gangmaker: Baur

Standings after Night 1:

 1. Etienne De Wilde (Bel) - Andreas Kappes (Ger) 		58
 2. Bruno Risi (Swi) - Kurt Betschart (Swi) 			48
 3. Jimmi Madsen (Den) - Carsten Wolf (Ger) 			46
 4. Adriano Baffi (Ita) - Andrea Colinelli (Ita) 		34
 5. Lars Teutenberg (Ger) - Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 		28 (+1)
 6. Rob Hayles (GB) - Andreas Walzer (Ger) 			28 (+1)
 7. Lorenzo Lapage (Bel) - Frank Corvers (Bel) 			24 (+1)
 8. Guido Fulst (Ger) - Ralf Liehner (Ger) 			23 (+1)
 9. Mario Vonhof (Ger) - Scott McGrory (Aus) 			18 (+1)
10. Tayeb Braikia (Den) - Jakob Piil-Storm (Den) 		17 (+1)
11. Robert Bartko (Ger) - Marco Villa (Ita) 			14 (+1)
12. Stefan Steinweg (Ger) - Erik Weispfennig (Ger) 		18 (+1)
13. Olaf Pollack (Ger) - Gerd Döhrich (Ger) 			19 (+2)
14. Rik Van Slijcke (Bel) - Jens Lehmann (Ger) 			 9 (+2)
15. Frank Kowatschitsch (Ger) - Roger Furrer (Swi) 		25 (+3)
16. Thomas Liese (Ger) - Ronny Lerche (Den) 			 1 (+3)
17. Pierre-Yves Archambault (Fra) - Christian Weber (Ger) 	 0 (+3)
18. Christian Lademann (Ger) - Sebastian Siedler (Ger) 		 0 (+4)

Other Classifications after Night 1: 

Sprint:

 1. Jens Fiedler (Ger)

Stayers:

 1. Sabino Cannone (Ita)

Standings after Night 2:

 1. Etienne De Wilde (Bel) - Andreas Kappes (Ger) 		130 Points
 2. Jimmi Madsen (Den) - Carsten Wolf (Ger) 			111 (+1)
 3. Bruno Risi (Swi) - Kurt Betschart (Swi) 			 95 (+2)
 4. Adriano Baffi (Ita) - Andrea Colinelli (Ita) 		 84 (+3)
 5. Lars Teutenberg (Ger) - Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 		 62 (+3)
 6. Robert Bartko (Ger) - Marco Villa (Ita)			 24 (+4)
 7. Guido Fulst (Ger) - Ralf Liehner (Ger) 			 42 (+4)
 8. Rob Hayles (GB) - Andreas Walzer (Ger) 			 42 (+4)
 9. Tayeb Braikia (Den) - Jakob Piil (Den) 			 41 (+4)
10. Mario Vonhof (Ger) - Scott McGrory (Aus) 			 38 (+4)
11. Stefan Steinweg (Ger) - Erik Weispfennig (Ger) 		 34 (+5)
12. Lorenzo Lapage (Bel) - Frank Corvers (Bel) 			 33 (+5)
13. Olaf Pollack (Ger) - Gerd Dörich (Ger) 			 32 (+8)
14. Pierre-Yves Archambault (Fra) - Christian Weber (Ger) 	 12 (+9)
15. Frank Kowatschitsch - Roger Furrer (Ger) 			 25 (+9)
16. Rik Van Slijcke (Bel) - Jens Lehmann (Ger) 			 11 (+9)
17. Thomas Liese (Ger) - Ronny Lerche (Den) 			  9 (+9)
18. Christian Lademann (Ger) - Sebastian Siedler (Ger) 		 16 (+10)

Other Classifications after Night 2: 

Stayers:

 1. Carsten Podlesch (Ger)
 2. Hanskurt Brand (Swi)

Sprints:

 1. Jens fiddler (Ger) 				21 points
 2. Florien Rousseau (Fra)

Standings after Night 3:

Nick Rosenthal has sent me this fabulous report from the Velodrome. Saturday night at the Berlin Six-Day is the "Golden Night", and a sell-out crowd of 10,000 spectators was treated to a comprehensive programme of races. The six-day race itself is interspersed with various other races, such as a sprinters’ competition featuring the likes of Anthony Peden, Florian Rousseau, Jens Fiedler, Eyk Pokorny and Jan van Eiden, or motor-paced racing behind the big motors with Carsten Podlesch playing the role of local Berlin hero and the last world champion.

In the six-day race itself, four teams are looking increasingly dominant: Etienne de Wilde and Andreas Kappes are probably the outright favourites after their win in the Leipzig Six in December, but Germany’s Carsten Wolf and Denmark’s Jimmi Madsen are also looking very good. Wolf is a Berliner himself, and is showing a level of form and determination that we haven’t seen in a long time. Bruno Risi and Kurt Betschart would also like to notch up a first win in Berlin, and Adriano Baffi and Anreas Collinelli are also on form.

