Berlin 28 January 2023. Top-class races, an emotional farewell and the best entertainment: the second evening of the 110th Berlin Six-Day Race again had a lot to offer. “The SIX DAY live – despite the three-year Corona break. Tonight showed that. I was very happy about our Berlin audience, which is an incentive to continue working hard for and on this traditional event. My highlight was the really beautiful farewell of track legend Maximilian Levy – I had goose bumps,” summed up Valts Miltovics, Managing Director of Berliner Sechstagerennen GmbH.

Crowd favorite Maximilian Levy experienced an emotional farewell in the Velodrom after his unique career. The three-time Olympic medalist and four-time World Champion was frenetically celebrated with chants and standing ovations in the packed Velodrom. The 35-year-old won nine times at the Six Day in Berlin, the last time in 2020. In 2021, the Berlin-born athlete ended his career after his fourth Olympic Games, but because of Corona, it was only now that he had his well-deserved farewell lap of honor – and it was a tough one. In 12.670 seconds for the flying lap, Levy once again proved his extra class to his favorite song “Mr. Boombastic.”

“The best thing for a sprinter was always the lap record. I’ve raced here 84 times so far and actually wanted to complete the 100. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out because of Corona – but I will enjoy this one lap again,” said Levy, who went on his farewell ride with a specially made special jersey. Carried by the audience, including his mother Miriam, his father Rainer, life partner Emma Hinze and many companions, the clocks stopped well before the targeted 13-second mark. “It was a lot of fun. Age doesn’t protect you from performance,” Levy said, tearfully thanking his parents and appealing to the spectators after his run through the line of other racers. “I’m glad they let me go (to sports school) back then to make my dream come true. And send your kids to sports – it’s a good thing. They don’t have to become world champions, they just have to have fun,” Maximilian Levy said.

In sporting terms, two-time world champions Roger Kluge/Theo Reinhardt set the tone for the evening and took the top spot after the second day. The reigning European champions won the big chase on Saturday evening, ousting Dutchmen Yoeri Havik/Vincent Hoppezak from the top spot. Both teams have 82 points on their account before the final day. The second German pairing of Tim Torn Teutenberg/Moritz Malcharek followed in third place. The duo is one round behind and 42 points ahead of Sunday’s final of the Sixdays, which has been shortened to three days. At the end of the evening Roger Kluge/Theo Reinhardt were voted “Most Likeable Team”.

In the women’s race, three teams continue to lead in one round. The Dutch Marit Raaijmakers/Mylene de Zoete (90 points) are in first place ahead of the Czech Petra Sevcikova/Katerina Kohoutkova (65). The favored team with Olympic champion Franziska Brauße and Lea Lin Teutenberg also still has a chance to win the overall title in third place (41).

In the women’s sprint, six-time world champion Emma Hinze has taken over the top position, having already won the overall title at the last event in 2020. The Cottbus native benefited from her success in the keirin and leads with 111 points ahead of seven-time world champion Lea Sophie Friedrich (104), who again won the flying lap in 13.373 seconds. Third is four-time World Champion Pauline Grabosch (both Cottbus/91).

In the men’s competition, former World Champion Stefan Bötticher continues to lead the standings. The Chemnitz native leads with 97 points just ahead of Maximilian Dörnbach (95) from Cottbus. The Vice European Champion from Munich showed his strong form with a new best time in the flying lap of 12.045 seconds and thus still has all chances to win the overall ranking of the Six Day in the sprinters for the first time on Sunday. Olympic champion Roy van den Berg from the Netherlands is third (74).

The Grand Final and Family Sunday fall on the same day for the first time this year. Between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. on January 29, families with children in particular will be offered a great program. On the track, the best sprinters will compete at the end of the three-day Six Day Race – and in the final 100 laps of the women and 120 laps of the men, the new Madison Champions of the Six Day Berlin 2023 will be determined.

The final day of competition will again be opened by junior races, which will be organized together with the Berlin Cycling Federation. From U15 to U23 races, the young athletes will be offered here an important opportunity to measure themselves against international competition and to approach track cycling events on a large scale.