Split 177 Posted January 16, 2021 7 minutes ago, BL65 said: I saw Gote at his immaculate best in 1966 and 1967, when two successive wins in the Internationale at Wimbledon were achieved with sublime 15 point maximums against very high quality opposition. Göte's name always seems to come up when "the best riders never to win the world title" is discussed. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigerowl 630 Posted January 16, 2021 NORDIN, Göte Born: July 2, 1935, Falun, Sweden. A Swedish speedway legend and one of the best riders in the world never to win the World Championship, ‘Gentleman’ Göte Nordin was a complete stylist and was much respected by fans throughout the U.K. He had started his career with the famous Gentingarna club in the mid-1950s and quickly progressed to the international side, making his debut for his country in October, 1955 against Poland at Stockholm. It was not until the early part of the 1960s that he became an automatic choice for his country and he made his league bow in Britain in 1960, joining Belle Vue and averaging over six points per match in the National League for the ‘Aces’. He hit the big time the following year - despite riding just one match for the ‘Aces’ - as he qualified for his first World final – the first ever to be held outside its traditional home of Wembley. The final took place at Malmö and Göte crowned a superb night for the host nation as he finished third behind the champion, Ove Fundin and runner-up Bjorn Knutsson. He was now firmly established as one of the top riders in the world but rarely appeared in league racing in Britain as he preferred to concentrate on domestic speedway in Sweden and the lucrative continental scene. Further World final appearances followed in 1962 and 1963 and he was part of the Swedish World Team Cup side that dominated the competition in the early part of the decade. Finally, in 1964, Göte was tempted to ride a full league season in the U.K., joining Wimbledon as the ‘Dons’ looked to fill the gap left by the retirement of Ronnie Moore. He had a superb season at Plough Lane, averaging 10.33 points per match and finishing second in the league figures behind Barry Briggs. The non-resident Swedes were frozen out of the newly formed British League in 1965 but Göte was back the following year for what was probably his most memorable season in the U.K., riding for the Newport ‘Wasps’ at Somerton Park. He was absolutely magnificent that year as he proved to be almost unbeatable at home and regularly chalked up double figures on away tracks, boosting his average to almost ten and a half points per match and drawing in the crowds wherever he rode. His beautiful style and impeccable fairness won him the deserved ‘Gentleman’ tag and the next team to benefit from his point scoring abilities was Poole, for whom he again turned in an excellent season. By this time Göte had reached his mid-30s and his chance of the World title had passed, with the 1967 campaign at Poole being his last as a full-time British League rider as he quit the ‘Pirates’ after just one match in 1968 to take over the running of the JAWA franchise in his home country. Over the next few years Göte faded from the international scene somewhat and became a man that British clubs would turn to when they needed an experienced and accomplished rider to get them out of an injury crisis with short spells at Coventry, Wembley, and finally Halifax in 1972 where he replaced the broken leg victim, Dave Younghusband. His last appearance for Sweden came in the World Team Cup final at Olching that year and soon afterwards the curtain was brought down on the career of one of the finest and most popular Swedes ever to have graced the sport. Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM 1960 Belle Vue NL 15 69 91 18 109 6.32 - - 1961 Belle Vue NL 1 5 7 0 7 5.60 - - 1962 Norwich NL 2 9 26 0 26 11.56 1 - 1964 Wimbledon NL 14 60 154 1 155 10.33 4 - 1966 Newport BL 32 146 367 14 381 10.44 10 3 1967 Poole BL 34 147 356 11 367 9.99 8 - 1968 Poole BL1 1 4 11 1 12 12.00 - 1 1969 Coventry BL1 3 13 25 3 28 8.62 - - 1971 Wembley BL1 11 46 101 3 104 9.04 - - 1972 Halifax BL1 12 51 97 7 104 8.16 - - Individual Honours: World Finalist 1961 (3rd), 1962 (8th), 1963 (5th), 1966 (6th), Swedish Champion 1965, 1971. International Honours: World Team Cup winner 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967, World Team Cup finalist 1965, 1966, 1972, Swedish international 45 caps, 379 points. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
