Vargarna

Vargarna
Club information
Track address	Norrköping Motorstadion Norrköping
Country	Sweden
Founded	1947
League	Elitserien
Club facts
Track size	271 metres
Major team honours
League champions 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1961

Vargarna (lit. 'the Wolves') is a Swedish motorcycle speedway team based in Norrköping, Sweden, representing SMK Östgöta.^[1][2] The team race at Norrköping Motorstadion. They ride in the Elitserien^[3] and are six times champions of Sweden.^[4]

History

1948 to 1954

Olle Nygren, club legend

Vargarna was one of the seven inaugural members of the Swedish speedway league, which started during the 1948 Swedish speedway season.^[5][6] Their first significant riders were Olle Nygren and Helge Brinkeback, who would both become Swedish champions. Th eteam raced at the old Norrköping Motorstadion in Dagsbergsfältet (the site of the modern day Medley Centralbadet swimming complex).^[7]

Vargarna underwent a golden period, winning the Swedish Speedway Team Championship in the 1949 season,^[8] 1951, 1953 and 1954. A procession of top riders rode for the club and included Stig Pramberg, Dan Forsberg and Per-Olof Söderman.^[9]

1957 to 1969

After missing two seasons the club returned to the league in 1957 and they later won two more titles in 1960 and 1961, led by riders such as Nygren, Björn Knutson, Per-Tage Svensson, Joel Jansson and Sören Sjösten. The success could not be matched for the remainder of the 1960s but they did still compete at the top level.^[10][11] Vargarna left the Motorstadion in Dagsbergsfältet in 1963. Six years later in 1969, they moved into the new Norrköping Motorstadion at Kråkvilan.^[7]

1970 to 1999

Despite the best efforts of Sören Karlsson and Tommy Pettersson, the club spent the 1970s decade in the lower half of the division 1 and worse was to come during the next two decades, as the team moved up and down leagues from the Elitserien to the second tier of Swedish speedway.

2000 to present

Jason Crump

The new millennium brought about a consolidation of form as the team remained in the Elitserien. A series of overseas riders were brought into the club, including Australian Jason Crump, but when Crump left, the team were relegated in 2006. A quick promotion back to the Elitserien ensued.

In 2010, the club signed former world champion Nicki Pedersen.^[12] He captained the side before leaving the club for Dackarna ahead of the 2014 season.

From 2015 to 2023, the team competed in the Allsvenskan and during the 2022 Swedish Speedway season the club reached the Allsvenskan play-off final.^[13]

They are scheduled to return to the Elitserien for 2024 Swedish speedway season.^[14]

Season summary

Main article: Swedish Speedway Team Championship

Riders and teams

Notable riders

• Helge Brinkeback
• Jason Crump
• Dan Forsberg
• Torbjörn Harrysson
• Joel Jansson
• Sören Karlsson
• Björn Knutson
• Olle Nygren
• Nicki Pedersen
• Tommy Pettersson
• Stig Pramberg
• Sören Sjösten
• Per-Olof Söderman
• Per-Tage Svensson

Previous teams

Extended content

2014 team Adrian Miedziński Anders Mellgren Artem Laguta Daniel Davidsson Martin Vaculík Peter Kildemand Ricky Kling Tomasz Gapiński Pontus Aspgren 2016 team Denis Fagerkransz Viktor Ohlsson René Bach Daniel Davidsson Jonas Davidsson Robin Norman Nicklas Porsing Alex Johansson Sebastian Carlsson Oliver Berntzon Pontus Aspgren Kim Nilsson Jason Doyle 2018 team Denis Fagerkransz Viktor Ohlsson Erik Riss Joel Andersson Mathias Thörnblom Henrik Bergström Dan Bewley Oscar Holstedsom Viktor Bergström Anton Bork Kim Nilsson 2019 Team Dennis Fagerkransz Viktor Ohlsson Timi Salonen Joel Andersson Mathias Thörnblom Henrik Bergström Tomasz Gapiński Oscar Holstedsom Viktor Bergström Albin Born Anton Bork Kim Nilsson Billy Forsberg Daniel Davidsson 2022 team Filip Hjelmland Noel Wahlqvist Mateusz Tonder William Drejer Daniel Henderson Oscar Holstensson Patryk Rolnicki Bastian Borke Mateusz Tudziez Damian Pawliczak William Bjorling Rafał Karczmarz Marius Hillebrand

References

1. "Serieföreningen Svensk Speedways".
2. "Vargarna Norrköping". Sport We Faky. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
3. "Speedway Around The Globe - Sweden". Speedway Star. 23 July 2022. pp. 38–39.
4. "HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2015". Speedway History. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
5. "Swedish speedway season by season". Speedway.org. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
6. "Speedway riders, history and results - 1948 Swedish League table". WWOS Backup. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
7. "History of Vargarna Speedway". Vargarna Speedway. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
8. "Vargarna 1949". formula2.se. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
9. "HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2015". Speedway History. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
10. "Vargarna 1960". formula2.se. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
11. "1961". Speedway.org. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
12. "Vargarna värvar Nicki Pedersen - Sport | SVT.se". www.svt.se. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014.
13. "Allsvenskan tables and final". Every Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
14. "Vargarna returns to eight-team bahuas Elitserien in Sweden". FIM. Retrieved 1 December 2023.