Ulrich Reinhold Østergaard (born 19 April 1981 in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

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 ...

) is a Danish former

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

rider.

Career

Østergaard initially came to the United Kingdom for a trial with the

Trelawny Tigers Trelawny Tigers operated as a British Premier League (speedway), Premier League Motorcycle speedway, speedway team from 2001 to 2003 at the Clay Country Moto Parc. History The club was formed in 2001, as a replacement for the St Austell Gull ...

in 2002 and impressed the management as they offered a contract immediately. However the

BSPA 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 promote ...

did not ratify the deal due to the complex points limit in operation that season. Østergaard was eventually signed by the

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 ...

to ride in the ill-fated British League Cup during 2003. The 2004 season saw Østergaard gain his first full-time UK ride with the

Isle of Wight Islanders The Isle of Wight Wightlink Warriors (formerly Islanders) are a British speedway team. They last competed in the 2019 National Development League and ride their home meetings at the Smallbrook Stadium. History Isle of Wight speedway began at ...

, where he stayed for two seasons, doubling up with the

in the Elite League. In 2006 he was signed by the

Peterborough Panthers The Peterborough Panthers are a British speedway team based in Peterborough, England. They are three times champions of the United Kingdom, winning the highest level league in 1999, 2006 and 2021. History 1970–1994 The Panthers inaugural sea ...

, winning the Elite League title. 2007 saw Østergaard step down a division to ride for the

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 Lea ...

, but after falling out with the management he signed for the

Workington Comets The Workington Comets are a British speedway club, based in Workington, Cumbria, racing out of the Northside Training Track. The team previously operated from 1970 to 2018 and were based at Derwent Park Stadium which they shared with Workington ...

. Østergaard signed for the

Reading Racers Reading Racers are a British motorcycle speedway team. Formed in 1968, they won four British League titles during their history. The club closed in October 2008 after the lease on Smallmead Stadium was sold and the site was demolished. In 2016 a ...

in 2008 for the start of their new season back 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 ...

after a two-year stint in the Elite League. He started the season with an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

of 8.27, filling the number three spot on the Racers line up. By the end of the season, he had topped Reading's averages with a 10.33 figure. He was also named 2008 Premier League Rider of the Year by the Speedway Riders Association. Having started the 2019 season as

number 1 rider he was dropped by the Midlands team and quickly re-signed for former team

Redcar Bears The Redcar Bears are a British speedway team who currently compete in the SGB Championship (middle tier of the British speedway leagues). Their major team honour to date is the SGB Championship KO Cup win in 2019 against rivals Newcastle Diamo ...

. As of 2021, he rode in the top tier of British Speedway, riding for the Peterborough Panthers in the

SGB Premiership 2021 The SGB Premiership 2021 was the 86th season of the top division, called the SGB Premiership, of the British speedway championship in 2021. Six teams participated. Team changes Changes from the 2019 league season saw the Swindon Robins (the 2019 c ...

, in addition to the Glasgow Tigers in the

SGB Championship 2021 The SGB Championship 2021 was the second tier division, called the SGB Championship, of the British speedway championship in 2021. Changes from the last edition of the Championship (held in 2019) were the addition of three teams and the loss of t ...

. He was involved in a serious crash in July 2021 breaking bones in his back and wrist. In 2022, he rode for the Peterborough in the

SGB Premiership 2022 The 2022 SGB Premiership was the 87th season of the top tier of British Speedway and the 5th known as the SGB Premiership. Sheffield Tigers topped the regular season table and met Belle Vue Aces in the play off final but Belle Vue ran out the winn ...

and for the Glasgow in the

SGB Championship 2022 The 2022 SGB Championship season is the 75th season of the second tier of British Speedway and the 5th known as the SGB Championship. Summary Eleven clubs competed in the Championship in 2022, with Oxford returning to the sport after a 15 year ab ...

. In November 2022, he announced his retirement from competitive racing and an intention to manage a team in Denmark.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostergaard, Ulrich 1981 births Living people Danish speedway riders Birmingham Brummies riders Glasgow Tigers riders Isle of Wight Islanders riders Peterborough Panthers riders Reading Racers riders Workington Comets riders Sportspeople from Odense