EnglischThe Kini story
Motorsport in Austria will always be connected with the name Kinigadner. Two generations and half a century of active racing as well as innumerable national and international successes are proof of the family’s extraordinary passion for motorsport. The motorcycle era of the “Kinis” began in 1953 when Johann Kinigadner senior won a silver medal in the 1st Tyrolean Alpine Tour. His three sons Hansi, Heinz, and Klaus inherited this passion for motorsport. Hansi, the oldest of the three brothers, joined his father as sidecar passenger at ice races and became a racing enthusiast himself. At the beginning of the seventies the Kinis began with motocross racing. Hansi made the start on a KTM Penton 125cc and Heinz and Klaus soon followed. The first success came in 1978: Hansi won the Austrian national championship on a Montesa 250cc. In 1979 Heinz succeeded with his first two Austrian championship titles, winning in both the 125cc and 250cc classes riding on a Puch. However, the highlights of the family’s motocross era, were Heinz’ two World Championship titles on a KTM 250cc won in 1984 and 1985.
More than 50 years of motorsport history
This successful period for the Kini family is at the same time overshadowed by two blows of fate. In 1982 mother Christl died in an accident, in 1984 Hansi was injured in a motocross race in Höhnhart, and suffered a severe spinal cord injury that caused him to be confined to a wheelchair. In 1989 the motocross era of the Kini family finally came to an end. While Klaus joined emergent Supermoto series in 1993, Heinz dedicated himself to Enduro and rally racing. After numerous successes, Heinz ended his active career with the Dakar Rally in 2000. When Heinz’ son Hannes also became a paraplegic after a terrible accident during a charity motocross race in 2003, Klaus decided to end his career as well in 2004. The motorsport era of the Kinigadner family lasted for exactly 50 years!
