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Ole Olsen

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Those who have been calling for an in-depth, exclusive interview with the great Ole Olsen will be pleased to know that I had a four-hour chat with Ole at his home in Denmark yesterday.

 

It will be the dominant feature of our next issue. In fact, he had so much to say about speedway past, present and future that it will run over the next two issues.

 

Ole was candid, controversial, talked a lot of sense, and has some radical thoughts and ideas, too.

 

Newcastle, Wolves, Coventry, world finals, Danish team manager, Pete Adams, helping Erik Gundersen, his 'feud' with Hans Nielsen, Ivan Mauger, his rivalry with Michanek, how British promoters should handle riders in wet track disputes, his future plans for the SGP, how he 'escapes' speedway...all this and much, more.

 

So if you haven't renewed your Backtrack subscription yet, or have been thinking about subscribing, then I'd urge you to do so now. This one is a biggie...

 

http://www.retro-speedway.com

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I look forward to the issue and to see what he has to say, personally I don't like the guy, but I will be interested to see what he has to say.

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Absolutely - as a rider he was far more unpopular than Mauger in my circles, and in his current role he often seems to go out of his way to antagonise many people. Nevertheless, if he has a constructive opinion on the way ahead let's hear it.

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I look foward to reading them, Didnt get to see that much of him as a rider but he was fantastic for Coventry.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9PKxkPbjuE

 

He helped bring Tommy on a treat, After finishing he didnt wipe his hands with the sport as it wasnt like he needed the money!! he bought speedway to another level and he isnt going to please everybody all of the time but who else out there is going to replace him?

 

will always be a Coventry Legend

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Be interesting what he thinks promoters should do in a wet track dispute.Common knowledge i think that Ole thinks meetings should go ahead unless the track is totally un-rideable.But what is un-rideable?He is obviously one of the best riders ever,so has more ability than most.Plus in Denmark they ride in conditions that probably wouldn't be considered in Britain.At least at junior level.But the thing to ponder is why training for international meetings is often cancelled at Vojens? :unsure::P

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Tony - thanks, I'm looking forward to reading this one.

 

I never liked Olsen - something I inherited from the older Oxford fans. He wasn't popular at Oxford even before the Nielsen feud - he didn't like the track and made excuses to miss his meetings at Cowley.

 

But it will be a fascinating read.

 

All the best

Rob

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Those who have been calling for an in-depth, exclusive interview with the great Ole Olsen will be pleased to know that I had a four-hour chat with Ole at his home in Denmark yesterday.

 

It will be the dominant feature of our next issue. In fact, he had so much to say about speedway past, present and future that it will run over the next two issues.

 

Ole was candid, controversial, talked a lot of sense, and has some radical thoughts and ideas, too.

 

Did you ask, Tone, about Ullevi 1977 and what happened when he and Ivan both failed to make the two minutes of the rerun heat 18 (was it 18..??)? :unsure:

If the ref had stuck with what would've been a correct decision to exclude both Olsen & Mauger for exceeding the time allowance, it would've led to a run off for the title between Peter Collins and Michael Lee.. :neutral:

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Did you ask, Tone, about Ullevi 1977 and what happened when he and Ivan both failed to make the two minutes of the rerun heat 18 (was it 18..??)? :unsure:

If the ref had stuck with what would've been a correct decision to exclude both Olsen & Mauger for exceeding the time allowance, it would've led to a run off for the title between Peter Collins and Michael Lee.. :neutral:

 

 

Sure did ask him...

 

...well, come on, in the real world, there was no way Kittilsen was going to exclude either of those two given the diabolical track conditions, which forced OO to change bikes for a third time.

 

Lee was last in ht 18 when Boulger fell and the race was stopped. If victory came too soon for him in 1980, then '77 would have been far too big a burden for Mike to carry.

 

Olsen was arguably the best rider in the world over the course of that '77 season, although the leg injury to PC was a huge factor.

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Olsen was arguably the best rider in the world over the course of that '77 season, although the leg injury to PC was a huge factor.

 

Tony:

I have to take MASSIVE, MASSIVE issue with you over that statement!! :o

Surely you were at the Intercontinental Final at White City when PC blew away the opposition with the greatest performance by a rider in Speedway history. :o

 

Peter was so far and away the best in the world in '77 it was a no-contest..!! :neutral:

 

Then came that horribly smashed leg; and even then, he finished second and IF justice had prevailed and Olsen & Mauger had got their marching orders in the Ullevi mud, then he would have won the title..!! :neutral:

In fact, it was Egon Muller tamely tumbling off when PC led Mauger earlier in the meeting which also made the difference... :cry:

Edited by Parsloes 1928 nearly

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Tony:

I have to take MASSIVE, MASSIVE issue with you over that statement!! :o

Surely you were at the Intercontinental Final at White City when PC blew away the opposition with the greatest performance by a rider in Speedway history.  :o 

 

Peter was so far and away the best in the world in '77 it was a no-contest..!! :neutral:

 

Then came that horribly smashed leg; and even then, he finished second and IF justice had prevailed and Olsen & Mauger had got their marching orders in the Ullevi mud, then he would have won the title..!! :neutral:

In fact, it was Egon Muller tamely tumbling off when PC led Mauger earlier in the meeting which also made the difference... :cry:

 

 

I did say ARGUABLY!

