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Denmark national speedway team

Denmark
Association	Danish Motor Union Danmarks Motor Union
FIM code	DMU
Nation colour	White and Red
SWC Wins	15 (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[edit]

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[edit]

World Team Championships[edit]

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

World Pairs Championship[edit]

European Pairs Championship[edit]

International caps (as of 2022)[edit]

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]

References[edit]