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Lars Gunnestad

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Lars Gunnestad
Born (1971-02-18) 18 February 1971 (age 53)
Drammen, Norway
NationalityNorwegian
Career history
Great Britain
1991Sheffield
1993–1998, 2000–2002Poole
Poland
1991–1992Zielona Góra
1993Bydgoszcz
2000–2001Rybnik
2003Ostrów
Norway
1991, 1999NMK Drammen
Sweden
1987Piraterna
1988–2004Indianerna
2005Valsarna
Individual honours
1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993,
1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003
Norwegian Champion
Team honours
1990, 1991Elitserien Champion
1994British League Champion
2002Craven Shield Winner

Lars Gunnestad (born 18 February 1971 in Drammen, Norway)[1] is a former Norwegian international motorcycle speedway rider.[2] He won the Individual Speedway Norwegian Championship a record ten times and earned 22 caps for the Norway national speedway team.[3]

Family

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His sons, Lars Daniel Gunnestad and Thomas Gunnestad, were both speedway riders.[4] Lars Daniel won the 2011 Norwegian Championship and Thomas won the 2012 Norwegian Championship.[5]

Career summary

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Lars Gunnestad and Rinat Mardanshin. Polish league. 1992

Gunnestad first came to prominence in 1988, when he won his first Norwegian title at the age of 17. His first British club was Sheffield in 1991,[6] who competed in the British League Division Two. Gunnestad missed the British speedway season in 1992 despite signing for Poole Pirates, but returned in 1993 to compete in the British League for Poole Pirates,[7] with whom he would spend this rest of his British career.

Gunnestad became a popular rider at Poole and eventually received a testimonial meeting there in 2001.[8] He appeared in five Speedway Grand Prix meetings as a wild card.

Speedway Grand Prix results

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1995 SGP
Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw
1 (1) Denmark Vojens 11 9 (1,1,1,2,1) +1C 13
1998 SGP
Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw
1 (2) Denmark Vojens 18 4 (0,3,1) 24
2 (3) Sweden Linköping 24 1 (0,X) 24
2002 SGP
Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw
1 (4) Norway Hamar 13 6 (3,2)(0,1) 23
2003 SGP
Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw
1 (5) Norway Hamar 18 4 (0,2,1) 23
  permanent speedway rider
  wild card, track reserve or qualified reserve
  rider not classified (track reserve who did not start)

World Longtrack Championship

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  • 1994 Semi-final
  • 1995 Semi-final
  • 1996 - Germany Herxheim (18th) 3pts

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0
  2. ^ "GUNNESTAD: FOREVER A PIRATE". Poole Speedway. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Norwegia powalczy o DPŚ" (in Polish). SportoweFakty.pl. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  5. ^ "Rune Sola mistrzem Norwegii" (in Polish). SportoweFakty.pl. 30 August 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  6. ^ "last gamble by Panthers". Peterborough Herald & Post. 6 September 1991. Retrieved 26 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Poole". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 22 March 1993. Retrieved 26 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ Robert Bamford, Glynn Shailes (2004). 50 Poole Pirates Greats. Tempus Publishing. pp. 54–55. ISBN 0-7524-3257-5.