The biggest race of the night, the on-hour Schultheiss Madison, was won by Wolf and Madsen. On Berlin’s big (in six-day terms) 250 meter track, gaining a lap is a hard business. Most teams gained laps by working with other teams and doing a team time trial, and at the end of the session the six teams on the same lap had to fight it out in the 3 sets of sprints at the end. Wolf found his sprinting legs and just beat Kappes on the line for the final set of points of the evening.

The racing was not without incident. During the one-hour Madison, Jimmi Madsen fell off on the back straight, tearing his shorts and bloodying his left leg. But he was wuickly back on his bike and back in the action. Next to experience problems was German-based Australian Scott McGrory, who had flown back from Australia for this race, but picked up a touch of flu on the flight. His fever eventually got the better of him, and he abandoned the race and was helped away by the medics.

Young German track star Robert Bartko is settling in well to racing at the top level, but last night he took a tumble during the last few laps of the main Madison, falling heavily and needing a couple of stitches from the race doctor to a gash above his left eye. He showed consideable courage to take part in the Derny race (won by De Wilde - Kappes) half an hour later.

It is also nice to see Denmark’s Jakob Piil back in action. The winner of the 1997 Grenoble Six chipped his hip bone last August, and this is his first six-day race of the eason. He was a little apprehensive about it, and expected to take a bit of a pasting, but he is actually looking remarkably fit and showing a good turn of speed.

We left at 2:30 in the morning, but the racing still had another hour to go.... 

 1. Carsten Wolf (Ger)- Jimmi Madsen (Den) 			185 Points
 2. Andreas Kappes (Ger) - Etienne De Wilde (Bel) 		178
 3. Bruno Risi (Swi) - Kurt Betschart (Swi) 			158
 4. Adriano Baffi (Ita) - Andrea Colinelli (Ita) 		147
 5. Lars Teutenberg (Ger) - Andreas Beikirch (Ger) 		 97 (+3)
 6. Stefan Steinweg (Ger) - Erik Weispfennig (Ger) 		 83 (+3)
 7. Tayeb Braikia (Den) - Jakob Piil-Storm (Den) 		 91 (+4)
 8. Robert Bartko (Ger) - Marco Villa (Ita) 			 24 (+4)
 9. Mario Vonhof (Ger) - Scott McGrory (Aus) 			 47 (+5)
10. Rob Hayles (GB) - Andreas Walzer (Ger) 			 53 (+6)
11. Laurenzo Lapage (Bel) - Frank Corvers (Bel) 		 58 (+7)
12. Olaf Pollack (Ger) - Gerd Dörich (Ger) 			 47 (+7)
13. Guido Fulst (Ger) - Ralf Liehner (Ger) 			 42 (+8)
14. Pierre-Yves Archambault (Fra) - Christian Weber (Swi) 	 21 (+14)
15. Rik van Slijcke (Bel) - Jens Lehmann (Ger)			 21 (+14)
16. Thomas Liese (Ger) - Ronny Lerche (Den) 			 18 (+14)
17. Frank Kowatschitsch (Ger) - Roger Furrer (Swi) 		 60 (+15)
18. Christian Lademann (Ger) - Sebastian Siedler (Ger) 		 23 (+19)

Standings after Night 4:

Nick Rosenthal reports from Night 4 that Australian Scott McGrory, abandoned the Berlin Six Saturday evening, and has spent the day in hospital with some time on a respirator. He has some sort of virus that has left him feverish, wobbly and short of breath. His partner, Mario Vonhof, continues to race in the ancillary events (Derny, etc) on his own. 

 1. Jimmi Madsen (Den) - Carsten Wolf (Ger) 			217 Points
 2. Etienne De Wilde (Bel) - Andreas Kappes (Ger) 		206
 3. Bruno Risi (Swi) - Kurt Betschart (Swi) 			198
 4. Adriano Baffi (Ita) - Andrea Colinelli (Ita)		190 (+1)
 5. Lars Teutenberg (Ger) - Andreas Beikirch (Ger)		125 (+2)
 6. Tayeb Braikia (Den) - Jacob Piil (Den)			138 (+3)
 7. Stefan Steinweg (Ger) - Erik Weispfennig (Ger)		118 (+3)
 8. Robert Bartko (Ger) - Marco Villa (Ger)			 66 (+4)
 9. Rob Hayles (Gbr) - Andreas Walzer (Ger)			 63 (+7)
10. Olaf Pollack (Ger) - Gerd Dörich (Ger)			 86 (+8)
11. Lorenzo Lapage (Bel) - Frank Corvers (Bel)			 80 (+8)
12. Mario Vonhof (Ger) - Scott McGrory (Aus)			 62 (+8)
13. Guido Fulst (Ger) - Ralf Liehner (Ger)			 50 (+10)
14. Pierre-Yves Archambault (Fra) - Christian Weber (Swi) 	 51 (+17)
15. Rik Van Slijcke (Bel) - Jens Lehmann (Ger)			 39 (+17)
16. Thomas Liese (Ger) - Ronny Lerche (Den)			 25 (+17)
17. Frank Kowatschitsch (Ger) - Roger Furrer (Swi)		 64 (+19)
18. Christian Lademann (Ger) - Sebastian Siedler (Ger)		 38 (+23)

