Björn Knutson[1] commonly spelt Knutsson (born 27 April 1938 in Sweden) is a former motorcycle speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1965 and was a four-time winner of the World Team Cup.[2] He gained the nickname 'The Crown Prince' for his speedway success.[3] He earned 42 caps for the Sweden national speedway team.[4]
| Born | 27 April 1938 (age 86) Norrköping, Sweden |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Career history | |
| Sweden | |
| 1957–1966 | Vargarna |
| Great Britain | |
| 1959–1963 | Southampton Saints |
| 1964 | West Ham Hammers |
| Individual honours | |
| 1965 | World Champion |
| 1962, 1963 | European Champion |
| 1962, 1964 | Nordic Champion |
| 1961, 1963 | Swedish Champion |
| 1965 | European Long Track Champion |
| 1960, 1962, 1963 | Pride of the East winner |
| 1964 | The Laurels |
| Team honours | |
| 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964 | World Team Cup |
| 1962 | National League Champion |
| 1961 | National League KO Cup Winner |
| 1961 | National Trophy Winner |
| 1960, 1961 | Allsvenskan Champion |
| 1964 | Allsvenskan Div 2 Champion |
Career
editKnutson also won the Speedway Swedish Individual Championship in 1961 and 1963.[5]
He first rode in Great Britain after signing for Southampton Saints, during the 1959 Speedway National League.[6] He topped the team's averages in 1960 and became one of the league's leading riders during the period. He outscored his teammate Barry Briggs at Southampton in both 1962 and 1963 at a time, when Briggs was in the middle of winning his four world championships.[6] He finished his British league career with West Ham Hammers, at the end of the 1964 Speedway National League season.[4]
World Final Appearances
editIndividual World Championship
edit- 1961 -
Malmö, Malmö Stadion - 2nd - 12pts + 3pts - 1962 -
London, Wembley Stadium - 4th - 10pts + 2pts - 1963 - London, Wembley Stadium - 2nd - 13pts
- 1964 - Gothenburg, Ullevi - 5th - 10pts
- 1965 - London, Wembley Stadium - Winner - 14pts
- 1966 - Gothenburg, Ullevi - 10th - 5pts
World Team Cup
edit- 1960 - Gothenburg, Ullevi (with Ove Fundin / Rune Sörmander / Olle Nygren) - Winner - 44pts (9)
- 1961 -
Wrocław, Olympic Stadium (with Rune Sörmander / Ove Fundin / Per Tage Svensson / Soren Sjosten) - 2nd - 30pts (7) - 1962 -
Slaný, Slaný Speedway Stadium (with Ove Fundin / Sören Sjösten / Göte Nordin / Rune Sörmander) - Winner - 36pts (10) - 1963 -
Vienna, Stadion Wien (with Ove Fundin / Per Olof Söderman / Göte Nordin / Rune Sörmander) - Winner - 37pts (11) - 1964 -
Abensberg, Abensberg Stadion (with Ove Fundin / Göte Nordin / Rune Sörmander / Sören Sjösten) - Winner - 34pts (11) - 1965 - Kempten (with Ove Fundin / Bengt Jansson / Göte Nordin) - 2nd - 33pts (11)
- 1966 - Wrocław, Olympic Stadium (with Ove Fundin / Leif Enecrona / Göte Nordin / Leif Larsson) - 3rd - 22pts (11)
References
edit- ^ "Background". World Speedway Riders. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
- ^ Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 522. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
- ^ a b "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 85. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
- ^ a b "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 9 August 2023.