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Västervik Speedway

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Västervik Speedway
Club information
Track addressHejla Arena
Västervik
CountrySweden
Founded1966
Team managerMorgan Andersson
Team captainRobert Lambert
LeagueElitserien
WebsiteOfficial Website
Club facts
ColoursBlue and yellow
Track size296m
Track record time55.1 seconds[1]
Track record date20 August 2018
Track record holderNicki Pedersen
Major team honours
Swedish Team Championship2005

Västervik Speedway are a motorcycle speedway team from Västervik in Sweden. They ride in the Elitserien[2] and are one time champions of Sweden.[3][4] The team race at the Ljungheden also known as the Helja Arena.

Ljungheden in 2023

History

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1966 to 1981

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They were established as Skepparna and raced in division 3 during the 1966 Swedish speedway season.[5] In 1977 the team won their first honours when winning division 2 and were promoted to the top tier for the first time. However, in 1978 the team struggled and were subsequently relegated before signing Bengt Jansson and winning division 2 again in 1979. With the addition of Tommy Johansson the team survived the 1980 and 1981 seasons.

1982 to 1992

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The club were put in the second tier, on the introduction of the Elitserien in 1982.[6] In 1986 the team won division 2 and backed up this success in 1990 by winning division 1, which resulted in their return to the top tier for the first time since 1981.[7][8] They have raced in the Elitserien (the top league division of Swedish speedway) ever since.

1993 to 2004

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In 1993, the team changed their name to Västervik and signed Sam Ermolenko (who would become the world champion that year). The team finished third for their highest ever position.[9][10] The team continued to compete in the Elitserien finishing third again in 2001 after signing Tomasz Gollob and Nicki Pedersen.[11]

2005 to present

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During the 2005 Swedish speedway season the club won their first Swedish Team Championship with a team that included Tomasz Gollob, Jacek Gollob, Bjarne Pedersen and Niels Kristian Iversen. They then narrowly lost the title after finishing runners-up to Dackarna in 2007.[12] In 2014, the club were relegated but won two Allsvenskan titles in 2016 and 2017, which took them back to the Elitserien.

In 2023, the team signed three times world champion Tai Woffinden.[13]

Season summary

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Main article: Swedish Speedway Team Championship

Previous teams

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Notable riders

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References

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  1. ^ "HEJLA Arena".
  2. ^ "Speedway Around The Globe - Sweden". Speedway Star. 23 July 2022. pp. 38–39.
  3. ^ "HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2015". Speedway History. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Vastervik Speedway". Elit Speedway. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  5. ^ "1966". Speedway.org. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  6. ^ "The elite series in speedway". Gislaved MotorKlubb. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Vargarna 1990". formula2.se. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  8. ^ "1990 season". Speedway.org. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Historik". Västervik Speedway. 2008. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  10. ^ Stefan Holm (25 March 2009). "Lär känna världens märkligaste klubbnamn" (in Swedish). Sportbladet. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  11. ^ "2001 season". Speedway.org. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Swedish Leagues". SpeedwayWorld.tv. 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2008.
  13. ^ "WOFFY MAKES SWEDISH COMEBACK WITH VASTERVIK FOR 2023". FIM. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
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