Josef Franc

Josef Franc
Franc in 2012
Born (1979-01-18) 18 January 1979 (age 45)
Čáslav, Czechoslovakia
NicknamePepe
NationalityCzech
Career history
Czech Republic
2005-2009, 2011, 2013-2018Olymp Praha
Poland
2000Lublin
2002, 2009-2011, 2018Krosno
2007Praha
2013Kraków
2014Daugavpils
2021Wittstock
Great Britain
2001, 2003-2004, 2009, 2011Berwick Bandits
2005-2008Newcastle Diamonds
2006Belle Vue Aces
2010Sheffield Tigers
2014Plymouth Devils
Sweden
2005Eldarna
Denmark
2015Holsted
Individual honours
2017, 2018Czech Republic champion
1999Czech Republic Under-21 Speedway Champion
2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018Czech Longtrack Championship
2010Scottish Open Champion
Team honours
2022World Longtrack Team silver
2019World Longtrack Team bronze
1998, 2003Czech Republic Div One Champion

Josef Franc (born 18 January 1979) is a Czech former international motorcycle racer who competed in Grasstrack, Longtrack and motorcycle speedway.[1][2][3][4] He earned 8 international caps for the Czech Republic national speedway team[5]

Career

In 2001, Franc joined Berwick Bandits along with fellow Czechs Michal Makovský and Adrian Rymel.[6]

He has appeared as a wildcard in the 2003 Speedway Grand Prix of Czech Republic[7] and as a track reserve in the 2007 Czech Republic Speedway Grand Prix, scoring three points from two rides and has represented the Czech Republic national speedway team at senior level.

Franc was the Czech Republic Under-21 Champion in 1999 and was the Czech Republic national champion in 2017 and 2018.[8]

In 2019, he was part of the Czech team, along with Hynek Štichauer and Martin Málek, that won the bronze medal at the 2019 Team Long Track World Championship.[9]

In 2022, he was part of the Czech team, again with Málek and Štichauer, that won the silver medal at the 2022 Team Long Track World Championship.[10]

Speedway Grand Prix results

  • 2003, Prague SGP, 0 Points.
  • 2007, Prague SGP, 3 Points.
  • 2012, Prague SGP, 9 Points.

Career details

World Championships

European Championships

World Longtrack Championship

Grand-Prix Years

  • 1999 1 app (23rd) 4pts
  • 2010 1 app (18th) 19pts
  • 2011 6 app (13th) 51pts
  • 2012 6 app (Third) 126pts
  • 2013 6 app (4th) 91pts
  • 2014 4 app (10th) 32pts
  • 2015 4 app (5th) 53pts
  • 2016 5 app (7th) 55pts
  • 2017 5 app (Third) 86pts

Best Grand-Prix Results

Team Championship

European Grasstrack Championship

Finalist

Czech Longtrack Championship

  • 2003 Czech Republic Mariánské Lázně 12th
  • 2010 Czech Republic Mariánské Lázně, Second
  • 2011 Czech Republic Mariánské Lázně, Second
  • 2012 Czech Republic Mariánské Lázně, Second
  • 2013 Czech Republic Mariánské Lázně, First
  • 2014 Czech Republic Mariánské Lázně, First
  • 2015 Czech Republic Mariánské Lázně, First
  • 2017 Czech Republic Mariánské Lázně, First
  • 2018 Czech Republic Mariánské Lázně, First

See also

References

  1. ^ Oakes, P.(2004). British Speedway Who's Who. ISBN 0-948882-81-6
  2. ^ Świat Żużla, No 1 (77) / 2009, pages 58-59 ISSN 1429-3285
  3. ^ "2008 Rider index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Franc, Josef". Polish Speedway Database. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  5. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Bandits turn to young guns". Berwick Advertiser. 11 January 2001. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Life is just grand for wildcard Franc". Berwick Advertiser. 21 August 2003. Retrieved 27 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Individual Czechoslovakian Championship at Zuzla Indvidual [sic] Czechoslovakian Championship". Historia Sportu Zuzlowego. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  9. ^ "World Longtrack Championship". GrasstrackGB. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  10. ^ "2022 RESULTS Herxheim – Long Track of Nations". FIM. Retrieved 15 July 2023.