Rospiggarna

Rospiggarna
Club information
Track addressHisstech AB Arena
CountrySweden
Founded1930
Team managerPeter Jansson
LeagueElitserien
WebsiteOfficial website
Club facts
ColoursRed, white and yellow
Track size289 metres
Track record time54.5 seconds
Track record holderKai Huckenbeck
Major team honours
Team Championship Gold1995, 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2016
Team Championship Silver1996, 1998, 2000
Team Championship Bronze1999

Rospiggarna is a motorcycle speedway team based in Hallstavik, Sweden. They ride in the Elitserien[1] are five times champions of Sweden.[2][3]

History

1930 to 1977

The club was founded in 1930 and were named Orion, although it did not compete in the Swedish speedway leagues until 1966.[4] The club joined the Swedish Division three in 1966 and the team name was changed to Stjärnorna (English: The Stars). They competed in the lower leagues of the Swedish league system as Stjärnorna until 1978.

1978 to 1993

In 1978, the name was changed again to Rospiggarna which is the demonym for people from Roslagen, where Hallstavik is situated.[5] The club were in the second tier, which became known as Division 1 because of the introduction of the Elitserien in 1982.[6] Led by Bengt Jansson the team managed two second place finishes in division 1 in 1983 and 1984 before finally managing to gain promotion after winning the division in 1988. The team's leading riders were Jansson, Mikael Teurnberg and Ari Koponen.[7] In 1992, the club signed one of the world's leading riders Tony Rickardsson. However in 1993, Rickardsson topped the league averages but the team finished last and were relegated.

1994 to 2002

In 1994, Per Jonsson replaced Rickardsson and solid performances by Erik Stenlund and Einar Kyllingstad earned promotion back to the Elitserien. Then in 1995, they brought in Greg Hancock to replace Jonsson and the team won their first ever Swedish Speedway Team Championship.[8] A golden era ensued because they won the Championship again in 1997, 2001 and 2002. In addition they won the silver medal in 1996, 1998 and 2000 and the bronze in 1999. Riders such as Hancock, Jimmy Nilsen, Andreas Jonsson, Lee Richardson and Ryan Sullivan were all prominent during this period.

2003 to present

The team continued to compete in the Elitserien until 2010, when it was announced that the club voluntarily made the decision to drop down a division to the Allsvenskan due to financial problems. In 2014, the club returned to the Elitserien[9]

In 2016 they won their fifth Swedish team Championship, with a team that included Andreas Jonsson, Jason Doyle and Martin Vaculik.[3]

Season summary

Main article: Swedish Speedway Team Championship

Previous teams

Notable riders

References

  1. ^ "Speedway Around The Globe - Sweden". Speedway Star. 23 July 2022. pp. 38–39.
  2. ^ "Rospiggarna SK". Elit Speedway. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b "HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2015". Speedway History. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  4. ^ "1966". Speedway.org. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  5. ^ "1978". Speedway.org. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  6. ^ "The elite series in speedway". Gislaved MotorKlubb. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  7. ^ "HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2015". Speedway History. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  8. ^ "HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2015". Speedway History. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  9. ^ "History". Rospiggarna. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  10. ^ "DACKARNA BAGS BEWLEY FOR 2023". FIM. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  11. ^ "SGP STAR NILSSON EXTENDS ROSPIGGARNA DEAL". FIM. Retrieved 2 February 2023.