Tony Rickardsson
Encyclopedia
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
rider. He is widely acknowledged as being the most successful speedway rider of the current era, having won six Speedway World Championship
Speedway World Championship
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
titles in 15 attempts. He has two daughters, Michelle (born in 1997) and Natalie (born in 2002) with his wife Anna. He most recently rode for Masarna
Masarna
MasarnaAvesta is a defunct motorcycle speedway club from Avesta, Sweden. They were the Swedish Elite League champions in 2000 and 2004.-History:...
from Avesta in the Swedish Elitserien
Elitserien (speedway)
Elitserien is the highest league in the league system of speedway in Sweden and currently comprises the top 9 Swedish speedway teams. The first season began in 1982...
league, Unia Tarnów
Unia Tarnów
Unia Tarnów is a Polish soccer, basketball and speedway team, based in the southern city of Tarnów. Their home arena is Hala Unii.Football stadium: Stadion Miejski w Tarnowie, 16,000 capacity.- 2006/2007 season in basketball :...
in the Polish Ekstraliga
Speedway Ekstraliga
The Speedway Ekstraliga is the top division of speedway in Poland. It has been called the "richest and most popular speedway league in the world" and attracts riders from all over the world...
and for the Poole Pirates
Poole Pirates
Poole Pirates are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the British Elite League...
, King's Lynn Stars
King's Lynn Stars
King's Lynn Stars are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the British Elite League. The nickname "Stars" comes from the defunct Norwich Stars team...
, Arena-Essex Hammers
Lakeside Hammers
The Lakeside Hammers are a speedway team who race in the British Elite League. They were founded by promoter Wally Mawdsley and stock car promoter Chick Woodroffe...
and Oxford Cheetahs
Oxford Cheetahs
The Oxford Cheetahs were a British Speedway team based in Oxford, England. From 1972 to 1975 they were known as Oxford Rebels, which was the name the team took to White City in 1976 as White City Rebels. The new Oxford team, in the National League, took back the name of Cheetahs...
in the British Elite league.
Promising talent
In 1989 he became Swedish team champion with the now defunct Stockholm U team. The next year, he won the Swedish ChampionshipSpeedway Swedish Individual Championship
- Previous winners :...
, a title he's won six times since, including three times in a row from 1997 to 1999. That year, he also won a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
at the Junior World Championships in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
. In 1991, he made his debut at the World Championship in Göteborg, and surprised many by winning silver
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
. This promising performance was followed up by two fourteenth-places at the next World Championship, before he won the last single-event World Championships in an extra play-off race against Dane Hans Nielsen
Hans Nielsen (speedway rider)
Hans Hollen Nielsen - a prominent speedway rider active from the 1970s to the late 1990s; a former World Champion....
and Australian Craig Boyce
Craig Boyce
Craig Boyce was a motorcycle speedway rider who primarily rode for the Poole Pirates in the British Elite League...
. In 1993 he won the Speedway World Pairs Championship
Speedway World Pairs Championship
The Speedway World Pairs Championship was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first competition was held in 1968 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994 it was merged with the World Team Cup.- Rules :...
with Per Jonsson
Per Jonsson
Per Jonsson is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1990, and finished runner-up in 1992.In 1985, his second season with the Reading Racers, the team won six major trophies...
and Henrik Gustafsson
Henrik Gustafsson
Henrik Anders Gustafsson is an international Motorcycle speedway rider who won the 1993 World Pairs Championship with Tony Rickardsson and the Speedway World Team Cup with Sweden in 1994 and 2000...
. He also won the 1994 World Team Championship
Speedway World Team Cup
The Speedway World Team Cup was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The competition started in 1960 and was replaced with the Speedway World Cup in 2001.-Format:From 1960 until 1985 each team consisted of four riders and a reserve...
.
World dominance
Despite being on or near the top of the tables in the new Speedway Grand PrixSpeedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. As of 2008, all of the events take place in Europe.- Event format :...
series, organised as six events where points were tallied at the end, Rickardsson failed to win a single individual Grand Prix event in the next three years, and only won a World Championship silver and a Swedish Championship in that time. However, from 1998 onwards, he was dominant. He won three of six events in 1998, including a home win in Linköping
Linköping
Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
, and ended up beating fellow Swede Jimmy Nilsen
Jimmy Nilsen
Jimmy Nilsen is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from Sweden. He was Swedish Champion in 1996 after finishing 3rd in 1994. Nilsen also rode in five World Finals as well as representing Sweden in Test Matches....
by 12 points. This year, he also won the Elitserien with Valsarna of Hagfors
Hagfors
Hagfors is a locality and the seat of Hagfors Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 5,403 inhabitants in 2005.Its history is traced to 1873, when it was decided to build two blast furnaces at the location....
