Olle Nygren

[frigbo]

Very sad news breaking of the passing, this morning, of Olle Nygren...

[steve roberts]

58 minutes ago, frigbo said:

Very sad news breaking of the passing, this morning, of Olle Nygren...

That's very sad news. One of the greats in my opinion and helped greatly to get Sweden on the map speedway wise. Will always cherish my time when I attended one of his training schools at King's Lynn.

RIP Varg-Olle.

[norbold]

Very sad news. One of the all-time greats who also put a lot back into the sport. 

[BOBBATH]

Extremely sad to hear this , not sure who now moves into the oldest World Finalist list 

[moomin man 76]

The phrase 'legend' is banded about all to freely, but in Olle Nygren's case, it is fully deserved for his exploits both on and off the speedway track.

RIP Olle.

[salty]

Sad to hear this, but what a life!

RIP Olle.

[jrs]

Very sad news, Olle was a "one off" who gave so much to the sport.

RIP Olle

 

 

[tigerowl]

RIP Olle.

 

NYGREN, Harald-Olof Ingemar (Olle)

 

Born: November 11, 1929, Stockholm, Sweden.

 

The success of Sweden as a speedway nation was one of the stories of the 1950s, as the country emerged as the main power in the sport. Riders like Fundin, Sormander, Soederman and Knutsson dominated the headlines along with a rider who was the pioneer of this transition, Olle Nygren. A fantastic all round motor cyclist who excelled at any two wheeled discipline, Olle came to the attention of the British public in 1949 when he showed impressive form in the World Championship rounds held in the U.K. and almost reached the final qualifying stages of the competition.

 He was a much sought after rider with the British promoters and, in 1951, became the first Swede to race in the National League when he signed a short term contract with the Harringay ‘Racers’. For fans brought up on a diet of British and Commonwealth riders, with the occasional American thrown in, the arrival of Olle was like a breath of fresh air and his appearances showed that a new force in speedway was developing across the North Sea. He ended his eleven match stint with the ‘Racers’ with a paid 18 point maximum against Norwich in the National Trophy, and an average approaching nine points per match was a brilliant effort.

 His next appearances in the National League came with Bristol in 1953, showing sensational form in the West Country, and his average at the end of the season was the second highest in the league, with only Ronnie Moore achieving better figures. Despite his undoubted position as the number one rider in Sweden, the honour of being the first Swedish World finalist fell to Dan Forsberg, but Olle reached his first final in 1953 and lost a run-off with Geoff Mardon for a place on the rostrum, finishing fourth with twelve points. He covered for the injured Ronnie Moore at Wimbledon in 1954, but for the next few years British fans had to be content with seeing Olle ride in World Championship and international events as he refused numerous approaches from league clubs. He was not a rider to give speedway his full attention as he competed in other forms of motorcycle sport, even missing the 1956 World Final to compete in a T.T. event in Sweden, but he was so talented that he could still live with the best in the sport and was a consistent threat in World Championship finals. His best effort came in 1954 when he finished third but, surprisingly, he did not reach another final after his appearance in the 1959 event at Wembley.

 A notable 1960 season saw Olle return to league racing with Southampton and he scored a maximum as the Swedes won the inaugural World Team Cup at Gothenburg. Eventually, past his peak and well into his 30s, Olle became a regular in league action in the U.K., initially with Norwich, but more memorably with Wimbledon. Joining the ‘Dons’ in 1965 for the first season of the British League, Olle was immediately a hero at Plough Lane, topping the ‘Dons’ averages and proving himself to be amongst the top ten in the league. He had four glorious years with the ‘Dons’ and, when he led the club to a knock-out cup triumph in 1968, it was the first trophy the fans had seen since the glory days of the early part of the decade. Nearing 40, Olle joined West Ham but his enthusiasm and point scoring capabilities showed little sign of decreasing for a number of years. He finally called it a day in 1975 after a spell at King’s Lynn and his long and illustrious career was at an end. The development of Sweden as the major power in speedway would have probably happened without Olle, but he was the leader of the revolution and their transition from also ran to World Champions would have taken a lot longer without his influence. Had he followed the path of Ove Fundin and had a complete dedication to speedway, combined with regular league rides in Britain at the pinnacle of his career, Olle could well have become World Champion.

