Vargarna

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

Vargarna
Club information
Track addressNorrköpings motorstadion
Norrköping
CountrySweden
Founded1947
LeagueAllsvenskan
Club facts
Track size271 metres
Major team honours
League champions1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1961

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.

Vargarna underwent a golden period, winning the Swedish Speedway Team Championship in the 1949 season,[7] 1951, 1953 and 1954. A procession of top riders rode for the club and included Stig Pramberg, Dan Forsberg and Per-Olof Söderman.[8]

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 Knutsson, Per-Tage Svensson, Joel Jansson and Sören Sjösten. The success could not be matched for the reaminder of the 1960s but they did still compete at the top level.[9][10]

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.[11] He captained the side before leaving the club for Dackarna ahead of the 2014 season.

Since 2015 the team have competed in the Allsvenskan and during the 2022 Swedish Speedway season the club reached the Allsvenskan play-off final.[12]

Season summary
Main article: Swedish Speedway Team Championship

Teams

2022 team

Previous teams
Extended content

2014 team


2016 team

2018 team

2019 Team

Notable riders

References
  1. "Serieföreningen Svensk Speedways".
  2. "Vargarna Norrköping". Sport We Faky. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  3. "Speedway Around The Globe - Sweden". Speedway Star page 38-39. 23 July 2022.
  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. "Vargarna 1949". formula2.se. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  8. "HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2015". Speedway History. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  9. "Vargarna 1960". formula2.se. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  10. "1961". Speedway.org. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  11. "Vargarna värvar Nicki Pedersen - Sport | SVT.se". www.svt.se. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014.
  12. "Allsvenskan tables and final". Every Sport. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
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