Post by speedway_history on Dec 21, 2008 23:29:52 GMT 1
How did you first get involved in speedway, and what influenced you to have a go?
My Dad rode speedway so I was always aware of the sport and he actually ‘forced’ me into riding. He came to pick me up in the van one day with the bikes in the back and took me to the track and let me have a go...I loved it straight away and didn’t want to do anything else.
You first rode in the UK for Oxford last year – who and what tempted you to come over?
I’d always been told that Britain was the place to ride as there are so many meetings and the tracks are all so different, so when I got the opportunity to ride for Oxford I jumped at the chance.
Everyone knows what happened at Oxford – did that put you off riding in England, or were you pleased to get the call from Lakeside?
I look at it like this, if I’d not ridden for Oxford then I may not have got the chance to ride here (Lakeside), so it’s all worked out well in the end.
The team spirit at Lakeside seems to be very good – what do you think the reasons for that are?
We’ve kept more or less the same team from last year, we’ve been winning and we all get on well. We’ve all got the same aim and all do our best in every race we ride...that’s where the team spirit comes from.
Clearly it’s going to be difficult for the team with the recent injuries to Joonas, Jonas and Adam. Firstly, do you know how they are, and do you think the rest of the team can find ‘that bit extra’ to cover for them?
I’m not sure how their injuries are other than knowing Jonas Davidsson is still in hospital, but I’m sure, as I said before, we’ll do our best, it’s not going to be easy, but I believe we can still do it. Kauko Nieminen has come into the team and he’s been riding really well and I’m confident.
The Lakeside promotion showed their faith in you by making you their first signing for 2008...are you hoping a similar agreement can be reached for next year?
Definitely, I would sign right now assuming they still want me, I’m very happy at Lakeside. We’ll probably have to wait until after the promoters’ conference in November before anything can really be sorted out but I certainly want to continue here.
Do you consider riding in Britain as an important part of your career?
Yes I do. As I said earlier the huge variety in the tracks and the number of meetings suits me. I like to keep busy and just enjoy riding, so Britain is very important to me
You’ve put in some great performances at away tracks, notably at Peterborough, Wolverhampton, Ipswich and Eastbourne; do those tracks ride similarly to Swedish tracks?
Not at all. Peterborough is very large and the others are quite small. Really only Peterborough and Poole are big tracks over here but each track needs a different set-up. When I first rode at Ipswich I only got a couple of points but when I went back a few weeks ago I was set-up right and felt confident, so I did much better, but I always give my best wherever I’m riding.
What are your thoughts about the points limit for team building in Britain – do you think it’s a fair system, and how would you improve it?
Yes I think it’s fair, but I really hope the promoters raise the limit to about 42. With the low limit it freezes out some of the better riders and really affects the middle order riders and that is not good for the league.
Do you think British Speedway needs to make any changes, and if so what?
They need to get more people to come to the tracks. A lot of people watch speedway on Sky so that proves the interest is there, and we need to get some of them to come along. If you get bigger crowds it’s easier to get more sponsorship, and with more sponsorship comes more attraction for the fans and riders so it’s better all round. We need to promote the sport better.
In Sweden you ride for Lejonen alongside World Champion Nicki Pedersen – does Nicki share his experience and help out in the pits?
Yes he does. I thought he might just come along and ride but he’s great and will spend time with you if you ask him and is a great help - he’s a really nice guy.
Which other riders have helped or influenced you during your career?
I’ve had a lot of help from AJ and PK, but the biggest help has always been my Dad.
What are the main differences between riding in the Swedish, Polish and British Leagues – for example, how do the tracks compare, and are the opportunities for youngsters getting into the sport similar?
In Britain there are so many different tracks but it’s very similar to Sweden in the way the riders and the fans talk to each other and it’s very much a club thing. In Poland it’s very different as the riders and the fans are kept apart and you just go along to do a job.
How do you cope with the constant travelling...do you enjoy it, or do you see it as a necessary evil?
Definitely a necessary evil but you just have to do it. Airports are no fun, and doing around 100 meetings a season means you have to be organised and arrange to be picked up all over the place. I enjoy my racing so have to accept that the travelling is part of it, but I really don’t enjoy it.
You were part of the Under 21 Swedish team who have qualified for the World Final at Holsted later in the year – do you think you can beat the Danes on their own soil?
Yes definitely...in our qualifier at Pardubice we were eleven points down at one stage but we managed to come back and beat the Czechs so I’m confident we can do it in Denmark too. In Thomas H Jonasson and Billy Forsberg we have two riders who can beat anyone and I will be giving my best as always, so we can definitely do it.
Sweden recently finished third in the senior Speedway World Cup – were you disappointed not to be part of the team?
Not really...I think Sweden have better riders than me who were not in the team so I wasn’t disappointed. I just have to keep improving and then in a couple of years time I may be ready for the team, but at the moment I have no complaints about not being included.
In Poland you ride for Zielona Gora whose fans are notoriously passionate – does that pressure help or hinder you as a rider?
It’s very intimidating...I remember the first time I walked onto the track with around 15,000 people chanting my jaw just dropped; I’d never seen anything like it before. In Poland you are judged on your last race...you can have a good meeting and score some points but if you come last in one race the whistling starts and it’s very intimidating, but they do get behind you when you’re winning so it works both ways.
How do you see the future – do you hope to continue riding in the three major leagues and do you intend to get into the GPs?
I love racing speedway and just want to ride as much as possible so riding in all the leagues is something I want to continue with. Racing in the GP is every kid's dream, certainly mine, so I am aiming for that and just need to keep improving and hope that in a few years time I’m good enough...that would be a dream come true.