 

Year	Club	Division	M	R	P	BP	TP	CMA	FM	PM
1951	Harringay	NL1	11	45	91	9	100	8.89	1	1
1953	Bristol	NL1	11	50	128	6	134	10.72	2	2
1954	Wimbledon	NL1	7	31	57	5	62	8.00	-	-
1960	Southampton	NL	12	60	134	7	141	9.40	-	1
1962	Swindon	NL	2	8	19	1	20	10.00	-	-
1962	Norwich	NL	5	20	46	3	49	9.80	1	-
1963	Norwich	NL	27	118	251	9	260	8.81	1	3
1964	Norwich	NL	14	62	128.5	4	132.5	8.55	-	-
1965	Wimbledon	BL	37	157	386	15	401	10.22	8	2
1966	Wimbledon	BL	41	182	463	10	473	10.40	13	2
1967	Wimbledon	BL	36	158	367	9	376	9.52	7	1
1968	Wimbledon	BL1	40	180	408	11	419	9.31	9	-
1969	West Ham	BL1	21	94	180	6	186	7.91	2	-
1970	West Ham	BL1	34	150	332	19	351	9.36	1	1
1971	West Ham	BL1	36	170	333	13	346	8.14	1	1
1972	Ipswich	BL1	36	144	262	18	280	7.78	2	1
1973	Ipswich	BL1	35	128	171	17	188	5.88	-	1
1974	Ipswich	BL1	26	97	120	30	150	6.19	-	-
1974	Coventry	BL1	9	33	28	13	41	4.97	-	-
1975	King’s Lynn	BL	9	32	27	11	38	4.75	-	-

 

Individual Honours: World finalist 1953 (4^th), 1954 (3^rd), 1955 (8^th), 1958 (7^th), 1959 (4th), Swedish Champion 1949.

International Honours: World Team Cup winner 1960, World Team Cup finalist 1968, Swedish international – 90 caps, 798 points.

Team Honours: National Trophy winner 1963, British League Division One Knock-Out Cup winner 1968.

[Ovalman]

Followed the Dons in 66, Olle at number 1 along with Luckhurst, Hedge, etc., only Briggo the World Champion, The Boococks, and Nordin were ahead of him.

R.I.P

[norbold]

4 hours ago, tigerowl said:

Year	Club	Division	M	R	P	BP	TP	CMA	FM	PM
1951	Harringay	NL1	11	45	91	9	100	8.89	1	1
1953	Bristol	NL1	11	50	128	6	134	10.72	2	2
1954	Wimbledon	NL1	7	31	57	5	62	8.00	-	-
1960	Southampton	NL	12	60	134	7	141	9.40	-	1
1962	Swindon	NL	2	8	19	1	20	10.00	-	-
1962	Norwich	NL	5	20	46	3	49	9.80	1	-
1963	Norwich	NL	27	118	251	9	260	8.81	1	3
1964	Norwich	NL	14	62	128.5	4	132.5	8.55	-	-
1965	Wimbledon	BL	37	157	386	15	401	10.22	8	2
1966	Wimbledon	BL	41	182	463	10	473	10.40	13	2
1967	Wimbledon	BL	36	158	367	9	376	9.52	7	1
1968	Wimbledon	BL1	40	180	408	11	419	9.31	9	-
1969	West Ham	BL1	21	94	180	6	186	7.91	2	-
1970	West Ham	BL1	34	150	332	19	351	9.36	1	1
1971	West Ham	BL1	36	170	333	13	346	8.14	1	1
1972	Ipswich	BL1	36	144	262	18	280	7.78	2	1
1973	Ipswich	BL1	35	128	171	17	188	5.88	-	1
1974	Ipswich	BL1	26	97	120	30	150	6.19	-	-
1974	Coventry	BL1	9	33	28	13	41	4.97	-	-
1975	King’s Lynn	BL	9	32	27	11	38	4.75	-	-

 Also 1953 New Cross     NL             10      40        94        10       104      10.40      -        1

 

 

[Split]

So sad to see that one of the all time greats in no longer with us.

[steve roberts]

15 hours ago, tigerowl said:

RIP Olle.

 

NYGREN, Harald-Olof Ingemar (Olle)

 

Born: November 11, 1929, Stockholm, Sweden.

 

The success of Sweden as a speedway nation was one of the stories of the 1950s, as the country emerged as the main power in the sport. Riders like Fundin, Sormander, Soederman and Knutsson dominated the headlines along with a rider who was the pioneer of this transition, Olle Nygren. A fantastic all round motor cyclist who excelled at any two wheeled discipline, Olle came to the attention of the British public in 1949 when he showed impressive form in the World Championship rounds held in the U.K. and almost reached the final qualifying stages of the competition.

 He was a much sought after rider with the British promoters and, in 1951, became the first Swede to race in the National League when he signed a short term contract with the Harringay ‘Racers’. For fans brought up on a diet of British and Commonwealth riders, with the occasional American thrown in, the arrival of Olle was like a breath of fresh air and his appearances showed that a new force in speedway was developing across the North Sea. He ended his eleven match stint with the ‘Racers’ with a paid 18 point maximum against Norwich in the National Trophy, and an average approaching nine points per match was a brilliant effort.

