Denmark
AssociationDanish Motor Union
Danmarks Motor Union
FIM codeDMU
Nation colourWhite and Red
SWC Wins15
(1978, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014)

The Denmark national speedway team are one of the major teams in international motorcycle speedway.

History

It was not until the emergence of rider Ole Olsen that the Danish speedway team came to prominence. Previously the international scene had been largely dominated by Sweden, Poland and Great Britain.[1] When he was joined in the team by Hans Nielsen, Denmark became a major contender for honours and won the 1978 Speedway World Team Cup in West Germany.[2][3]

The team were the dominant force throughout the 1980s, winning seven World Cups, including a record six world titles in a row, between 1983 and 1988. Other key riders during the period were Erik Gundersen, Tommy Knudsen, Jan O. Pedersen and Finn Thomsen.[4][5]

Further World Cup wins came in 1991, 1995, 1997, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2014, with Nicki Pedersen and Niels Kristian Iversen each claiming four wins. Denmark have won the Speedway World Cup / Speedway World Team Cup a record 15 times, with Nielsen being a rider on 11 of those occasions.[6] The team were managed by Hans Nielsen from 2016 to 2023.

Additionally, they won the defunct Speedway World Pairs Championship a record eight times.

Major tournament wins

World Team Championships

Year Venue Standings (Pts) Denmark Riders and Pts
1978 Germany
Landshut
1. Denmark Denmark (37)
2. England England (27)
3. Poland Poland (16)
4. Czech Republic Czechoslovakia (16)
Hans Nielsen 11
Ole Olsen 10
Mike Lohmann 9
Finn Thomsen 7
Kristian Praestbro -
1981 Germany
Olching
1. Denmark Denmark (36)
2. England England (29)
3. West Germany West Germany (28)
4. Soviet Union Soviet Union (3)
Hans Nielsen 11
Erik Gundersen 9
Tommy Knudsen 9
Ole Olsen 6
Finn Thomsen 1
1983 Denmark
Vojens
1. Denmark Denmark (37)
2. England England (29)
3. United States USA (27)
4. Czech Republic Czechoslovakia (3)
Erik Gundersen 12
Hans Nielsen 11
Ole Olsen 7
Peter Ravn 7
Finn Thomsen 0
1984 Poland
Leszno
1. Denmark Denmark (44)
2. England England (24)
3. United States USA (20)
4. Poland Poland (8)
Erik Gundersen 12
Bo Petersen 12
Hans Nielsen 11
Preben Eriksen 9
Peter Ravn -
1985 United States
Long Beach
1. Denmark Denmark (37)
2. United States USA (35)
3. England England (13)
4. Sweden Sweden (10)
Tommy Knudsen 12
Erik Gundersen 10
Hans Nielsen 10
Preben Eriksen 5
Bo Petersen 0
1986 Sweden
Gothenburg
Denmark
Vojens
England
Odsal
Best of three events
1. Denmark Denmark (9)
2. United States USA (4)
3. England England (3)
4. Sweden Sweden (2)
Hans Nielsen 35
Erik Gundersen 33
Tommy Knudsen 33
Jan O. Pedersen 20
John Jørgensen 8
1987 Denmark
Fredericia
England
Coventry
Czech Republic
Prague
Best of three events
1. Denmark Denmark (130)
2. England England (101)
3. United States USA (93)
4. Czech Republic Czechoslovakia (36)
Hans Nielsen 38
Erik Gundersen 33
Jan O. Pedersen 32
Tommy Knudsen 27
1988 United States
Long Beach
1. Denmark Denmark (44)
2. United States USA (32)
3. Sweden Sweden (22)
4. England England (22)
Hans Nielsen 14
Jan O. Pedersen 12
Erik Gundersen 8
Tommy Knudsen 8
John Jørgensen 2
1991 Denmark
Vojens
1. Denmark Denmark (51)
2. Sweden Sweden (30)
3. United States USA (28)
4. England England (11)
Jan O. Pedersen 15
Hans Nielsen 14
Tommy Knudsen 13
Gert Handberg 8
Brian Karger 1
1995 Poland
Bydgoszcz
1. Denmark Denmark (28)
2. England England (22)
3. United States USA (19)
4. Sweden Sweden (19)
5. Australia Australia (14)
6. Poland Poland (13)
7. Norway Norway (11)
Tommy Knudsen 15+3
Hans Nielsen 13+2
Brian Karger 0
1997 Poland
Pila
1. Denmark Denmark (27)
2. Poland Poland (25)
3. Sweden Sweden (21)
4. Germany Germany (17)
5. Czech Republic Czech Republic (16)
6. Russia Russia (10)
7. Hungary Hungary (9)
Hans Nielsen 14+3
Tommy Knudsen 13+2
Jesper B. Jensen -
2006 England
Reading
1. Denmark Denmark (45)
2. United Kingdom Great Britain (37)
3. Sweden Sweden (36)
4. Australia Australia (35)
Nicki Pedersen 13
Hans Andersen 12
Bjarne Pedersen 9
Charlie Gjedde 6
Niels Kristian Iversen 5
2008 Denmark
Vojens
1. Denmark Denmark (49)
2. Poland Poland (37)
3. Sweden Sweden (39)
4. Australia Australia (21)
Hans Andersen 11
Nicki Pedersen 11
Bjarne Pedersen 11
Kenneth Bjerre 9
Niels Kristian Iversen 7
2012 Sweden
Målilla
1. Denmark Denmark (39)
2. Australia Australia (36)
3. Russia Russia(30)
4. Sweden Sweden (24)
Niels Kristian Iversen 11
Michael Jepsen Jensen 11
Nicki Pedersen 9
Mikkel B Jensen 8
2014 Poland
Bydgoszcz
1. Denmark Denmark (38)
2. Poland Poland (36)
3. Australia Australia (36)
4. United Kingdom Great Britain (16)
Nicki Pedersen 17
Niels-Kristian Iversen 11
Peter Kildemand 7
Mads Korneliussen 3