, being the highest averaging rider that season, and he won the British Elite League with Ipswich, averaging the highest for them as well. 1999 was an almost equally stunning season, although it started badly when he got disqualified in the first race at Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, finishing eleventh. After three races, he was third, 24 points behind Tomasz Gollob
Tomasz Gollob
Tomasz Gollob is a Polish motorcycle speedway rider who has appeared in every Speedway Grand Prix series since its inaugural season in 1995. His brother Jacek is also a speedway rider.-Career summary:...
, who looked to be cruising to victory. However, Gollob ran into trouble in the fourth race at Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, being forced to retire after the introductory stages and finishing eighth, meaning that Rickardsson caught up 15 points in one race. With one event left at Vojens
Vojens
Vojens Municipality , was a municipality in the former South Jutland County on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The municipality, which existed from 1970 to 2006, covered an area of 298 km², and had a total population of 16,792...
, Gollob still led by four points, but in a quarter-final heat where Ryan Sullivan
Ryan Sullivan
Ryan Geoffrey Sullivan Ryan Geoffrey Sullivan Ryan Geoffrey Sullivan (born 20 January 1975, in Fitzroy, Victoria (a suburb of Melbourne) is an Australian international speedway rider.-Early years:...
had been excluded and he only had to finish in the top two to qualify for the semi-final, Gollob finished third, and the pressure was off Rickardsson - who would now win if he finished in the top six. This recovery gave him Swedish sport's arguably greatest award, Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal is an annual award "for the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury led by the Swedish morning paper Svenska Dagbladet since 1925. According to its statutes the Medal may be awarded in November or December to either...
(lit.: The Achievement Medal), for the best achievement of the year.
21st century
Rickardsson continued to win titles throughout the new century, although Mark LoramMark Loram
Mark Roysten Gregory Loram is a former British motorcycle speedway rider who started his career with the Hackney Kestrels in 1987. He is a former World Speedway Champion. In March 2007 Loram broke his thigh and dislocated his arm whilst riding in the opening fixture of the British Elite League...
won the 2000 World Championship
2000 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2000 Speedway Grand Prix season was the sixth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
despite not winning a single event. Rickardsson won one - at Wrocław, but was too inconsistent to win the overall title. However, he again won the Elitserien, this time with his local team Masarna
Masarna
MasarnaAvesta is a defunct motorcycle speedway club from Avesta, Sweden. They were the Swedish Elite League champions in 2000 and 2004.-History:...
from Avesta, as he and team-mate Leigh Adams
Leigh Adams
Leigh Scott Adams is an Australian motorcycle speedway rider. He is a multiple Speedway Grand Prix winner and World Team Champion...
were the two highest averaging riders in the entire league. In 2001
2001 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2001 Speedway Grand Prix season was the seventh season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
he was back on the World stage, winning the World title with a record 121 points from six Grand Prix events, only missing one final - the last, at home on Stockholms Stadion
Stockholms Olympiastadion
Stockholms Olympiastadion, most often called Stockholms Stadion or just Stadion, is a stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. Designed by architect Torben Grut, it was opened in 1912, its original use was as a venue for the 1912 Olympic Games...
, which was really academic as only a thirteenth place could possibly have robbed him of the title. He managed to win at home in the next Grand Prix series in 2002
2002 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2002 Speedway Grand Prix season is the eighth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
,which gave him three individual wins as he won his fifth World Championship. In 2003
2003 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2003 Speedway Grand Prix season is the ninth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
, he finished third overall. Thirteenth place finishes in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Bydgoszcz and Vikingskipet at Hamar
Hamar
is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849...
ruining his bid for the title, and a concussion kept him out of the Swedish team
Sweden national speedway team
Sweden are one of the major teams in international speedway. They have been managed by Mats Olsson, who is currently in his 2nd spell, since 2005 after he quit in 2000...
that won the World Cup
Speedway World Cup
The Speedway World Cup is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first edition of the competition in the current format was in 2001 and it replaced the old World Team Cup competition.-Format:...
at Vojens (though he was part of a qualifier race and hence stands with a World Cup medal - his only title that year). The following year he managed to win the Swedish Championship at Målilla, but consistency eluded him as Jason Crump
Jason Crump
Jason Phillip Crump is an Australian international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a three-time Speedway World Champion, a World Cup winner and a former World Under-21 Champion.-Family:...
pipped him to the World title by three points (although the lead was 17 points before the final race). He followed this up with another extremely strong season in 2005. With 6 First positions at Wrocław (1st Event), Krško
Krško
Krško is a town and municipality in eastern Slovenia. The town lies on the Sava River. The area is traditionally divided between Lower Styria and Lower Carniola...
