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Jesper Olsen (speedway rider)

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Jesper Olsen
Born10 February 1967 (1967-02-10) (age 57)
Valby, Denmark
NationalityDanish
Career history
Denmark
1988–2001Slangerup
Great Britain
1991Wimbledon/Eastbourne
1992–1995Glasgow
1996Middlesbrough
1997–2001, 2004Newcastle
2000, 2002–2003Belle Vue
Team honours
British league div 21993, 1994
Knockout Cup1993, 1994

Jesper Ege Olsen (born 10 February 1967) is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Denmark.[1][2]

Career

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Olsen started racing in the British leagues during the 1991 British League season, when riding for the Wimbledon Dons but following the Dons withdrawal from the league in June, he completed the season with Eastbourne Eagles.[3][1]

The following season in 1992, he signed for Glasgow Tigers and would spend four years with the Scottish club.[1] He was part of the famous Glasgow league and cup double/double winning team during the 1993 British League Division Two season and 1994 British League Division Two season.[1]

He rode for Middlesbrough Bears in 1996 before joining Newcastle Diamonds in 1997. It was with Newcastle that his form improved significantly averaging over eight for five successive seasons and recording an impressive 9.68 in 1999. He also captained the Diamonds.[1][4] Also in 1999, he finished runner-up to Sean Wilson in the Premier League Riders Championship, held on 12 September at Owlerton Stadium.[5]

He effectively missed the 2002 season with a significant shoulder injury[6] but did ride a handful of races in 2003 and 2004 for Newcastle and Belle Vue Aces respectively before the injuries took their toll and he retired.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022, Jesper Olsen" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  2. ^ Oakes, Peter (2004). British Speedway Who's Who, Profile Jesper Olsen. Peter Oakes, Peterborough. ISBN 0-948882-81-6.
  3. ^ "Jesper Olsen". WWOS Backup. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Smash spoils the day". Daily Record. 26 April 1999. Retrieved 24 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Wilson on top". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 13 September 1999. Retrieved 25 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Speedway: Olsen hangs up his leathers". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Speedway: Olsen signs for Aces". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 June 2023.