BRITISH CAREER: (2006) Wolverhampton; (2007) Lakeside, Peterborough; (2008) Wolverhampton; (2010) Coventry, Somerset; (2011) Somerset, Poole.
MAJOR HONOURS: German Under-21 Champion: 2001, 2005; German Champion: 2006.
CLUB HONOUR: League Championship winner: 2011 [Poole].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.38 (PL), 3.23 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Hefenbrock had earned a growing reputation in his homeland after taking victory in the German Under-21 Championship in 2001. He was to replicate that success in 2005 and almost made it a glorious double, when he filled the runner-up position behind Mathias Schultz in the senior National Championship at Brokstedt on 2 October.
He was invited to participate in the prestigious Bank’s Olympique at Wolverhampton eight days later and an impressive showing saw him notch 7 points amidst a high-quality field. And it was little surprise that he was subsequently snapped-up by the Monmore club in 2006 and he was to make a number of telling contributions for the side.
When the figures were totted up at the end of the season, he had posted a very respectable first term average of 5.08, courtesy of 168 points from thirty-five league appearances. The year also saw him become German Champion at Herxheim on 24 September, when he top-scored with a 15-point maximum, before defeating Tobias Kroner, Tommy Stange and Martin Smolinski in the final.
Hefenbrock began the 2007 campaign in the colours of Lakeside, but was to finish the season with Peterborough after being released by the Hammers in June, when he was replaced by Luboš Tomíček in a team re-shuffle. The Panthers introduced the German to their side as a replacement for Richard Hall, the move becoming effective on 24 August.
However, his stint with the club was to be interrupted by a rib injury, which he suffered in a bizarre accident whilst racing in his homeland. This happened in an open meeting in Leipzig when, during the celebration of a race victory, he became entangled with the starting tapes.
Immediately prior to that, he had been unfortunate enough to have his van broken into during the Peterborough’s Elite League meeting at Ipswich on 13 September, when thieves stole valuable items, including his racing licence, passport, credit cards and a mobile phone.
Hefenbrock later appeared as a wildcard in historic 100th Grand Prix at the Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen on 13 October, winning the opening heat to establish the first track record at the venue. He went on to total 4 points in a meeting that was eventually won by Andreas Jonsson.
Identified in Wolverhampton’s distinctive colours in 2008, the Liebenthal-born rider was involved in a crash in a Bundesliga meeting at Olching on 20 July. The following day, he made his way to Monmore Green for an Elite League encounter with Eastbourne but, having suffered dizzy spells on the way to the track, he was ruled out before the start by the track doctor.
He was subsequently advised to see a neurologist and, in early August, was replaced in the club’s declared line-up by the returning Jesper B. Monberg, who formerly raced under the surname of Jensen. Having missed the UK season in 2009, Hefenbrock was the subject of much speculation regarding a return to these shores and, right at the end of December, Coventry announced that they had secured the rider’s services on loan from his parent club, Wolverhampton, for 2010.
Unfortunately, the Bees’ winter signing was injured within yards of the start of his very-first Elite League race for the club at Peterborough on Good Friday morning, 2 April. Indeed, the unlucky German rider was involved in a nasty-looking first bend accident in heat one of the clash. Coventry captain Chris Harris had led convincingly going into the turn, but the other three riders were all close and Hefenbrock was sent slamming into the air safety barrier, with his machine clearing the fence.
A lengthy delay ensued whilst he was attended to, and although initial concerns were over possible breaks to his ankle and pelvis, word eventually came back from hospital later that the damage was to his ankle ligaments and also concussion. On 20 April, he was replaced in the Bees’ declared line-up by Polish hotshot Przemysław Pawlicki, having officially been credited with just one appearance and no points in their colours.
Almost two months passed before the German returned to the British racing scene when, on 18 June, Premier League Somerset unveiled him as a new signing to replace the departed Luboš Tomíček. He marked his debut with 8+2 points that night in a league match versus Berwick at the Oak Tree Arena.