(3rd), Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
(4th), Idrætsparken
Idrætsparken
Københavns Idrætspark, in daily use Idrætsparken, also known as Parken, was a multi-purpose stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was initially used as the stadium of Denmark national football team and Kjøbenhavns Boldklub. It was replaced by the Parken Stadium in 1992. The capacity of the stadium was...
(5th) in København, Praha (6th) and Lonigo
Lonigo
Lonigo is a town and comune in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, northern Italy, its population counts around 16.000 inhabitants.In its frazione of Bagnolo is the Villa Pisani, a Renaissance patrician villa designed by Andrea Palladio, which is part of a World Heritage Site...
(9th); a second in the Swedish event at Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
(2nd); third in the Scandinavian held in Målilla
Målilla
Målilla is a locality situated in Hultsfred Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 1,605 inhabitants in 2005.It is more commonly known as the temperature capital of Sweden due to the frequent records, both high and low, being set there. A Swedish record high temperature of +38°C was set on June...
(7th) and a lowly 9th in the Polish Grand Prix held at Bydgoszcz (8th Event). Even with such a poor finish in Poland, however, he had already virtually sown up the Championship in the 7th Grand Prix in Målilla
Målilla
Målilla is a locality situated in Hultsfred Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 1,605 inhabitants in 2005.It is more commonly known as the temperature capital of Sweden due to the frequent records, both high and low, being set there. A Swedish record high temperature of +38°C was set on June...
, ahead of Jason Crump. After the sixth event held in the Czech Republic, he was first in the points per event table of the Elitserien (the Swedish Domestic Elite League). Though Tony stated that he would give up racing after the 2006 season, he sadly announced his early retirement from both World Championship and Domestic Speedway on 1 August 2006 at a press conference in Stockholm, in order to pursue his interest in racing cars instead. Rickardsson was a contestant on the TV4 television show Let's Dance 2008 in which he finished 2nd.
Summary of Titles
- Speedway World ChampionSpeedway World ChampionshipThe World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each...
6 times (1994, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005) - Record, jointly held with Ivan MaugerIvan MaugerIvan Mauger, OBE, MBE, is a retired motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships, a feat only equalled by Tony Rickardsson of Sweden...
of New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - World Pairs ChampionSpeedway World Pairs ChampionshipThe Speedway World Pairs Championship was an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first competition was held in 1968 and the final competition was held in 1993. From 1994 it was merged with the World Team Cup.- Rules :...
1993 - World CupSpeedway World CupThe Speedway World Cup is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first edition of the competition in the current format was in 2001 and it replaced the old World Team Cup competition.-Format:...
winner 4 times (1994, 2000, 2003, 2004) - Swedish ChampionSpeedway Swedish Individual Championship- Previous winners :...
7 times (1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004) - Swedish League ChampionElitserien (speedway)Elitserien is the highest league in the league system of speedway in Sweden and currently comprises the top 9 Swedish speedway teams. The first season began in 1982...
3 times (1989 with Stockholm, 1998 with Valsarna, 2000 with Masarna) - Polish League ChampionSpeedway EkstraligaThe Speedway Ekstraliga is the top division of speedway in Poland. It has been called the "richest and most popular speedway league in the world" and attracts riders from all over the world...
3 times (2001 with Torun, 2004, 2005 with Tarnow) - Peter Craven ShieldCraven ShieldThe Craven Shield is a Speedway cup competition in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association...
(British team competition) Champion 2 times (1998 with Ipswich, 2001 with Poole) - British Elite League ChampionSpeedway Elite LeagueThe Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports...
3 Times (1998 with Ipswich, 2003 & 2004 with Poole)
World Final Appearances
- 19911991 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1991 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*August 31, 1991 Göteborg, Ullevi...
-
Göteborg, UlleviUlleviUllevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992...