World Pairs Championship

Year Riders
1979Ole Olsen & Hans Nielsen
1985Erik Gundersen & Tommy Knudsen
1986Hans Nielsen & Erik Gundersen
1987Hans Nielsen & Erik Gundersen
1988Hans Nielsen & Erik Gundersen
1989Hans Nielsen & Erik Gundersen
1990Hans Nielsen & Jan O. Pedersen
1991Hans Nielsen, Jan O. Pedersen & Tommy Knudsen

European Pairs Championship

Year Riders
2022Rasmus Jensen, Michael Jepsen Jensen & Jonas Seifert-Salk

International caps (as of 2022)

Since the advent of the Speedway Grand Prix era, international caps earned by riders is largely restricted to international competitions, whereas previously test matches between two teams were a regular occurrence. This means that the number of caps earned by a rider has decreased in the modern era.[7]

Rider Caps
Andersen, Brian12
Andersen, Hans22
Andersen, Jan1
Andersen, Morten1
Andreasen, Godtfred2
Bech, Mikkel2
Berlin, Leif4
Berthelsen, Kiehn13
Bjerre, Kenneth17
Busk, Alf8
Clausen, Hans8
Ellegaard, Knud1
Eriksen, Preben41
Eskildsen, John11
Gjedde, Charlie11
Glanz, Peter3
Gundersen, Erik91
Handberg, Gert20
Hansen, Kurt1
Henningsen, Jan Rene2
Hougaard, Patrick1
Iversen, Niels Kristian24
Jacobsen, Claus3
Jensen, Bengt Norregaard5
Jensen, Finn Rune9
Jensen, Michael Jepsen3
Johansen, Allan5
Jørgensen, John54
Juul, Richard1
Karger, Brian30
Kjaer, Jens Erik Krause1
Klindt, Nicolai5
Knudsen, Tommy81
Korneliussen, Mads2
Lohmann, Mike17
Madsen, Leon2
Madsen, Tom P.1
Monberg, Jesper B.7
Munkedal, Lars4
Nielsen, Hans118
Nielsen, Jens Henry3
Nikolajsen, Sam7
Noer, Kent4
Olsen, Jacob4
Olsen, Ole50
Pander, Arne16
Pedersen, Bjarne29
Pedersen, Flemming3
Pedersen, Jan Henrik3
Pedersen, Jan O.42
Pedersen, Nicki30
Pedersen, Ronni6
Petersen, Bo59
Petersen, Kurt W.5
Præstbro, Kristian6
Rasmussen, Bent3
Rasmussen, Jens17
Ravn, Peter42
Risager, Morten1
Rosenkilde, Preben1
Sørensen, Per3
Stæchmann, Jan13
Thomsen, Finn30
Vinther, Martin1
Weiss, Neils2

References

  1. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
  2. Bott, Richard (1980). The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. p. 98. ISBN 0-09-141751-1.
  3. "1978 WORLD TEAM CUP". International Speedway. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  4. Matthews/Morrison, Peter/Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records and Results. Guinness Superlatives. p. 290. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.
  5. Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
  6. "FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP/ SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS" (PDF). Motor Sport Top 20. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  7. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
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