Preben Kollster Eriksen (born 9 August 1958) in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

, Denmark, is a former

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

rider from Denmark. He earned 41 caps for the

Denmark national speedway team The Denmark national speedway team are one of the major teams in international motorcycle speedway. History It was not until the emergence of rider Ole Olsen (speedway rider), Ole Olsen that the Danish speedway team came to prominence. Previo ...

Career

Eriksen rode with the

Wolverhampton Wolves Wolverhampton Wolves were a British motorcycle speedway team based in Wolverhampton, England. They were champions of the United Kingdom five times and raced at Monmore Green Stadium from 1928 to 2023. History 1928–1930 Speedway (known ...

in 1977 but was recalled by the Danish Federation because he was refused clearance over the fact that he did not have senior status. His return to Wolves was thwarted when

Ipswich Witches The Ipswich Witches are a British motorcycle speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30 ...

beat them to his signature for the 1979 British League season. He spent five years at Ipswich, building his average up from 4.45 in 1979 to 8.83 in 1982 and won the Knockout Cup in 1981. He finally joined Wolves for the 1984 British League season and spent five years with the Midlands club. He was part of the Danish national team during their period of domination during the 1980s and won the

World Team Cup The World Team Cup was the international men's team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The inaugural edition of the tournament was contested in 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica and was called the Nations Cup. No tourname ...

with Denmark in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, riding alongside some of the world's best riders at the time Hans Nielsen,

Erik Gundersen Erik Gundersen (born 8 October 1959 in Esbjerg, Denmark) is a former motorcycle speedway rider. Gundersen is one of the most successful speedway riders of all time, having won the Speedway World Champi ...

and

Tommy Knudsen Tommy Knudsen (born 9 November 1961 in Roager, Denmark) 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. He i ...

World Final Appearances

Individual World Championship

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

- London,

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

- reserve - did not ride

World Team Cup

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

- London,

White City Stadium White City Stadium in London, England, was built for the 1908 Summer Olympics. It hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car racing, concerts and a match at the 1966 FIFA W ...

(with Ole Olsen / Hans Nielsen /

) - 2nd - 27pts (4) *

Leszno Leszno (, , ) is a historic city in western Poland, seat of Leszno County within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Leszno is a former residential cit ...

, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium (with Bo Petersen / Erik Gundersen / Hans Nielsen) - Winner - 44pts (9) *

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, Veterans Memorial Stadium (with Bo Petersen / Tommy Knudsen / Erik Gundersen / Hans Nielsen) - Winner - 37pts (5)

References

1958 births Living people Danish speedway riders Wolverhampton Wolves riders Ipswich Witches riders Danish expatriate speedway riders in England Mildenhall Fen Tigers riders Sportspeople from Odense Motorcycle races from the Region of Southern Denmark {{Denmark-speedway-bio-stub

Career

World Final Appearances

Individual World Championship

World Team Cup

See also

References