{{Short description|Stadium in Pocking, Germany}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}} {{Use British English|date=November 2023}} {{Infobox motorsport venue | name = Rottalstadion | image = | caption = | location = Füssinger Str. 14, 94060 [[Pocking]], Germany | coordinates = {{coord|48|23|34|N|13|18|24|E|}} | opened = 1953 | renovated = | expanded = | closed = | demolished = | owner = | operator = | surface = | capacity = 10,000 | length_km = 0.396 }}
The '''Rottalstadion''' is a 10,000-capacity [[motorcycle speedway]], [[association football]] and athletics stadium located in the southern area of [[Pocking]], Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.europlan-online.de/rottalstadion/stadion-22476.html |title=Rottalstadion - Pocking |website=Europlan |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref><ref name=SP>{{cite web |url=https://pocking.de/86-freizeit/145-rottalstadion |title=Stadt Pocking |website=Pocking.de |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref> It hosts the speedway team [[MSC Pocking]]<ref name=MCP>{{cite web |url=https://msc-pocking.de/ |title=Herzlich Willkommen auf der Homepage des Motorsportclub Pocking e.V. im DMV |website=MSC Pocking |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref> and the football team SV Pocking 1892.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.svpocking-fussball.de/ |title=Willkommen beim SV-Pocking 1892 e.V. ! |website=SV Pocking 1892 |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref>
==History== The Rottalstadion was built by members of the local motorsport club, shortly after [[World War II]], on a gravel pit but the club dissolved before speedway took a permanent hold at the venue.<ref name=MCP/> It finally had an official opening in 1953 when [[FC Nürnberg]] met [[SSV Jahn Regensburg]] in a football match.<ref name=SP/>
A new motorcycle club was created on 13 March 1962 and the founding members unanimously voted to join the DMV. Xaver Ziegler was instrumental in racing returning in June 1962, albeit on a sand track measuring a huge 760 meters. Events became a regular occurrence and a record crowd of 22,000 attended the stadium on Easter Sunday, 1967.<ref name=MCP/>
In 1974, a smaller conventional speedway track was built and on 30 March 1975, national teams from [[Poland national speedway team|Poland]], the [[Soviet Union national speedway team|Soviet Union]], [[Sweden national speedway team|Sweden]] and [[West Germany national speedway team|West Germany]] competed in an international fixture. Several years later the MSC Pocking team would compete in the Bundesliga.<ref name=MCP/> The stadium hosted the semi finals of the [[1977 Speedway World Pairs Championship]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Bott|first=Richard|title=The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4|year=1980 |publisher=Stanley Paul & Co Ltd|isbn=0-09-141751-1}}</ref> before it was awarded the final of the [[1986 Speedway World Pairs Championship]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Zapomniane turnieje: Mistrzostwa Świata Par (część 3) | language = Polish | publisher = SportoweFakty.pl | date = 2009-08-03 | url = http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/2009/08/03/zapomniane-turnieje-mistrzostwa-swiata-par-czesc-3/ | access-date = 4 August 2009}}</ref>
In 1993, a crowd of around 20,000 attended the [[1993 Individual Speedway World Championship]], which was significant because it was the last one-off final before the introduction of the [[Speedway Grand Prix]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/worldchamps1936to94.pdf |title=WORLD FINALS 1936-1994 |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedway.org/history/ |title=HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK|website=Speedway.org |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Bamford |first=Reg |title=Speedway Yearbook |year=2004 | publisher=Tempus Publishing, Strou| isbn=978-0-7524-2955-7}}</ref>
In 1996 and 1998, the stadium hosted the prestigious [[Speedway Grand Prix of Germany]], which were won by [[Hans Nielsen (speedway rider)|Hans Nielsen]] and [[Tony Rickardsson]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://speedwaygp.com/event/2018-teterow|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108160445/http://www.speedwaygp.com/event/2018-teterow|url-status=usurped|archive-date=8 November 2017|title=German Grand Prix Event Info |publisher=SGP | access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref>
During 2020, the track closed and fixtures were suspended due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] but reopened in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.speedweek.com/amp/speedway-racing/news/160066/Pocking-Speedway-Sport-ist-zurueck-im-Rottalstadion.html |title=Pocking: Speedway sport is back at the Rottalstadion |website=Speedweek.com |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref>
On 15 August 2023, the 396 metre track record was broken by [[Valentin Grobauer]], who recorded 84.6 km/h.
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Motorcycle speedway tracks in Germany}} [[Category:Speedway venues in Germany]] [[Category:1953 establishments in West Germany]]
{{motorcycle-speedway-stub}}