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Kai Juhani Niemi (born 15 September 1955 in
Pori ) , website www.pori.fi Pori (; sv, Björneborg ) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, west of Tampere, north of Turku and north-w ...
, Finland) is a former international
motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that use only ...
rider who represented the
Finland national speedway team The Finland national speedway team are motorcycle speedway national team from Finland. Speedway World Cup See also * Motorcycle speedway {{Speedway national teams National speedway teams Speedway Team A team is a group of ind ...
.


Career

He reached four
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
finals, finishing a career best fourth in
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
at the
Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...
in
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
, England. The performance in 1985 from a rider from the minor nations of speedway came as a surprise to many and he was level on points with three other riders leading into the last set of heats but was unable to score in heat 17, which resulted in a fourth place finish. Niemi won the Finnish National Championship a record nine times during his career (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988 and 1990) Niemi rode for the
White City Rebels The White City Rebels were a motorcycle speedway team who operated from the White City Stadium, Wood Lane in London. History White City were inaugural members of the Southern League in 1929 but only raced for the one season. The White City tea ...
in the
British League The British League was the main motorcycle speedway league in Britain from its formation in 1965 until 1995 when British speedway was restructured. It initially had a single division, with a second division starting in 1968 (which was renamed the ...
from 1976 to 1978, winning the league championship with the team in
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
. He continued riding in Britain until 1986 for other teams including:
Eastbourne Eagles The Eastbourne Eagles were a British speedway team, based at Arlington Stadium, near Eastbourne, England, that raced in the SGB Championship. History Speedway was initially introduced to Eastbourne in 1929. During their first league season th ...
(1979–81),
Birmingham Brummies Birmingham Brummies are a British speedway team founded in 1928. They were inaugural members of the Southern League in 1929. The team have twice finished runner-up in the highest tier of British speedway, during the 1952 Speedway National Le ...
(1981),
Wimbledon Dons The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.Jacobs, N. ''Speedway in London'', The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They w ...
(1982–83),
Ipswich Witches The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm (first ra ...
(1984-85) and the
Swindon Robins The Swindon Speedway team, also known as the Swindon Robins, are an English motorcycle speedway team established in 1949 that have competed primarily in the top division of speedway league competition in the United Kingdom. They are five times l ...
(1986) In 1982 he won the
London Riders' Championship The London Riders' Championship was an individual Motorcycle speedway, speedway competition for top riders of teams from London. It was a very prestigious competition, especially in its early days. However, as the number of teams from London dwind ...
with Wimbledon. He also won the
British League Knockout Cup The British League Knockout Cup was a speedway Knockout Cup competition in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB) in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA), that was staged between 1965 and ...
in 1984 with Ipswich. Niemi also rode for Finland in the World Pairs Final on five occasions with a best finish of 5th in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
with his brother-in-law Ari Koponen, and again in 1989 in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
with
Olli Tyrväinen Olli Tyrväinen (born 11 January 1960) is a former international speedway rider from Finland. Speedway career Tyrväinen reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in the 1989 Individual Speedway World Championship. He rode in the ...
. He also represented Finland in the
World Team Cup The World Team Cup was the international men's team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The inaugural edition of the tournament was contested in 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica and was called the Nations Cup. No tourname ...
, though the Fins never progressed past the Semi-final stage during his career. In 1989 Niemi rode in 42 matches for
Coventry Bees Coventry Bees were a motorcycle speedway team that existed from 1929 to 2018. They raced at Brandon Stadium, Brandon near Coventry, England. History A Coventry team was first formed in 1928 and competed in the inaugural season of the Southern ...
with an average of 5.06. Kai was bought in as a replacement for David Clarke, who left Coventry to join Cradley Heath Heathens.


World Final appearances


Individual World Championship

*
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
-
Göteborg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a p ...
,
Ullevi Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi (, ''New Ullevi''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; the ...
- 8th - 8pts *
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
-
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, Memorial Coliseum - 12th - 5pts *
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
-
Göteborg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a p ...
,
Ullevi Ullevi, sometimes known as Nya Ullevi (, ''New Ullevi''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then has also hosted the World Allround Speed Skating Championships six times; the ...
- 13th - 4pts *
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
-
Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
,
Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...
- 4th - 10pts


World Pairs Championship

*
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
-
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, Hyde Road (with
Ila Teromaa Ilkka "Ila" Teromaa (3 September 1953 – 21 June 2017) was a Finnish speedway rider who rode in the British League for Leicester Lions and Cradley Heathens in the late 1970s and early 1980s.Oakes, Peter (1981) ''1981 Speedway Yearbook'', Studio P ...
) - 6th - 14pts (7) *
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
-
Vojens Vojens (german: Woyens) is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,475 (1 January 2022).Vojens Speedway Center The Vojens Speedway Center is a Motorcycle speedway track located in Vojens, Denmark. The track has been part-owned since its opening by Denmark's first three time Speedway World Champion Ole Olsen. Track The Speedway Center is a long track whi ...
(with
Ila Teromaa Ilkka "Ila" Teromaa (3 September 1953 – 21 June 2017) was a Finnish speedway rider who rode in the British League for Leicester Lions and Cradley Heathens in the late 1970s and early 1980s.Oakes, Peter (1981) ''1981 Speedway Yearbook'', Studio P ...
) - 7th - 7pts (7) *
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
- Krsko,
Matija Gubec Stadium Matija Gubec Stadium ( sl, Stadion Matije Gubca) is a multi-purpose stadium in Krško, Slovenia. The stadium was built in 1946 and has a capacity of 1,470 seats. It is currently used mostly for football matches and also hosts motorcycle speed ...
(with
Ila Teromaa Ilkka "Ila" Teromaa (3 September 1953 – 21 June 2017) was a Finnish speedway rider who rode in the British League for Leicester Lions and Cradley Heathens in the late 1970s and early 1980s.Oakes, Peter (1981) ''1981 Speedway Yearbook'', Studio P ...
) - 6th - 14pts (6) *
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
-
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Liverpool City Raceway (with Ari Koponen) - 5th - 16pts (12) * 1989 -
Leszno Leszno (german: Lissa, 1800–1918 ''Lissa in Posen'') is a historic city in western Poland, within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Previously, it ...
, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium (with
Olli Tyrväinen Olli Tyrväinen (born 11 January 1960) is a former international speedway rider from Finland. Speedway career Tyrväinen reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in the 1989 Individual Speedway World Championship. He rode in the ...
) - 5th - 31pts (18) *
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
-
Landshut Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also t ...
, Ellermühle Stadium (with
Olli Tyrväinen Olli Tyrväinen (born 11 January 1960) is a former international speedway rider from Finland. Speedway career Tyrväinen reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in the 1989 Individual Speedway World Championship. He rode in the ...
) - 5th - 31pts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niemi, Kai 1955 births Living people Finnish speedway riders Birmingham Brummies riders Eastbourne Eagles riders Ipswich Witches riders White City Rebels riders Wimbledon Dons riders Sportspeople from Pori