Born | Middelfart, Denmark | 9 November 1962
---|---|
Nationality | Danish |
Career history | |
1983, 1985-1992 | Cradley Heathens |
1984 | Sheffield Tigers |
Individual honours | |
1991 | World Individual Champion |
Team honours | |
1986, 1987, 1988, 1991 | World Team Cup winner |
1990, 1991 | World Pairs Champion |
1983 | British League Champion |
1983 | British League KO Cup winner |
1983 | Midland Cup winner |
Competition record | ||
---|---|---|
Representing Denmark | ||
Speedway World Championship | ||
1991 | ||
1986 | ||
1988 | ||
Speedway World Team Cup | ||
1986 | ||
1987 | ||
1988 | ||
1991 | ||
Speedway World Pairs Championship | ||
1990 | ||
1991 | ||
Intercontinental Cup | ||
1988 | ||
Speedway Champions Cup | ||
1989 | ||
Long Track World Championship | ||
1991 |
Jan Osvald Pedersen (born 9 November 1962 in Middelfart, Denmark) [1] is a former Speedway rider who became Speedway World Champion in 1991 after finishing runner-up in 1986 and in third place in 1988 behind fellow Danes Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen. He also won the Speedway World Pairs Championship in 1990 and 1991, both times partnered by Hans Nielsen. [2] [3]
In 1983 Pedersen signed for the Cradley Heathens. His first British meeting heralded a five-point return in Birmingham's Second City individual Trophy on 18 March. His future had been plotted for Dudley Wood almost a year earlier when he was recommended to Heathens team manager Peter Adams by his countryman, Bent Rasmussen. The ensuing months brought three more clubs knocking on his door but in August, Pedersen publicly pledged his future to Cradley. [4]
Pedersen finished his debut season with a 7.20 league average and Cradley's team total soared over 60-plus points as they won the British League again. The decision was then made by new manager Colin Pratt to loan the Dane out and he spent 1984 with Sheffield. Despite that season being marred by a broken arm, he did enough to convince Tigers' promoter Maurice Ducker that he was worth buying. However, Pratt refused to sell and Pedersen's return to Dudley Wood for 1985 saw the start of an uninterrupted 8-year stint with the club. Pedersen achieved success for club, country and individually.
He won the British League Riders' Championship, held at Belle Vue Stadium on 9 October 1988. [5]
He picked up World Individual medals of bronze, silver and won the World Championship in 1991. [6]
His speedway career was brought to a premature end in his testimonial year. Less than a fortnight after Pedersen's 10-year testimonial at Cradley, he crashed in Denmark and suffered a serious back injury and never raced competitively again. Since 1993 he has been doing some saloon car racing in Denmark and won a championship in his first season. He has also had one year spells as team manager with Oxford and promoter with Cradley when the Cradley team spent the 1996 season riding at Stoke.
In 1999, he raced in the 25th Anniversary meeting at Denmark's Vojens track. A series of competitive races were held involving old and current international stars, including Gary Havelock, Henrik Gustafsson and Jesper B. Monberg. Pedersen managed to win every one of his races in his first track return since his career-ending accident in 1992. [7]
In 2012, he joined the Dudley Heathens Speedway team as their team coach. Dudley Heathens has roots with Cradley Heathens who currently ride at Perry Barr Stadium with the Birmingham Brummies. [8]
World Championship Final results timeline | |||||||||||||||||||
Year | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finishing position | - | - | 9 | 2 | 7 | 3 | - | - | 1 | ||||||||||
* Pedersen qualified for the 1989 and 1990 World Final's but withdrew injured on both occasions.
Erik Gundersen 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.
Hans Hollen Nielsen is a Danish former professional motorcycle speedway rider. He competed in the Speedway World Championships from 1977 to 1999. Nielsen is notable for winning four Speedway World Championship titles. During his career, he won a total of 22 world championships, making him arguably the most successful speedway rider of all time. In 2012, Nielsen was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements. He later managed the Danish national team.
Cradley Heathens was a motorcycle speedway team from Dudley, England. The team was founded in 1947 and competed at the top level of British speedway until its closure in 1995. It was revived as Dudley Heathens in 2010, competing in the National League, reverting to the Cradley Heathens name in 2013. It ceased operating after the 2019 season, although a team bearing the Heathens name has operated under the NORA umbrella on the Isle of Wight in 2021 and 2022 and in 2022 won The Michael Richardson Trophy.
Ole Bjarne Olsen is a Danish former professional motorcycle speedway rider.
Guy Allen Ermolenko is a former motorcycle speedway rider. During his career he was known as Sam Ermolenko. In 1993, he won the Speedway World Championship.
Jimmy Nilsen is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from Sweden.
Shawn Moran is an American former professional motorcycle speedway rider who was one of the most popular and talented riders ever to race for Sheffield Tigers who also represented the United States in international speedway competitions.
Finn Thomsen is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Denmark.
Tommy Knudsen is a former Motorcycle speedway rider who won eight Speedway World Team Cups, and two World Pairs. He is not to be confused with Tom P. Knudsen, another rider from the period.
Simon James Cross is a former motorcycle speedway rider who spent most of his career with the Cradley Heathens.
Per Christer Jonsson is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1990, and finished runner-up in 1992. He earned 65 international caps for the Sweden national speedway team and also represented Sweden in the World Team Cup on seven occasions between 1985 and 1993.
Richard Leonard (Rick) Miller is a former American international motorcycle speedway rider, and an automotive and motorcycle stuntman. Miller won two national BMX titles as a Webco-sponsored rider in his early teens. Miller then rode motocross in the southern California area before switching to Speedway.
Gert Handberg is a Danish former international motorcycle speedway rider.
Brian Karger is a former international motorcycle speedway rider.
The 1986 British League season was the 52nd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 22nd known as the British League.
The 1988 British League season was the 54th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 24th known as the British League.
The 1989 British League season was the 55th season of the top tier of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom and the 25th known as the British League.
John Jørgensen is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from Denmark. He is not to be confused with Johnny Jørgensen, the 1989 Danish Junior speedway champion.
The Vojens Speedway Center is a Motorcycle speedway track located in Vojens, Denmark. The track has been part-owned since its opening by Denmark's first three time Speedway World Champion Ole Olsen.
The 1988 Danish speedway season was the 1988 season of motorcycle speedway in Denmark.