- I rode against the team from Rzeszów with a broken hand in Wittstock on Saturday. Right after this meeting we also rode with Lokomotiv Daugavpils on the same day. I lost maybe three points in both of those competitions - says Max Dilger. The German in an interview summaries his last season, during which, in addition to classic speedway, he was also successful in the long track speedway.
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Magdalena Magdziarz (speedwaynews. pl): Max, at the beginning, a little joke, a little serious. Watching you on Instagram, I saw that during the season you were coming back from competitions in the middle of the night, to then train already early in the morning, or fixing the bikes in the workshop. How do you find lots of energy to do it all?
Max Dilger: – Yes, it has become my routine. I don't need much sleep. I would even say that I'm not used to sleeping long. In the morning, I usually do a workout and fitness before getting ready to work on the motorcycles. I'm always busy and I really enjoy this lifestyle. It's not a problem for me to get up early in the morning and train.
– And you don't feel tired.
– I usually sleep no more than six and a half hours each night. This is as good as it gets for me, and it's good that I don't need more sleep as a speedway rider.
– You were riding for the Wolfe Wittstock team last season. Apart from classic speedway, you've also been successful in long-track speedway, of course. We'll get to that discipline in a moment. However, you've also had some bad luck with injuries. What summary can you tell me about the last few months?
– The season started badly for me. I had a few issues with the bike and its ignition, and it took a few meetings for us to fix it. Then I was doing really well 'till I broke my arm in Rzeszów. It happened on Sunday. The surgery was on Tuesday. I rode against the team from Rzeszów with a broken hand in Wittstock on Saturday. Right after this meeting, we also rode with Lokomotiv Daugavpils on the same day. I lost maybe three points in both of those competitions. But at the last start, I fell on the track with another rider who drove into my back. I got spun around and my hand got hurt as well. This kept me from riding for the next two to three weeks. Getting back on after two injuries was tough, but I was still able to race well. I have another surgery this month and if it's not enough, I may need to have another one.
– Was it hard for you to get back on a motorcycle again?
– I feel good as long as I don't ride, so racing on the bike was sometimes difficult for me, especially when the track was steep. For this reason, I could not get on the motorcycle without taking painkillers first. So yes, it was difficult when I was riding at the speedway. I'm glad that the season is over and this time is behind me for now. I will have some time to take care of myself and my health as I prepare for the next year.
– You've had some good results on the long track. You won gold in the German Championships. You also made it through the qualifiers and qualified for next year's Long Track World Championship stakes.
– It's been a good season for me, especially in long track. I won the German Championship, I also won the GP Challenge, which qualified me for the World Long Track Championship in the 2022 season. Other than that, I also had some very good meetings at the speedway track. I'm happy with it, I'm sure it could have been better though, if injuries hadn't happened to me along the way. However, it is part of the sport.
– You rode in this year's 2nd final of the Individual World Championships in Rzeszów. The track there is obviously not a track suitable for this type of speedway. How do you feel the competition went?
– Well, the track in Rzeszów is not adapted for long-track speedway. Nevertheless, I think it worked and the fans saw some very good racing during the final, a full-on emotional competition. But I also race classic speedway, so it wasn't a big problem for me to take part in this competition in Rzeszów. I think it is not a problem to race long track on such a short track, but it is also not really good to organize competitions that take place only on such facilities. If next year there is some kind of combination of these sports events on tracks adapted for long track and classic speedway, I think it will be an ideal situation.
– Classical speedway and long track speedway seem to be similar sports, but there are many differences between them. Which differences could you point out?
– They are completely different sports and are different in many ways. To the fans, it may seem like there is no difference. However, you drive the motorcycle in a completely different way. You have a different position in the seat you run. You have to set up the bike differently. So I believe it is easier to transition from speedway to long track than from long track to speedway, because speedway is more technical, but you must change your riding style significantly.It's like motocross and Enduro. It just looks the same to people.
– What is more important to you – classic speedway or long track?
– Well, that's a tough question, but no, I come from a classic speedway. I've been riding it since I was a kid, so it's the one that's most important to me. But, of course, I rode in the Challenge GP, so next year I'll be fighting for medals in the world championships, so that will always be important to me too. But speedway comes first and it will always be the most important thing for me in my career. Especially in the Polish league. It is, after all, the best level of competition in the entire world. I am open to being in Poland again next season.
– In the 2021 season, you were part of the Wolfe Wittstock club. How could you sum up your collaboration with this team in a few words? How did you get along with Frank Mauer?
– To be honest, I haven't had any problems. I know there is lots of talk about the club, but it's about things that didn't work out really well with riders. I haven't had any issues. I've been trading very fair, very respectful, so I can't complain about anything. Obviously, we got our results. We haven't been placed, but that's not only the club management; that's down to all of us. I had some bad meetings, others had some bad meetings, and I'm sure if the right is one to seven all had a good day we could have won some meetings, but that unfortunately didn't happen.
– Do you think the club will be able to improve on next year's results in any way?
– I hope that will happen. Personally, I still haven't decided which club I will be at next season. It's still an open question. I'm in contact with a few bands. Even if I'm not part of the Wolfe Wittstock next year, I wish them the best. I hope the team can do their best and do well together. If I extend my contract, I can guarantee that I will try to do as much scoring for them as possible.
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