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Tommy Knudsen
Tommy Knudsen (born 9 November 1961 in Roager, Denmark)[1] is a former Motorcycle speedway rider who won eight Speedway World Team Cups, and two World Pairs. He earned 81 caps for the Denmark national speedway team.[2] He is not to be confused with Tom P. Knudsen (born 1968), another rider from the period. CareerKnudsen first became known when he won the Danish Under-16 Championships of 1975 and 1976 before becoming the Danish Under-21 Champion in 1978. Knudsen started racing in the United Kingdom during second half meetings in 1978. He was signed up by Coventry Bees in 1979 and was touted as a future champion.[3] Knudsen won the 1980 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship[4] and recorded a 8.10 average for Coventry during the 1980 British League season. Knudsen also raced in Australia during the 1980s, winning the "Mr Melbourne" title at the Melbourne Showgrounds in January 1987, and a week later finished third behind fellow Dane Hans Nielsen and American Rick Miller in the West End Speedway International at the Wayville Showground in Adelaide. Knudsen was matching Ole Olsen's average at Coventry during 1981 and helped the Bees win the League Cup and Midland Cup. That season he also made his first World Final appearance, finishing third at the 1981 Individual Speedway World Championship at Wembley Stadium in London, after losing a ride-off for 2nd to countryman Ole Olsen. Knudsen had earlier defeated Olsen to win the opening heat of the World Final and a large number of fans and members of the speedway press believed that Knudsen would become Denmark's next world champion.[5] Unfortunately for Knudsen, two fellow Danish riders Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen emerged and becam ethe world's leading riders, which arguably denied Knudsen his chance of becoming a world individual champion. However, because the Danes dominated world speedway, Knudsen was able to win eight World Team Cup's in 1981, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1995 and 1997 and two Speedway World Pairs titles in 1985 and 1991.[6] Although he rode in a further five World Finals (1985, 1986, 1991, 1992 and 1994), Knudsen would never again finish on the podium in a World Final, his best placing being 4th in 1992. At the 1985 Final held in Los Angeles, Knudsen was undefeated on the night, famously holding out US team captain Bobby Schwartz in the penultimate heat to ensure Denmark could not be beaten. During this golden period of speedway for the Danes, Knudsen remained loyal to the Coventry Bees, riding for them from 1979 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1992, captainign the team and remaining one of the league's best riders.[7] He announced his retirement at the end of August 1990 after a crash in Australia but returned to racing the following year.[8] World final appearancesIndividual World Championship
World Pairs Championship
World Team Cup
Individual Under-21 World Championship
Speedway Grand Prix results
References
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