Tony Olsson

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Tony Olsson
Born (1965-03-13) 13 March 1965 (age 59)
Visby, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
Career history
Sweden
1982–1992, 1996–1998Bysarna
1993–1995Smederna
Great Britain
1986–1990, 1993, 1995–1996Reading
1991, 1994Swindon
1992Belle Vue
1992Exeter
1992Ipswich
Individual honours
1994Div 2 League Riders' runner-up
Team honours
1990, 1992British League Champions
1990British League KO Cup Winners
1993Premiership Winners
1992BSPA Cup Winners
1993British League Fours Champions
1994British League Div. 2 Pairs Champion
1988Swedish Elitserien Champion
1988Swedish Pairs Champion
1985Allsvenskan Div 1 Champion

John Tony Olsson (born 13 March 1965 in Visby, Sweden)[1] is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. He was a member of the Sweden speedway team when they finished third in the 1988 and 1989 World Team Cup finals. He also represented his country at Test level.[2][3]

Career[edit]

Born on the Norland Island Gotland, Tony Olsson began his career with the club Bysarna. In 1982 he made his debut for the senior team and already 1983 he won Rider of the season. He twice finished runner-up in the Swedish Under-21 Championship in 1984 and 1985. One year later in 1986, Olsson finished runner-up in the World Under-21 Championship, despite suffering an engine failure in one heat. In 1988 he played a huge part in Bysarna becoming Swedish champions. The same year he won the Swedish Pairs Championship with former World Champion Per Jonsson. In 1991 he won it again with Dennis Löfqvist. In 1989 Olsson became the only Swedish rider to qualify for the World Final in Munich. In the only World Final of his career he finished in eighth place.

Olsson rode in the United Kingdom for the Reading Racers from 1986, where he became the team captain and then onto the Swindon Robins for a year in 1991 after he was forced out of Reading's line-up due to average restrictions after winning the British League Championship in 1990. He returned in 1993, after a loan spell with Belle Vue Aces[4] and was part of the Reading team that won the Fours championship.[5]

In 1994, whilst on loan again to the Swindon Robins, he won the British League Division Two Pairs Championship, partnering Tony Langdon, during the 1994 British League Division Two season.[6]

He returned to the Racers in 1995 and in his final season in 1996 he was voted 'Rider of the Year' by the Reading fans.[7]

Retirement[edit]

After his retirement he became the team manager of Sweden. As team manager he won the Speedway World Championship in 2003 and 2004.

He now works as Race Director in the Speedway Grand Prix.[citation needed]

World Final Appearances[edit]

Individual World Championship[edit]

World Team Cup[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Oakes, P (1991). 1991 Speedway Yearbook. ISBN 0-948882-20-4
  2. ^ Oakes, P.(2005). British Speedway Who's Who. ISBN 0-948882-30-1
  3. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  4. ^ Bamford, R.(2007). Speedway Yearbook 2007. ISBN 978-0-7524-4250-1
  5. ^ "Racers' fab four are hot stuff!". Reading Evening Post. 26 July 1993. Retrieved 24 December 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "1994 season results" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  7. ^ Reading Speedway Official Website (accessed 2 October 2007)