Standings after Night 5:

 1. Jimmi Madsen (Den) - Carsten Wolf (Ger)			246 Points
 2. Etienne De Wilde (Bel) - Andreas Kappes (Ger)		241
 3. Adriano Baffi (Ita) - Andrea Colinelli (Ita)		230
 4. Bruno Risi (Swi) - Kurt Bteschart (Swi)			218
 5. Lars Teutenberg (Ger) - Andreas Beikirch (Ger)		169 (+2)
 6. Tayeb Braikia (Den) - Jakob Pill-Storm (Den)		157 (+3)
 7. Stefan Steinweg - Erik Weisspfennig (Ger)			157 (+3)
 8. Robert Bartko (Ger) - Marco Villa (Ita)			 82 (+4)
 9. Olaf Pollack (Ger) - Gerd Döhrich (Ger)			124 (+9)
10. Lorenzo Lapage (Bel) - Frank Corvers (Bel)			121 (+9)
11. Rob Hayles (Gbr) - Andreas Walzer (Ger)			 76 (+9)
12. Guido Fulst (Ger) - Ralf Liehner (Ger)			 88 (+13)
13. Pierre-Yves Archambault (Fra) - Christian Weber (Swi) 	 68 (+21)
14. Thomas Liese (Ger) - Ronny Lerche (Den) 			 29 (+22)
15. Rik Van Slijcke (Bel) - Jens Lehmann (Ger)			 42 (+23)
16. Frank Kowatschitsch (Ger) - Roger Furer (Swi)		 98 (+24)
17. Mario Vonhof (Ger) - Christian Lademann (Ger)		 52 (+27)

Abandoned: Sebastian Siedler (Ger)

Final Standings after Night 6:

Mario Stiehl reports that the last night was the biggest night ever seen in Berlin. Etienne De Wilde and Andreas Kappes won the race on the last lap. He said the climax was spectacular. 

 1. Etienne De Wilde (Bel) - Andreas Kappes (Ger)		296 Points
 2. Jimmi Madsen (Den) - Carsten Wolf (Ger)			293
 3. Adriano Baffi (Ita)- Andrea Colinelli (Ita)			264
 4. Bruno Risi (Swi) - Kurt Betschart (Swi)			249
 5. Lars Teutenberg (Ger) - Andreas Beikirch (Ger)		193 (+3)
 6. Stefan Steinweg (Ger) - Erik Weisspfennig (Ger)		179 (+4)
 7. Tayeb Braikia (Den) - Jakob Pill-Storm (Den)		172 (+4)
 8. Robert Bartko (Ger) - Marco Villa (Ita)			 88 (+6)
 9. Olaf Pollack (Ger) - Gerd Döhrich (Ger)			128 (+11)
10. Lorenzo Lapage (Bel) - Frank Corvers (Bel)			121 (+11)
11.. Rob Hayles (Gbr) - Andreas Walzer (Ger)			 84 (+11)
12. Guido Fulst (Ger) - Ralf Liehner (Ger)			 95 (+16)
13. Rik Van Slijcke (Bel) - Jens Lehmann (Ger)			 70 (+16)
14. Pierre-Yves Archambault (Fra) - Christian Weber (Swi) 	 82 (+25)
15. Thomas Liese (Ger) - Ronny Lerche (Den)			 29 (+26)
16. Frank Kowatschitsch (Ger) - Roger Furer (Swi)		108 (+27)
17. Christian Lademann (Ger) - Mario Vonhof (Ger)		 55 (+32) *

* with Sebastian Siedler (Ger)

Other classification after Night 6: 

Preis des Berliner Rundfunks, 91.4 kms:

 1. Lorenzo Lapage (Bel) - Frank Corvers (Bel)

Preis "ASB AutohausBerlin"

 1. Rob Hayles (Gbr) - Andreas Walzer (Ger)

Großer ESSO-Pokal der Steher (Stayers)

 1. Carsten Podlesch (Ger)
 2. Hans-Krut Brand (Swi)

Sprinter's Cup um den "Berliner Kurier" and "Checker Pig"

 1. Jens Fiedler (Ger)
 2. Florian Rousseau (Fra)