 His next appearances in the National League came with Bristol in 1953, showing sensational form in the West Country, and his average at the end of the season was the second highest in the league, with only Ronnie Moore achieving better figures. Despite his undoubted position as the number one rider in Sweden, the honour of being the first Swedish World finalist fell to Dan Forsberg, but Olle reached his first final in 1953 and lost a run-off with Geoff Mardon for a place on the rostrum, finishing fourth with twelve points. He covered for the injured Ronnie Moore at Wimbledon in 1954, but for the next few years British fans had to be content with seeing Olle ride in World Championship and international events as he refused numerous approaches from league clubs. He was not a rider to give speedway his full attention as he competed in other forms of motorcycle sport, even missing the 1956 World Final to compete in a T.T. event in Sweden, but he was so talented that he could still live with the best in the sport and was a consistent threat in World Championship finals. His best effort came in 1954 when he finished third but, surprisingly, he did not reach another final after his appearance in the 1959 event at Wembley.

 A notable 1960 season saw Olle return to league racing with Southampton and he scored a maximum as the Swedes won the inaugural World Team Cup at Gothenburg. Eventually, past his peak and well into his 30s, Olle became a regular in league action in the U.K., initially with Norwich, but more memorably with Wimbledon. Joining the ‘Dons’ in 1965 for the first season of the British League, Olle was immediately a hero at Plough Lane, topping the ‘Dons’ averages and proving himself to be amongst the top ten in the league. He had four glorious years with the ‘Dons’ and, when he led the club to a knock-out cup triumph in 1968, it was the first trophy the fans had seen since the glory days of the early part of the decade. Nearing 40, Olle joined West Ham but his enthusiasm and point scoring capabilities showed little sign of decreasing for a number of years. He finally called it a day in 1975 after a spell at King’s Lynn and his long and illustrious career was at an end. The development of Sweden as the major power in speedway would have probably happened without Olle, but he was the leader of the revolution and their transition from also ran to World Champions would have taken a lot longer without his influence. Had he followed the path of Ove Fundin and had a complete dedication to speedway, combined with regular league rides in Britain at the pinnacle of his career, Olle could well have become World Champion.

 

Year	Club	Division	M	R	P	BP	TP	CMA	FM	PM
1951	Harringay	NL1	11	45	91	9	100	8.89	1	1
1953	Bristol	NL1	11	50	128	6	134	10.72	2	2
1954	Wimbledon	NL1	7	31	57	5	62	8.00	-	-
1960	Southampton	NL	12	60	134	7	141	9.40	-	1
1962	Swindon	NL	2	8	19	1	20	10.00	-	-
1962	Norwich	NL	5	20	46	3	49	9.80	1	-
1963	Norwich	NL	27	118	251	9	260	8.81	1	3
1964	Norwich	NL	14	62	128.5	4	132.5	8.55	-	-
1965	Wimbledon	BL	37	157	386	15	401	10.22	8	2
1966	Wimbledon	BL	41	182	463	10	473	10.40	13	2
1967	Wimbledon	BL	36	158	367	9	376	9.52	7	1
1968	Wimbledon	BL1	40	180	408	11	419	9.31	9	-
1969	West Ham	BL1	21	94	180	6	186	7.91	2	-
1970	West Ham	BL1	34	150	332	19	351	9.36	1	1
1971	West Ham	BL1	36	170	333	13	346	8.14	1	1
1972	Ipswich	BL1	36	144	262	18	280	7.78	2	1
1973	Ipswich	BL1	35	128	171	17	188	5.88	-	1
1974	Ipswich	BL1	26	97	120	30	150	6.19	-	-
1974	Coventry	BL1	9	33	28	13	41	4.97	-	-
1975	King’s Lynn	BL	9	32	27	11	38	4.75	-	-

 

Individual Honours: World finalist 1953 (4^th), 1954 (3^rd), 1955 (8^th), 1958 (7^th), 1959 (4th), Swedish Champion 1949.

International Honours: World Team Cup winner 1960, World Team Cup finalist 1968, Swedish international – 90 caps, 798 points.

Team Honours: National Trophy winner 1963, British League Division One Knock-Out Cup winner 1968.

Brilliant analysis on one of the best riders never to have won the Individual World Championship.

[iris123]

A nice pictorial look back at the career of Varg-Olle

 

[wealdstone]

Amongst the last  that those of my vintage that we can relate to as  Speedway as we first knew it

[Wessex Wanderer]

Sad news. A real stalwart of the sport over an incredibly long time. Always a star man who gave his all for his impressive number of clubs. Somehow I always envisage him wearing the number one race jacket and stamping his presence on a meeting from the very start. A true legend. 
 

RIP Olle

[BOBBATH]

Apparently Olle had throat cancer which was in remission, but he finally passed due to COVID-apparently Peter Oakes will be doing a piece on Olle in the Speedway Star which will also mention this.