Franky Zorn is not your usual athlete. His chosen sport is ice speedwayin which a handful of men from all over the world drift around an icy circuit on pimped-out motorbikes with spikes on the tyres. We met the daredevil.
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Well, first of all I have to come through the qualification for the World Championship in St Johann in Austria next weekend. That shouldn´t be a problem at all. I have won two pre-season races and so I should be in a good shape.
You had a few problems last season: neither you nor your bike were in the best shape...
That's history. The engines are working perfectly now and my body is “fixed” too! I had a trapped nerve after I dislocated my pelvis in a crash. Lucky for me my physio did a great repair job.
Do you have any long-term issues from your injuries?
Not really. What really hurts is the deficit in training. I missed three races in Sweden and experience doesn't help you that much in a sport like ice speedway.
You have been the only Western European in a sport dominated by young Russian riders. Do you think you'll be able to compete with them again this year?
I can definitely be faster than them, and I think I have shown that in the past. But I have to be more consistent. The current world champion Nikolai Krasnikov is byno means unbeatable. So my aim is to beat him and win the world championship.
We've heard you're like Mr Freeze – the colder it is, the more you like it. Is that true?
Well minus 10 is a bit boring. But it starts to get more interesting when you get to 30 below. Your body and mind react completely differently in those extremes. You really have to think twice about everything: starting with your choice of clothing. If not, it could freeze your thumbs off. That's already happened to me and believe me – it's not funny.
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