Bjarne Aagaard Pedersen (born 12 July 1978 in

Holstebro Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 36,489 (1 January 2022).Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

)Oakes, P.(2006). ''Speedway Star Almanac''. is an international motorcycle speedway rider who has represented

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

in the

Speedway World Cup The Speedway World Cup is an annual speedway event held each year in different countries. The first edition of the competition in the current format was held in 2001 and replaced the old World Team Cup which ran from 1960 until 2000. The last ed ...

, winning it on two occasions: in 2006 and 2008.

Career summary

Pedersen began his speedway career in 1990. He won his first title in 1994 winning a Danish junior pairs championship with

Charlie Gjedde Charlie Rasmussen Gjedde (born 28 December 1979 in Holstebro, Denmark) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from Denmark, who won the Speedway World Cup with Denmark in 2006. Career A former Danish Under-21 Champion, Gjedde ha ...

. However, he did not ride as a full-time professional until 2000. Pedersen began his UK racing career with the

Newcastle Diamonds Newcastle Diamonds were a motorcycle speedway team that raced in the SGB Championship, every Sunday night during the season (March–October) from their home at the Newcastle Stadium on the Fossway, Byker. The Stadium, previously known as Broug ...

in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. He took part in his first two

Speedway Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone motorcycle speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. The series started in 1995 replacing the previous format of a single event final. The first win ...

events in 2002, both as a wild card. His first full

season came in 2003, but it was not until 2004 when Pedersen won his only Grand Prix to date at the European GP in

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

. In 2004 he also won the

Elite League Riders' Championship The Elite League Riders' Championship is a motorcycle speedway contest between the top riders (or two riders) with the highest average points total from each club competing in the Elite League in the UK. History The competition replaced the Pr ...

. Pedersen admitted at the end of the 2007 season that he had lost enthusiasm for riding in

series until he qualified for the 2008 series in the race off in Vojens. Pedersen was retained by Poole for the 2008 season over former world champion

Jason Crump Jason Philip Crump (born 6 August 1975) is an Australian international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a three-time Speedway World Champion, a World Cup winner and a former World Under-21 Champion. In a 21-year career in Speedway, Jason ...

when it was announced the

British Speedway Promoters' Association The British Speedway Promoters Limited (BSPL) organises the domestic motorcycle speedway competitions in the United Kingdom. They are also responsible for the promotion and running of the FIM meetings staged in Britain. Each club has a promot ...

(BSPA) that the points limit for team building purposes was to be reduced drastically. Poole promoter Matt Ford stated that Pedersen was chosen due to his loyalty to Poole over the previous six seasons.

Speedway Grand Prix results

''*'' Pedersen sustained a broken wrist during a

Craven Shield The Craven Shield and Young Shield were shortlived speedway end of season cup competitions in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA). Craven Shield ...

meeting for

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

on 2 May 2008. His place at the

European Grand Prix The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from to , except in . During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a countr ...

and the Swedish Grand Prix were taken by first reserve Lubos Tomicek.

References

External links

* 1978 births Living people Danish speedway riders Speedway World Cup champions Leicester Lions riders Newcastle Diamonds riders Plymouth Gladiators speedway riders Poole Pirates riders People from Holstebro Sportspeople from the Central Denmark Region {{Denmark-sport-bio-stub