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Henrik Gustafsson

Henrik Anders (Henka) Gustafsson (born 14 August 1970)[1] is a Swedish former Motorcycle speedway rider. He won the 1993 World Pairs Championship with Tony Rickardsson and the Speedway World Team Cup in 1994 and 2000.[2] He earned 50 caps for the Sweden national speedway team.[3]

Henka Gustafsson
Born (1970-08-14) 14 August 1970 (age 54)
Sköllersta, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
Career history
Sweden
1986-2005, 2011Indianerna
2009Rospiggarna
2010Valsarna
Great Britain
1990-1993King's Lynn Stars
1994, 2001Belle Vue Aces
2002Poole Pirates
2005Oxford Cheetahs
Poland
1992KS Toruń
1993WTS Wrocław
1994ZKŻ Zielona Góra
1995-2001Polonia Bydgoszcz
2002Wybrzeże Gdańsk
2003Warsaw
Denmark
2005Fredericia
2008Grindsted
Individual honours
1995, 2000Swedish Champion
1986, 1987, 1988, 1989Swedish U21 champion
1988Nordic Longtrack Champion
1989Swedish Longtrack Champion
Team honours
1993World Pairs Champion
1994, 2000World Team Cup Winner
1990, 1991Swedish Elite League Winner
1993, 1997, 1998, 2000Polish League Championship winner
2005Craven Shield Winner
2005Danish League Champion
1994Swedish Pairs Champion

Career

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Gustafsson, rode for Indianerna in the Swedish Elite League starting in 1986. Gustafsson rode in the first of his four Speedway World Finals in 1990, despite failing to qualify for the 1990 World Final in Bradford, England, he got a lucky break when he replaced the injured Dane Jan O. Pedersen. Supposed to be one who was "there for the experience" in his first World Final, Henka impressed many by finishing a surprise 6th in the final, winning two of his five rides. After his first 3 rides he was in equal first place with eventual winner and fellow Swede Per Jonsson and Australia's Todd Wiltshire.[4]

He first rode in Britain during a few matches for the 1990 season for the King's Lynn Stars before signing for the 1991 British League season.[5] He topped the King's Lynn averages in 1991 and 1992, establishing himself as one of the league's leading riders. In January 1991, Gustafsson toured Australia with the Swedish team alongside Per Jonsson, Jimmy Nilsen, Peter Nahlin, Erik Stenlund, Conny Ivarsson and Tony Rickardsson. The Swedes defeated the Aussies 3-2 in a five match series.

Gustafsson's first season riding in the Polish top division was 1992 with KS Toruń and then rode for WTS Wrocław in 1993, helping them to become Polish League champions.[6] Gustafsson qualified for the 1992 World Final in Wrocław, Poland where he improved to finish 5th, again winning two of his five rides and improved again in the 1993 World Final in Denmark, finishing 4th and winning 3 of his rides.[7]

In the 1994 World Final, the last before the Speedway Grand Prix series started in 1995, Gustafsson finished in 7th place winning only one of his rides. Also in 1994 Gustafsson signed for ZKŻ Zielona Góra in Poland and won the Swedish Pairs Championship. In Britain, after four years with King's Lynn he asked to be put on the transfer list and eventually joined Belle Vue Aces mid-way through the 1994 season.[8] After the 1994 season, he then took a seven-year break from riding in the British leagues.

Gustafsson won his first Speedway Swedish Individual Championship in 1995[9] and signed for Polonia Bydgoszcz in Poland, staying with them until 2001, again winning the Polish League in 1997, 1998 and 2000. He became champion of Sweden for the second time in 2000.

Gustafsson would then ride in the speedway Grand Prix series as a regular rider from 1995 until 2000, finishing a best 5th overall in both 1996 and 1997. His best placings in one of the Grand Prix events was a 2nd in Sweden in 1996 and a second as a Wild Card rider in the 2001 German GP.

The 2002 season saw Gustafsson on the move again, returning to the British leagues with Poole Pirates for one season[10] and leaving Bydgoszcz for Wybrzeże Gdańsk. the following season in 2003 was his last season in Poland with Warsaw.

He then returned for one last season in Britain with the Oxford Cheetahs in 2005, winning the Craven Shield while with Oxford.[11]

Family

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His son, Simon (born 25 May 1990) has followed in his father's footsteps and has also become a speedway rider, riding for the Eastbourne Eagles in Britain and Start Gniezno in Poland.[3]

World final appearances

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Individual World Championship

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World Pairs Championship

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World Team Cup

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Individual Under-21 World Championship

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Speedway Grand Prix results

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Year Position Points Best finish Notes
1995 8th 73+3 4th 4th in British GP
1996 5th 80 3rd 4th in Germany
1996 5th 80 2nd 2nd in Sweden
1997 15th 20 5th 5th in Czech Republic
1998 15th 43 5th 5th in Germany
1999 17th 35 8th
2000 14th 39 8th
2001 17th 33 2nd 2nd in Germany

World Longtrack Championship

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References

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  1. ^ Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0
  2. ^ Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 520. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
  3. ^ a b "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Speedway". Western Daily Press. 3 September 1990. Retrieved 7 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Stars name key riders for 1991". Lynn Advertiser. 26 October 1990. Retrieved 7 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Zespoły 1993 Wroclaw team statistics". Polish Speedway Database. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Speedway". Western Daily Press. 30 August 1993. Retrieved 7 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Henka's final agony". Manchester Evening News. 22 August 1994. Retrieved 7 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "Individual Swedish Championship". Historia Sportu Zuzlowego. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Pirates' quick return". Eastbourne Gazette. 21 August 2002. Retrieved 7 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Gustafsson ready for baptism of fire". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  12. ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
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