European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 28, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bit hits he said a. A. O a and with the 500cc motorcycles hitting speeds of up to 80 Mph around the 365-meter Oval track four times in a Given race the Pete Rose-1 Ike headfirst slides into the padded Side rails could be devastating. That s the kind of hit that might impress Tulloss. A. A. Quot it s like living on the Edge. We came to see them ,�?� Tulloss said. Wreck. Quot yeah Quot he said smiling. Quot and for that Quot he said As a woman passed by. Torres from Evansville ind., admitted he was More into car racing but was eager to get a firsthand look at motorcycle racing on ice. Quot i like sprint cars but you Don t get too much of that Over Here besides on the autobahn Quot he said. Charles Yedinak perched next to the Concession stand was another american watching ice racing for the first time. Y a a. A a a. \ \ \. A Quot it looks like it d be fun but not for me. I d have this fear of not being in control Quot he said. The word most often used to describe the races by fans and racers alike is  and after watching a few races it s Clear  race is won or lost racers say on the curves where Knees and elbows Graze the ice As the motorcycles Are tilted on their sides a often nearly scraping the track to negotiate the curves at the fastest Speed possible amid roaring engines and flying . Dieter Kolb a German ice racer said the most exciting races take place in the Early going. Quot the first races Are the Best. After five or six you cannot ride so fast Quot he said. True to Kolb s words the second heat of the night featured the Best race. Two racers fought for the inside track on the final turn. As they Laid Down their respective motorcycles one racer s Elbow skidded the ice dangerously close to the spinning spikes of the other motorcycle s wheel. When they came out of the turn upright it was Handlebar to Handlebar As the two motorcycles Slid closer together. Tasting each other s breath the racers sprinted the final 50 Yards to a photo finish. That drama brought the standing room Only crowd to its collective feet. A a later that evening that exciting finish would have been preempted by the conditions of the ice. As Kolb had warned the ice became Choppy and traction was tenuous at Best after the first half dozen heats. The motorcycles catch a rut in the ice and suddenly their front wheels Fly upward not unlike wild stallions trying to Buck off their riders. Racers a survival instincts taking Over a tend to give each other More room in the later races. A a. �?4 i Kolb has been racing on ice for two years and has crashed four or five times. No broken Bones he said. = a gesturing to his arms and legs. A Quot he likes the risk Quot said Kolb s Girlfriend Birgit Bienho. Finding pleasure in such a High risk sport seems to be a common Factor Between the racers. It also Bonds them together As dose As a family said Ulrike Muller. / Quot i like to do dangerous things Quot said her brother Andreas Muller. During , the 26-year-old races motorcycles with sidecars. In his second year of racing on ice Muller has crashed Only twice. When he takes the motorcycle on ice Muller s Girlfriend Tanja Metelko has mixed feelings. Certainly she would like to see him win a but More importantly a she wants him to survive the race without a crash. Harald Baumann who placed second in the 1989 world championship semifinals said crowds Are drawn to ice racing because it is Quot very spectacular."1 Quot they like Good accidents and Good fights Quot to the finish he said. \ As exhilarating As it must be for the racers the sight of a motorcycle leaning deep while speeding around a curve is an equal Rush for the Spectator. And once the spikes lose traction there s Little time for the crowd to scatter before the motorcycle hits the heavily fortified Side Barrier. Two motorcycles finally did bite the ice saturday night. No blood though. In both cases a truck was sent onto the ice to tend to ambulance duties. Carefully the motorcycles were lifted into the truck bed and returned to the pits. I. The Drivers walked. For ticket information for the world championship in Assen. The Netherlands a March. 940-,-Witter mole dub Assen in oms Recken Frau Hieke  to stubs 49, 9400 a Assen. The Netherlands or Call 0031 5920-30167. Knees and elbows Graze the ice As racers negotiate the curves at the fastest Speed possible. Two racers Battle it out for first place. A racer makes some last minute adjustments