- 2nd - 12pts - 19921992 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1992 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*August 29, 1992 Wrocław, Olympic Stadium...
-
Wrocław Olympic StadiumOlympic Stadium (Wroclaw)Olympic Stadium in Wrocław is a multi-purpose stadium in Wrocław, Poland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and speedway racing. It serves as the home stadium of Atlas Wrocław. The stadium has a capacity of 35,000 people and was opened in 1935. The stadium was supposed to be used...
- 14th - 5pts - 19931993 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1993 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*August 29, 1993 Pocking, Rottalstadion...
-
PockingPockingPocking is a town in the district of Passau, in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is situated about 30 km south-west of Passau, close to the Austrian border.-History:...
, Rottalstadion - 14th - 4pts - 19941994 Individual Speedway World ChampionshipThe 1994 Individual Speedway World Championship.-Scandinavian Series:Riders from Scandinavia, i.e. Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland competed. The top 8 in Swedish Semi Finals advanced to the Swedish Final. The top 5 in the Swedish Final advanced to the Scandinavian Final. The Danish Final was...
-
VojensVojensVojens Municipality , was a municipality in the former South Jutland County on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The municipality, which existed from 1970 to 2006, covered an area of 298 km², and had a total population of 16,792...
, Speedway Center Winner - 12pts + 3pts
Speedway Grand Prix results
| Year | Position | Points | Best Finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 1995 Speedway Grand Prix The 1995 Speedway Grand Prix season was the first season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion. Grand Prix series was won by Hans Nielsen; it was his fourth World Champion title.- Event format :... |
2nd | 88 | 2nd (twice) | Worst finish was 6th |
| 1996 1996 Speedway Grand Prix The 1996 Speedway Grand Prix season was the second season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion. Grand Prix series was won by Billy Hamill; it was his first and only World Champion title.- Event format :... |
4th | 86 | 2nd | |
| 1997 1997 Speedway Grand Prix The 1997 Speedway Grand Prix season was the third season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :During 1997 the initial SGP scoring system was used for the final time... |
4th | 90 | 2nd | Finished in top 8 in all rounds |
| 1998 1998 Speedway Grand Prix The 1998 Speedway Grand Prix season was the fourth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system used was a new one for the 4th SGP season with 24 riders, divided into two classes... |
1st | 111 | Winner (three times) | Won in Prague, Pocking and Linkoeping |
| 1999 1999 Speedway Grand Prix The 1999 Speedway Grand Prix season was the fifth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes... |
1st | 111 | Winner (twice) | Won British and Danish GPs |
| 2000 2000 Speedway Grand Prix The 2000 Speedway Grand Prix season was the sixth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes... |
3rd | 94 | Winner | Won in Wroclaw, Poland |
| 2001 2001 Speedway Grand Prix The 2001 Speedway Grand Prix season was the seventh season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes... |
1st | 121 | Winner (twice) | Won the first British GP in Cardiff and also in Vojens |
| 2002 2002 Speedway Grand Prix The 2002 Speedway Grand Prix season is the eighth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes... |
1st | 181 | Winner (three times) | Won Norwegian, Swedish and Danish GPs |
| 2003 2003 Speedway Grand Prix The 2003 Speedway Grand Prix season is the ninth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes... |
3rd | 127 | Winner | Won European GP |
| 2004 2004 Speedway Grand Prix The 2004 Speedway Grand Prix season is the tenth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.-Event format:The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes... |
2nd | 155 | Winner (twice) | Won in Slovenia and Norway |
| 2005 2005 Speedway Grand Prix The 2005 Speedway Grand Prix season is the 11th season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :... |
1st | 196 | Winner (six times) | Won four GPs in succession |
| 2006 2006 Speedway Grand Prix The 2006 Speedway Grand Prix season is the twelfth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :... |
14th | 41 | 4th | Retired from all speedway following 5 rounds of the series |
Trivia
- He was nominated for the most prestigious Swedish sports awards for many years before finally winning in 2006. For the last four years the Swedish comedian Robert GustafssonRobert GustafssonCarl Robert Olof Gustafsson is a Swedish comedian, actor, and member of Killinggänget. He has sometimes been called "the funniest man in Sweden".-Style of comedy:...
often appeared as him, talking sarcastically about how the winners deserved the prize while he was annoyed about never winning.
External links
- http://www.rickardssonracing.com/
- Speedway Home Page
- http://www.speedwayhistory.com
- Speedway Info