Erik Gundersen

Erik Gundersen

Born	(1959-10-08) 8 October 1959 (age 64) Esbjerg, Denmark
Nationality	Danish
Career history
Denmark
1979–1989	Esbjerg
Great Britain
1979–1989	Cradley Heathens
Sweden
1987–1989	Vargarna
Individual honours
1984, 1985, 1988	World Speedway Champion
1984, 1986	Long Track World Champion
1983, 1985	British League Riders Speedway Champion
1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989	Danish Speedway Champion
1983, 1985, 1986	Danish Under-21 Speedway Champion
1985, 1986	Denmark Longtrack Champion
1985, 1986	Golden Helmet of Pardubice
1986, 1987	Intercontinental Speedway Champion
1987	Nordic Speedway Champion
1981, 1982, 1986	Danish Gold Bar
1981, 1982, 1983	Midland Riders Champion
1982, 1986	Golden Gala Italy
1986, 1987	Golden Hammer
1983	Blue Riband
1983	Second City Trophy
Team honours
1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988	World Team Cup winner
1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989	World Pairs Champion
1981, 1983	British League Champion
1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989	British League KO Cup Winner
1982, 1984	British League Cup
1980, 1983, 1984	Midland Cup

Competition record
Representing   Denmark
Speedway World Championship
	1984
	1985
	1988
	1987
Speedway World Team Cup
	1981
	1983
	1984
	1985
	1986
	1987
	1988
	1979
	1982
	1989
Speedway World Pairs Championship
	1985
	1986
	1987
	1988
	1989
	1984
	1982
	1983
Intercontinental Championship
	1986
	1987
	1981
	1989
	1988
Golden Helmet
	1985
	1986
	1995
Long Track World Championship
	1984
	1986

Erik Gundersen (born 8 October 1959 in Esbjerg, Denmark) ^[1] is a former motorcycle speedway rider. Gundersen is one of the most successful speedway riders of all time, having won the Speedway World Champion on three occasions, the Long Track World Championship twice and the World Pairs Championship five times. He is also a seven-time World Team Cup winner with Denmark, and earned 91 international caps for the country. ^{[2] [3]}

Gundersen won the World Pairs Championship a record five years in succession from 1985 to 1989, and won the World Team Cup a record six years in succession from 1983 to 1988. His 17 World Championship wins see him sit second for the most World Championships won behind fellow Dane and Gundersen's long time Danish teammate and rival Hans Nielsen. ^[4]

Career

1979

Gundersen rode for his home town club Esbjerg and joined the British leagues with Cradley Heath Heathens during the 1979 British League season. ^[5] He also rode in the qualifying rounds of the 1979 Speedway World Team Cup and gained a silver medal despite not actually riding in the final. ^[6]

1980

Gundersen enjoyed a solid season for Cradley Heath and helped them win the Knockout Cup. ^[7] In addition he rode for Denmark in his second World Cup.

1981

Gundersen first appeared in the Speedway World Championship Final in 1981 at Wembley Stadium where in front of 92,500 fans he finished 4th with 11 points. On the night he set a new 4 lap record for the 345 metres (377 yards) track of 66.8 seconds, a record that will stand forever as this was the last time that speedway was raced at the famous venue. He also won the World Cup with Denmark for the first time ^[8] and was a league champion with Cradley. ^[4]

1982

His 1982 title chase ended on a sour note when he failed to qualify for the final held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after finishing a surprising 16th and last in the 1982 Intercontinental Final in Sweden. ^[9] However, the year resulted in two medals, a silver in the World Cup and a bronze in the Speedway World Pairs Championship, (appearing in the semi final). Additionally he won two cup competitions with Cradley. ^[4]

1983

He made amends for his 1982 failure, easily qualifying for the 1983 World Final in West Germany where he would again finish in a strong 4th place. He won the British League Riders' Championship, held at Hyde Road on 15 October 1983. ^[10] He won a second World Cup gold medal with Denmark and a bronze in the World pairs, partnering Hans Nielsen. In Britain, he won the league and cup double with Cradley and topped the Midlands' team averages. ^[4]

1984

1984 was a hugely successful year for Gundersen; he went on to win the 1984 Individual Speedway World Championship at Ullevi in Gothenburg and became the World champion for the first time. ^[11] He also won another World Cup with Denmark, the Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship and a silver medal in the World Pairs.