My Dad rode speedway so I was always aware of the sport and he actually ‘forced’ me into riding. He came to pick me up in the van one day with the bikes in the back and took me to the track and let me have a go...I loved it straight away and didn’t want to do anything else.
You first rode in the UK for Oxford last year – who and what tempted you to come over?
I’d always been told that Britain was the place to ride as there are so many meetings and the tracks are all so different, so when I got the opportunity to ride for Oxford I jumped at the chance.
Everyone knows what happened at Oxford – did that put you off riding in England, or were you pleased to get the call from Lakeside?
I look at it like this, if I’d not ridden for Oxford then I may not have got the chance to ride here (Lakeside), so it’s all worked out well in the end.
The team spirit at Lakeside seems to be very good – what do you think the reasons for that are?
We’ve kept more or less the same team from last year, we’ve been winning and we all get on well. We’ve all got the same aim and all do our best in every race we ride...that’s where the team spirit comes from.
Clearly it’s going to be difficult for the team with the recent injuries to Joonas, Jonas and Adam. Firstly, do you know how they are, and do you think the rest of the team can find ‘that bit extra’ to cover for them?
I’m not sure how their injuries are other than knowing Jonas Davidsson is still in hospital, but I’m sure, as I said before, we’ll do our best, it’s not going to be easy, but I believe we can still do it. Kauko Nieminen has come into the team and he’s been riding really well and I’m confident.
The Lakeside promotion showed their faith in you by making you their first signing for 2008...are you hoping a similar agreement can be reached for next year?
Definitely, I would sign right now assuming they still want me, I’m very happy at Lakeside. We’ll probably have to wait until after the promoters’ conference in November before anything can really be sorted out but I certainly want to continue here.
Do you consider riding in Britain as an important part of your career?
Yes I do. As I said earlier the huge variety in the tracks and the number of meetings suits me. I like to keep busy and just enjoy riding, so Britain is very important to me
You’ve put in some great performances at away tracks, notably at Peterborough, Wolverhampton, Ipswich and Eastbourne; do those tracks ride similarly to Swedish tracks?
Not at all. Peterborough is very large and the others are quite small. Really only Peterborough and Poole are big tracks over here but each track needs a different set-up. When I first rode at Ipswich I only got a couple of points but when I went back a few weeks ago I was set-up right and felt confident, so I did much better, but I always give my best wherever I’m riding.
What are your thoughts about the points limit for team building in Britain – do you think it’s a fair system, and how would you improve it?
Yes I think it’s fair, but I really hope the promoters raise the limit to about 42. With the low limit it freezes out some of the better riders and really affects the middle order riders and that is not good for the league.
Do you think British Speedway needs to make any changes, and if so what?
They need to get more people to come to the tracks. A lot of people watch speedway on Sky so that proves the interest is there, and we need to get some of them to come along. If you get bigger crowds it’s easier to get more sponsorship, and with more sponsorship comes more attraction for the fans and riders so it’s better all round. We need to promote the sport better.
In Sweden you ride for Lejonen alongside World Champion Nicki Pedersen – does Nicki share his experience and help out in the pits?
Yes he does. I thought he might just come along and ride but he’s great and will spend time with you if you ask him and is a great help - he’s a really nice guy.
Which other riders have helped or influenced you during your career?
I’ve had a lot of help from AJ and PK, but the biggest help has always been my Dad.
What are the main differences between riding in the Swedish, Polish and British Leagues – for example, how do the tracks compare, and are the opportunities for youngsters getting into the sport similar?
In Britain there are so many different tracks but it’s very similar to Sweden in the way the riders and the fans talk to each other and it’s very much a club thing. In Poland it’s very different as the riders and the fans are kept apart and you just go along to do a job.
How do you cope with the constant travelling...do you enjoy it, or do you see it as a necessary evil?
Definitely a necessary evil but you just have to do it. Airports are no fun, and doing around 100 meetings a season means you have to be organised and arrange to be picked up all over the place. I enjoy my racing so have to accept that the travelling is part of it, but I really don’t enjoy it.
You were part of the Under 21 Swedish team who have qualified for the World Final at Holsted later in the year – do you think you can beat the Danes on their own soil?
Yes definitely...in our qualifier at Pardubice we were eleven points down at one stage but we managed to come back and beat the Czechs so I’m confident we can do it in Denmark too. In Thomas H Jonasson and Billy Forsberg we have two riders who can beat anyone and I will be giving my best as always, so we can definitely do it.
Sweden recently finished third in the senior Speedway World Cup – were you disappointed not to be part of the team?
Not really...I think Sweden have better riders than me who were not in the team so I wasn’t disappointed. I just have to keep improving and then in a couple of years time I may be ready for the team, but at the moment I have no complaints about not being included.
In Poland you ride for Zielona Gora whose fans are notoriously passionate – does that pressure help or hinder you as a rider?
It’s very intimidating...I remember the first time I walked onto the track with around 15,000 people chanting my jaw just dropped; I’d never seen anything like it before. In Poland you are judged on your last race...you can have a good meeting and score some points but if you come last in one race the whistling starts and it’s very intimidating, but they do get behind you when you’re winning so it works both ways.
How do you see the future – do you hope to continue riding in the three major leagues and do you intend to get into the GPs?
I love racing speedway and just want to ride as much as possible so riding in all the leagues is something I want to continue with. Racing in the GP is every kid's dream, certainly mine, so I am aiming for that and just need to keep improving and hope that in a few years time I’m good enough...that would be a dream come true.