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Happy Per Jonsson Day


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Great point Shawn in that meeting had a great race with Per in heat 16 which he won.Shawn i believe was a better rider than Ermolenko also Sigalos was in my opinion but credit where it is due Sam did the business.As much as i was a big fan of Carter i never really believed he would win the title in 81,82, or 83,.

yeah, of the great Americans of the 80s, i always ranked shawn as the best of the rest (after penhall,), then siggy then Sam. but, Sam arguably didn't peak until the early 90s, and the fact that heeded claim a world title means he probably would rank higher on any list of " best American" riders.

Re carter - he was clearly one of the two outstanding riders (along with penhall) in the world in 82 (sigalos not far behind). his best chance though was arguably 85 when he was one of the outstanding riders (along with Hans shawn Eric and possibly tommy) - but for that cruel injury he would have been hot favourite at odsal and i would have fancied him to win it - although would have needed a decent draw given the huge advantage gate 1 offered before the interval.

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yeah, of the great Americans of the 80s, i always ranked shawn as the best of the rest (after penhall,), then siggy then Sam. but, Sam arguably didn't peak until the early 90s, and the fact that heeded claim a world title means he probably would rank higher on any list of " best American" riders.

Re carter - he was clearly one of the two outstanding riders (along with penhall) in the world in 82 (sigalos not far behind). his best chance though was arguably 85 when he was one of the outstanding riders (along with Hans shawn Eric and possibly tommy) - but for that cruel injury he would have been hot favourite at odsal and i would have fancied him to win it - although would have needed a decent draw given the huge advantage gate 1 offered before the interval.

Yes Carter would of had a great chance in 85 at Odsal if fit,i don't know if it would of been a favourites chance though.I am saying this because i felt he wasn't quite as dominant there than he had been at the Shay.
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If shaun had won, would the record books show no world champion in 1990?

two great riders, shaun (along with kenny carter) one of the the two greatest riders of that era never to claim the title

 

Shaun was never going to win that final although Per and Shaun did have a fantastic battle in heat 16 in which Shaun came out the victor.

 

I recall an interview where before the run-off Shaun was quoted as saying something along the lines of "well at worst, I'll get silver". Per on the other hand didn't contemplate anything other than gold, and even when asked before the meeting started who was going to win, he simply replied "Per Jonsson"

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  • 3 weeks later...

My abiding memory of Per was in a double header at Reading in, I think, 1992.

 

This was a meeting of 2 cup finals - v Poole in the BSPA VCup and Bradford in the KO Cup respectively.

As an infrequent visitor to Poole I had not seen Per at Wimborne Road so my only experience of him

was the TV coverage of his World Final triumph.

Suffice to say, I walked away from Smallmead that night in no doubt as to his ability.

Per had 9 rides, didn't drop a point and looked so effortless in everything he did.

 

Given what transpired later, I'm so glad I got to see him in action.

 

Very good memory there...

 

The Bspa Cup meeting is something i ludicrously have on vhs tape. No idea why.

 

As for the Koc meeting - my abiding memory is the altercation in the pits with Antal Kosco, Havelock, and Simon Wigg wanting to take on the Reading fans on the pit bend, hanging over the fence throwing punches.

 

As a teenager at the time, it was brilliant, perhaps not so politically correct as i can remember calling certain people effing druggies and other people foreign effers. I think Tatum was riding that night too, and to be fair, he's a good guy. I might have called him a few names, but he's no Havelock. What an arsehole he was - and is.

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HOPING to catch up with Per again this weekend in Torun. Actually talking to him about serialising his book in Speedway Star. One of speedway's great tragedies, just like the accident that ended the career of Erik Gundersen (another really, really nice, genuine guy) so prematurely. If you hand picked a GP field from any era both would be in it for me.

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Yep..can remember bringing him and Jimmy over on a Getingarna tour of UK..both 16..I arranged all the meetings with Anders Michanek...great fun. Then helping them both get English clubs with Bob Radford..despite huge hurdles placed by the implacable and rigid Dick Bracher of SCB..a man who had so much control but frankly knew bugger all about speedway.

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Where do people rank him amongst the great Swedes ? clearly behind ove and t rick . but above or below knuttson and Michanek ?

Behind all those you named, and up there with T.Jansson ( both could of even held higher rank) Per was an exceptional rider i hope he is keeping well and wish him all the best.
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HOPING to catch up with Per again this weekend in Torun. Actually talking to him about serialising his book in Speedway Star. One of speedway's great tragedies, just like the accident that ended the career of Erik Gundersen (another really, really nice, genuine guy) so prematurely. If you hand picked a GP field from any era both would be in it for me.

 

Philip...

 

Once again, thank you, and i hope you do catch up with Per this weekend. Am sure that whilst chatting with him, this poxy forum is far from your thoughts, but if you run out of things to say, feel free to pass on that there are many many Racers fan who still think of him and wish him well these days.

 

I really hope you pull off the deal to serialise his book.

 

Tom

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