Each year we aim to improve the satisfaction of our Million Dollar Race clients and readers of this website alike. So this year we decided to put the best performer on each training race above 80 km in the spotlight. After a couple of short training sessions, finally training 4 marked the start of our Belgian Superstar Competition (for the rankings see under the menu heading "Million $ Race"). And so, Jurgen Jösch of the town of Amel in Belgium's beautiful German speaking east part, walked in the front door and made himself noted.

Actually, Jurgen is a German fancier. His hometown was Koblenz before he moved to sunny South Africa. There he started racing with birds from his good friend Günther Nies, whose loft was based on the old Belgian Norbert Norman strain (Norbert's son Filip is also a participant in the Million Dollar Race, by the way). These Nies/Norman birds were strenghtened by pigeons from KH+Timo Wagner (winners of the MDPR 2000). A good move as was soon proven by Jurgen's tremendous results in the South and North National Lofts. Within 3.5 months 2 new cars were won, setting a new record. In 2003 Jösch managed to win a 250.000 Rand race as well. And success did not end there. Being a keen one loft racer, Jurgen Jösch also sent pigeons to Mira in Portugal (the well organised race patroned by International President Jose Tereso) and immediately managed to snatch away the 2004 Ace pigeon title.

---Jurgen Jösch holding one of his champion birds.

Stimulated by this success, globetrotter Jösch then (after 2 years of one loft inactivity due to the bird flu) raced for Portugal in the 2007 Million Dollar Race and scored a 35th position with Redondo. After this, Jurgen moved to Belgium and now opened up great in the 2008 Million Dollar Race with a 19th position.

For those among you who may think: "well, that's only one loft racing", we have to set things straight. In the "regular" races, Jurgen Jösch is also a contender to be reckoned with. Racing in the Groupement Nord Luxembourg (Belgium's southeastern province) he managed to win no less than 7 of the 8 young bird races. On the first race on 26 June his birds took all available prizes (16 in total) from Bar le Duc. In the last race on September 2, almost the same thing happened when Jurgen managed to win the first 21 positions, only leaving the last and 22nd prize for the competition. In the longest race from Auxerre (338 km), Jösch won the first 6 prizes. So, everybody is forewarned: this is a fancier that has his eyes set on the title and who has to birds to do it!

Text: Frank Daelemans
Picture: Jurgen Jösch