Lejonen

Lejonen (lit. 'the Lions') is a motorcycle speedway team from Gislaved in Sweden, who compete in the Elitserien.[1] Their home track is at the OnePartnerGroup Arena which is Sweden's oldest track still in use.[2] The club are two times champions of Sweden.[3]

Lejonen
Club information
Track addressOnePartnerGroup Arena
Gislaved
Jönköping County
Sweden
CountrySweden
Founded1936
Team managerAnders Fröjd and Mikael Holmstrand
LeagueElitserien
WebsiteOfficial Website
Club facts
ColoursBlack, gold and red
Track size380 metres
Track record time65.5 seconds
Track record date2008
Track record holderNicki Pedersen
Major team honours
Team champions2008, 2009
silver medal1971, 1972, 2022

History

1929 to 1968

In December 1929 Gislaved Motorclub was formed and by 1931 the track was built. The track was originally 6 metres (20 ft) wide and 400 metres (440 yd) long but in 1936 it was widened to 10 metres (33 ft) and during the 1980s the inside edge of the track was moved and the length was reduced to 380 metres (1,250 ft).

In 1963, Smålands Lejon began racing in Division Three, becoming Lejonen the following season in 1964.[4] During the 1965 Swedish speedway season, the club won their first honours by winning division three A.[2] They were promoted to division 2 and finished 2nd in 1966 and 1967 before winning division 2 in 1968.[5]

1969 to 1982

The club made their debut in the top flight in 1969, finishing 4th.[6]

During the 1971 Swedish speedway season and 1972 Swedish speedway season, the club, led by Jan Simensen, Bo Josefsson and Therje Henriksson finished 2nd and won the silver medal. For the next decade the club found themselves bouncing between the first and second divisions.

1982 to 1989

With the introduction of the Elitserien in 1982, the club were relegated that season and dropped two divisions. Although they gained promotion back to the second tier they struggled to make any challenge in the division and at the end of 1989 the club stopped racing.[7]

1998 to 2010

The team returned for the 1998 Swedish speedway season[8] They won promotion in 2000 to the Allsvenskan and then seven years later, in 2007 won the Allsvenskan defeating Valsarna in the play-off final to gain promotion to the Elitserien for 2008.[9]

During the winter of 2007-08 the track underwent major changes to accommodate Elitserien racing and the club announced the signing of Nicki Pedersen, the 2007 World Champion.[2][10]

The club became champions of Sweden for two successive years in 2008 and 2009 after they won the Swedish Speedway Team Championship.[3] Pedersen, Chris Holder, David Ruud, Mikael Max and were instrumental in bringing the success to the club.

2011 to present

The club were relegated and declared bankrupt in 2011 and dropped to division 1 (the third tier). They slowly recovered to win the Allsvenskan in 2014 and in 2022 won the Elitserien silver medal.

Smålänningarna and Team Dalej

Smålänningarna compete in the Allsvenskan and Team Dalej compete in the third tier (division 1), they are a collaboration between Dackarna and Lejonen allowing less senior riders the opportunity to race. The collaboration started in 2020 and the Smålänningarna name came from and old team that had riders from Småland.[11]

Season summary
Main article: Swedish Speedway Team Championship

Teams

2023 team

[12]

Previous teams

Notable riders

References
  1. "Speedway Around The Globe - Sweden". Speedway Star page 38-39. 23 July 2022.
  2. "Lejonen Speedway site" (in Swedish). Lejonen speedway. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
  3. "HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2015". Speedway History. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  4. "1964". Speedway.org. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  5. "1966 season". Speedway.org. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  6. "1969 season". Speedway.org. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  7. "The elite series in speedway". Gislaved MotorKlubb. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  8. "History". Lejonen Speedway. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  9. "Swedish Leagues". Benfield Sports International. 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  10. "Nicki makes the switch". Benfield Sports International. 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  11. "Smålands team in Allsvenskt Speedway collaboration". Dackarna Speedway. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  12. "ZMARZLIK EXTENDS LEJONEN STAY AS GISLAVED CLUB BIDS FOR 2023 FIM GP CHALLENGE". FIM. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
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