 

Seriously, you make a very good point about PC's brilliant form that season and, who knows, but for the leg injury, he could well have retained his crown in Sweden.

 

One thing to consider, though: did he make such consistently, uncharacteristically good starts in Ullevi BECAUSE he had such a serious leg injury, and knew that to gate well was his only chance of glory? Perhaps, if he hadn't had the injury, he would have been his normal self and had to do it all from the back...and on that notoriously slick track, with its limited passing options, in the rain....? Food for thought.

 

If anyone was hard done by in ht 18 it was Lee.

 

But in all honesty, there was no way in the world that Kittilsen was going to be brave enough to exclude BOTH Ivan and Ole on that occasion. He, sensibly, allowed them more time to sort out their mud-clad bikes for the rerun. His mistake was in applying the two-minute buzzer so quickly in the first place, although, it has to be said, that Lee was ready to go.

 

As Ole admits in our interview, it was his fault that he didn't win that race - he admits he shouldn't have been out-gated by Johnnie Boulger in the first place.

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One thing to consider, though: did he make such consistently, uncharacteristically good starts in Ullevi BECAUSE he had such a serious leg injury, and knew that to gate well was his only chance of glory? Perhaps, if he hadn't had the injury, he would have been his normal self and had to do it all from the back...and on that notoriously slick track, with its limited passing options, in the rain....? Food for thought.

 

If anyone was hard done by in ht 18 it was Lee.

 

But in all honesty, there was no way in the world that Kittilsen was going to be brave enough to exclude BOTH Ivan and Ole on that occasion. He, sensibly, allowed them more time to sort out their mud-clad bikes for the rerun. His mistake was in applying the two-minute buzzer so quickly in the first place, although, it has to be said, that Lee was ready to go.

 

It's a good point about PC's gating that night.

It has remained an enigma that he was able to trap so well in the '77 Final..: probably the only time in his career when he was so sharp from the tapes!! :o

 

And as you say, Michael WAS ready to go in that rerun heat 18.. Of course, he made no fuss about it - but if he had, he certainly had a case. Surely it's not allowed merely to cancel a two minutes just coz the two riders who've not made it are the two biggest legends in the sport at the time..??!! :rolleyes:

 

I did ask Michael about this at the Museum opening day, but being his normal laid back self he was completely un-bothered that he'd been denied the World title (or a very good chance at it, with an all-English rerun with an unfit Collins) by the decision..

Mind you, I guess the fact he won it next time in Gothenberg must influence his view on it now...

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I never liked Olsen - something I inherited from the older Oxford fans.  He wasn't popular at Oxford even before the Nielsen feud - he didn't like the track and made excuses to miss his meetings at Cowley.

 

 

I think the reason for that was because he refused to ride for Oxford after being allocated there by Rider Control in 1975.

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I think the reason for that was because he refused to ride for Oxford after being allocated there by Rider Control in 1975.

 

Grachan - on the contrary, it was Oxford who refused Olsen - because they couldn't afford him. :wink: The Rebels wanted Dag Lovaas - and evntually got him.

 

It all seems to boil to an incident in 1973. After that, Olsen was hardly ever seen at Oxford again.

 

Must go over Steve Roberts's 1973 review again when I get home - this has the full details of why Ole didn't like Oxford.

 

All the best

Rob

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Must go over Steve Roberts's 1973 review again when I get home - this has the full details of why Ole didn't like Oxford.

 

 

I'd like to see that, too, Rob, so can you please provide a link for it when you next get a minute...?

 

I don't know the details of the crash, bit Olsen broke his shoulder at Oxford, which severely hampered his chances of winning the title in ’73.

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<snip>

It all seems to boil to an incident in 1973.  After that, Olsen was hardly ever seen at Oxford again.

Must go over Steve Roberts's 1973 review again when I get home - this has the full details of why Ole didn't like Oxford.

 

All the best

Rob

 

As a Wolves fan, I seem to recall Ole was 'parked' into the fence at Oxford in the early seventies incurring a shoulder injury. It might have been Ronnie Genz who was involved in the incident, but not sure. Either way Ole was never really known for outside overtaking after that.

 

All the best,

Lefty

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