1985

Gundersen successfully defended his World title, winning the 1985 Individual Speedway World Championship at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford. He achieved the treble of World titles by winning the World Cup and World Pairs again, in arguably greatest ever season. He also won the British League Riders' Championship for the second time. ^[12]

1986

Despite a 10th place finish (engine failure during the heats ended his chances of winning) at the 1986 World Final, he won a fifth World Cup gold medal in a Denmark team that dominated world speedway at the time. He also won the World pairs with Hans Nielsen and a second Long Track World Championship. ^[13]

1987

Gundersen was pipped by great rival Nielsen in the 2-day 1987 World Final at the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium. ^[14] He once again made amends by winning the World Pairs (with Nielsen) and a sixth World Cup. Domestically, he won another Knockout Cup with Cradley and was already regarded as one of their greatest ever riders. ^[4]

1988

At a packed to capacity Vojens Speedway Center in what was the first ever World Individual Final held in his home country of Denmark, Gundersen claimed his third World Championship in the 1988. He won his fourth consecutive World pairs ^[15] and a seventh World Cup gold medal.

1989

1989 started much as usual, he would win the World Pairs again ^[16] and suffered an engine failure during the final of the 1989 at the Munich Olympic Stadium in West Germany, which ended any chances of a fourth World crown.

Gundersen's career was ended just a few weeks after the 1989 World Final when he was involved in an accident whilst riding for Denmark at the Odsal Stadium on the 17 September 1989, in the World Team Cup final. Starting from the outside in Gate 4, he won the start but his motorcycle locked up on the first bend and he was knocked off by the rider behind. As he lay on the race track he was hit in the head by another rider's rear wheel. After the accident he was not expected to live and he remained in a coma for three days, but he eventually regained consciousness. He was then confined to a bed in hospital for the next month with grim prospects for resuming a normal life as doctors reported he had no neurological function below his neck. ^[17]

After racing

Gundersen defied the experts though and was determined to walk again. He had to learn to walk again and raised a large amount of money for the hospital which saved his life. He later went on to manage the Danish national speedway team. ^[18]

During his career, Gundersen never finished off of the podium in the final of either the Speedway World Team Cup or the Speedway World Pairs Championship, though he was unable to take the podium of the 1989 World Team Cup in which Denmark finished in second place.

World final appearances

World Championship Final results timeline
Year	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Finishing position	-	-	4	-	4	1	1	10	2	1	4

Individual World Championship

• 1981 - London, Wembley Stadium - 4th - 11pts
• 1983 - Norden, Motodrom Halbemond - 4th - 10pts
• 1984 - Gothenburg, Ullevi - Winner - 14pts
• 1985 - Bradford, Odsal Stadium - Winner - 13pts + 3pts
• 1986 - Chorzów, Silesian Stadium - 10th - 7pts
• 1987 - Amsterdam, Olympic Stadium - 2nd - 24pts + 3pts
• 1988 - Vojens, Speedway Center - Winner - 14pts + 3pts
• 1989 - Munich, Olympic Stadium - 4th - 11pts ^[17]

World Pairs Championship

• 1983 - Gothenburg, Ullevi (with Hans Nielsen) - 3rd - 19pts (8)
• 1984 - Lonigo, Pista Speedway (with Hans Nielsen) - 2nd - 25pts (10)
• 1985 - Rybnik, Rybnik Municipal Stadium (with Tommy Knudsen) - Winner - 29pts (16)
• 1986 - Pocking, Rottalstadion (with Hans Nielsen) - Winner - 46pts (19)
• 1987 - Pardubice, Svítkov Stadion (with Hans Nielsen) - Winner - 52pts (26) ^[19]
• 1988 - Bradford, Odsal Stadium (with Hans Nielsen) - Winner - 45pts (18)
• 1989 - Leszno, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium (with Hans Nielsen) - Winner - 48pts (20)