Hefenbrock went on the represent the side in fifteen official matches, from which he totalled 84 points for an average of exactly 6.00. And, on 3 December, in front of a packed Oak Tree Clubhouse, the popular speedster was named as a certain starter in the Rebels’ line-up for 2011. Then, on 22 February, he was named by Poole in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity alongside Kyle Newman, with Pirates’ promoter Matt Ford indicating that the German would be the senior rider in that role.
The German revealed blistering form when Somerset entertained Ipswich in a Premier League encounter at the Oak Tree Arena on 8 April, as he put together a superb paid maximum tally of 13+2 points from the No. 3 berth.
Hefenbrock was involved in a horror crash during a league fixture for Poole against Swindon at Wimborne Road on 20 April. This occurred in a dramatic heat eight, when partner Dennis Andersson accidentally clipped the German’s front wheel as he pursued the Robins’ pairing of Jesper B. Monberg and Justin Sedgmen.
The contact by Andersson was sufficient to throw Hefenbrock off his machine and he somersaulted down the back straight, ripping out several sections of the safety fence. The medical crew insisted that the rider, who reported no pain, be checked over at the local Poole General Hospital. Thankfully, there was no reported damage and he made a fast-track return to racing action.
The German reserve was in the wars again on 9 May when, in a meeting broadcast live by Sky Sports, he was involved in a hefty first bend clash with Coventry’s Richard Sweetman in heat two of the Pirates’ encounter with the Bees at Wimborne Road.
Hefenbrock ended up clattering into the air safety barrier and sustained a bang to his head as he landed on the racing strip. He suffered concussion and was transferred to Poole Hospital, where he underwent precautionary X-rays from the neck upwards.
After a week’s rest, the rider still felt a little concussed so he visited a hospital in his native country where further X-rays revealed two broken ribs. But, following more rest, he was given the all-clear to resume racing on 21 May.
That proved a false dawn, though, and Somerset had to utilise the rider replacement facility in his continued absence in a Premier League encounter at Rye House. He did, however, return to action for the Rebels in a league fixture versus Leicester at the Oak Tree Arena on 27 May, scoring 9+1 points.
But Hefenbrock was injured once more in the eleventh staging of the Auerhahnpokal at Teterow on 11 June. Having notched 8 points in the qualifying heats, he crashed in the second semi-final and was taken to hospital where, although it was thought no bones were broken, he was diagnosed with bad bruising to his leg and shoulder.
That caused him to be absent from Poole’s away victories at Belle Vue and Swindon in the Elite League and Knock-Out Cup, respectively, on 13 and 16 June, with a home EL win over Eastbourne sandwiched in between.
However, bad news came for both the Pirates and Somerset via a CT scan on 22 June that, although Hefenbrock’s injuries from the crash in Teterow had initially been largely diagnosed as superficial, he had in fact suffered a broken right shoulder and left ankle.
As such, at the end of the month, Somerset announced the signing of Joe Haines as an injury replacement. The German was deemed fit to return at the tail-end of July, however, and slotted back into the Rebels’ line-up at the expense of Haines.
On 15 August 2011, Poole announced the signing of Polish rider Mateusz Szczepaniak, having decided to dispense with the ‘doubling-up’ duo of Hefenbrock and Kyle Newman, although the German did retain a place in the Pirates’ squad after being shuffled to the No. 8 berth.
Regrettably, Hefenbrock suffered a broken tibia and fibula whilst representing Somerset in a Premier League encounter at Scunthorpe on 4 September. The German rider, who had notched a couple of excellent wins from his earlier outings, came to grief in his third ride at the Eddie Wright Raceway.
FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record: Grand Prix ridden: 1 – 123rd on SGP all-time list Grand Prix points: 4 – 109th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix races: 5 – 107th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix race wins: 1 – 84th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a
FIM Speedway World Cup Record: SWC tournaments: 2 Events: 2 – 2nd on Germany’s list; 110th on SWC all-time list Points: 2 – 8th on Germany’s list; 145th on SWC all-time list Finals: 0 Gold medals: 0
HEFENBROCK, Christian
