Tony Olsson

Not to be confused with the neo-Nazi and convicted murderer Tony Olsson (criminal).

Tony Olsson

Born	(1965-03-13) 13 March 1965 (age 58) Visby, Sweden
Nationality	Swedish
Career history
Sweden
1982–1992, 1996–1998	Bysarna
1993–1995	Smederna
Great Britain
1986–1990, 1993, 1995–1996	Reading
1991, 1994	Swindon
1992	Belle Vue
1992	Exeter
1992	Ipswich
Individual honours
1994	Div 2 League Riders' runner-up
Team honours
1990, 1992	British League Champions
1990	British League KO Cup Winners
1993	Premiership Winners
1992	BSPA Cup Winners
1993	British League Fours Champions
1994	British League Div. 2 Pairs Champion
1988	Swedish Elitserien Champion
1988	Swedish Pairs Champion
1985	Allsvenskan Div 1 Champion

John Tony Olsson (born 13 March 1965 in Visby, Sweden) ^[1] is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. He was a member of the Sweden speedway team when they finished third in the 1988 and 1989 World Team Cup finals. He also represented his country at Test level. ^{[2] [3]}

Career

Born on the Norland Island Gotland, Tony Olsson began his career with the club Bysarna. In 1982 he made his debut for the senior team and already 1983 he won Rider of the season. He twice finished runner-up in the Swedish Under-21 Championship in 1984 and 1985. One year later in 1986, Olsson finished runner-up in the World Under-21 Championship, despite suffering an engine failure in one heat. In 1988 he played a huge part in Bysarna becoming Swedish champions. The same year he won the Swedish Pairs Championship with former World Champion Per Jonsson. In 1991 he won it again with Dennis Löfqvist. In 1989 Olsson became the only Swedish rider to qualify for the World Final in Munich. In the only World Final of his career he finished in eighth place.

Olsson rode in the United Kingdom for the Reading Racers from 1986, where he became the team captain and then onto the Swindon Robins for a year in 1991 after he was forced out of Reading's line-up due to average restrictions after winning the British League Championship in 1990. He returned in 1993, after a loan spell with Belle Vue Aces ^[4] and was part of the Reading team that won the Fours championship. ^[5]

In 1994, whilst on loan again to the Swindon Robins, he won the British League Division Two Pairs Championship, partnering Tony Langdon, during the 1994 British League Division Two season. ^[6]

He returned to the Racers in 1995 and in his final season in 1996 he was voted 'Rider of the Year' by the Reading fans. ^[7]

Retirement

After his retirement he became the team manager of Sweden. As team manager he won the Speedway World Championship in 2003 and 2004.

He now works as Race Director in the Speedway Grand Prix.^{[ citation needed ]}

World Final Appearances

Individual World Championship

• 1989 - Munich, Olympic Stadium - 8th - 8pts

World Team Cup

• 1986 - Bradford, Odsal Stadium (with Per Jonsson / Erik Stenlund / Jimmy Nilsen / Jan Andersson) - 4th - 73pts (0)
• 1988 -   USA Long Beach, Veterans Memorial Stadium (with Conny Ivarsson / Henrik Gustafsson / Jimmy Nilsen / Per Jonsson) - 3rd - 22pts (4)
• 1989 - Bradford, Odsal Stadium (with Mikael Blixt / Per Jonsson / Jimmy Nilsen / Erik Stenlund) - 3rd - 30pts (7)

References

1. Oakes, P (1991). 1991 Speedway Yearbook. ISBN   0-948882-20-4
2. Oakes, P.(2005). British Speedway Who's Who. ISBN   0-948882-30-1
3. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
4. Bamford, R.(2007). Speedway Yearbook 2007. ISBN   978-0-7524-4250-1
5. "Racers' fab four are hot stuff!" . Reading Evening Post. 26 July 1993. Retrieved 24 December 2023– via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "1994 season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
7. Reading Speedway Official Website (accessed 2 October 2007)