World Team Cup

• 1981 - Olching, Olching Speedwaybahn (with Ole Olsen / Hans Nielsen / Tommy Knudsen / Finn Thomsen) - Winner - 36pts (9)
• 1982 - London, White City Stadium (with Ole Olsen / Hans Nielsen / Preben Eriksen / Tommy Knudsen) - 2nd - 27pts (7)
• 1983 - Vojens, Speedway Center (with Ole Olsen / Hans Nielsen / Finn Thomsen / Peter Ravn) - Winner - 37pts (12)
• 1984 - Leszno, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium (with Bo Petersen / Preben Eriksen / Hans Nielsen) - Winner - 44pts (12)
• 1985 - Long Beach, Veterans Memorial Stadium (with Bo Petersen / Tommy Knudsen / Hans Nielsen / Preben Eriksen) - Winner - 37pts (10)
• 1986 - Gothenburg, Ullevi, Vojens, Speedway Center and Bradford, Odsal Stadium (with Hans Nielsen / Tommy Knudsen / Jan O. Pedersen / John Jørgensen) - Winner - 129pts (33)
• 1987 - Fredericia, Fredericia Speedway, Coventry, Brandon Stadium and Prague, Marketa Stadium (with Hans Nielsen / Jan O. Pedersen / Tommy Knudsen) - Winner - 130pts (33)
• 1988 - Long Beach, Veterans Memorial Stadium (with Hans Nielsen / Tommy Knudsen / Jan O. Pedersen / John Jørgensen) - Winner - 44pts (6)
• 1989* - Bradford, Odsal Stadium - (with Hans Nielsen / Gert Handberg / John Jørgensen / Brian Karger) - 2nd - 34pts (0)

* The 1989 Speedway World Team Cup final was where Gundersen suffered his career ending crash in turn 1 of Heat 1.

Individual Under-21 World Championship

• 1978 - Lonigo, Pista Speedway - 6th - 11pts
• 1980 - Pocking, Rottalstadion - 4th - 11+2pts

World Longtrack Championship

One Day Finals

• 1984 Herxheim - Winner - 23pts
• 1985 Esbjerg (N/S)
• 1986 Pfarrkirchen - Winner - 25pts
• 1987 Mühldorf - (7th) - 10pts

References

1. Oakes, P & Rising, P (1986). 1986 Speedway Yearbook. ISBN   0-948882-00-X
2. Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 520. ISBN   0-316-72645-1.
3. "FIM SPEEDWAY STARS OF THE CENTURY INTERVIEW, ERIK GUNDERSEN". FIM. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
4. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
5. Foster, P. (2003) Heathens: Cradley Heath Speedway 1977-1996, The History Press Ltd. ISBN   0-7524-2738-5
6. "1979 WORLD TEAM CUP". International Speedway. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
7. Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN   0-86215-017-5.
8. Matthews/Morrison, Peter/Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records and Results. Guinness Superlatives. p. 290. ISBN   0-85112-492-5.
9. Speedway World Championship History - 1982
10. "Dane wins" . Sunday Mirror. 16 October 1983. Retrieved 4 June 2023– via British Newspaper Archive.
11. "Little Erik's a king" . The People. 2 September 1984. Retrieved 1 September 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
12. "Ace Erik is King of the track" . Daily Mirror. 21 October 1985. Retrieved 4 June 2023– via British Newspaper Archive.
13. Matthews/Morrison, Peter/Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records and Results. Guinness Superlatives. p. 290. ISBN   0-85112-492-5.
14. Speedway World Championship History - 1987
15. "Ice Cool Danes shock Brits" . Western Daily Press. 1 August 1988. Retrieved 24 August 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
16. "Tatum targets Munich" . Coventry Evening Telegraph. 7 August 1989. Retrieved 7 September 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
17. Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN   0-7524-2402-5
18. Erik Gundersen crash and rehabilitation
19. "Danes defeat spirited challenge" . Sandwell Evening Mail. 29 June 1987. Retrieved 11 July 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.