Behind the foundation of the “Holbæk & Omegns Motor Klub” stood the motorcycle dealer Jens Peter Hansen, generally known as “Norton” Hansen”. An active rider himself since 1932, who had ridden on most of those days’ Danish tracks, a.o. Karrebaeksminde and Frederiksund, where he rode a JAP.
After long negotiations with the council of Holbaek the club got permission to arrange speedway meetings on the cinders covered track at the Holbaek Athletic Stadium.
All in all, through the 5 seasons the track was open only 18 meetings got held there. The narrow tracks together with unsatisfactorily conditions for the spectators were the main reasons. Another reason was a long list of demands for improvement of the safety which would be very difficult and too costly to fulfill. Furthermore the public interest for the meetings had diminished. The riders too were not happy with the track, which they criticized for being very narrow, bumpy and hard.
Many foreign riders visited the track. In particular Wembley captain Bill Kitchen very often rode in Denmark in that period, besides Holbaek also on Aarby, Gladsaxe, Amager and Gentofte tracks.
A special kind of popularity among the youngsters on the terraces was achieved by Morian Hansen, who got hailed with hurrahs no matter if he won a heat or – what occasionally happened – came puffing as last man over the finish line.
1950
The opening race took place on May 14. 1950, and 3 meetings were scheduled that year.
On the opening day Orla Knudsen rode a track record for four laps with flying start in 1.18,4 minute. He said afterwards that he considered the track to be one of the fastes in Denmark.
In the “Holbaek race” which was to be decided by fastest winning time Orla Knudsen won the first heat in 1,20,8, and the final heat in 1,23,0 ahead of Irving Irvinger, Uno Jensen and Erhard Fisker. Furthermore he also won Expertmatch A with 9 points ahead of Uno Jensen 5 points, Irvinger 3 points and Kiehn Berthelsen 1 point.
Erhard Fisker won Expertmatch B with 7 points, Leif Bech 6 points, Jorgen Petersen 5 points and Aage Andersen 2 points.
A race on standard bikes saw Leif Hirsborg as winner with 9 points ahead of John Helfelt 5 points and Agner Hansen 4 points.
Second time the engines roared over Holbæk Stadium was on the third of June. In the first heat the Swedish rider Gösta Zanderholm improved the track record for 4 laps with standing start to 1,20,3 minute, while Leif Bech fell and injured his leg. The two final heats were crack races (flying start).
Morian Hansen won the first final and Orla Knudsen won the second.
The result of the Expert Race was: Gösta Zanderholm 12 points, Morian Hansen, Henry Andersen and Irving Irvinger 10 points each, Kiehn Berthelsen 7 points, Orla Knudsen 4 points and Erhard Fisker 0 points.
A heat in the Standard class got a weird result. Knud Nielsen fell and got hit from behind by Ejvind Hansen, who also fell. Nordahl Andersen laid his bike beside the fallen riders. Leif Hirsborg managed to pass and finish alone.
In fine sportsmanship he offered a rerun of the heat, which he then lost to Knud Nielsen. The final standing was: Knud Nielsen 14 points, Leif Hirsborg 12 points and Ejvind Hansen 10 points.
On October 15 4000 fans at the final meeting in 1950 saw the Swede Bengt Gustafsson win with 8 points ahead of his fellow citizen Rune Sørmander with 5 points and Jorgen Petersen with 3 points. Nordahl Andersen won the Standard class in front of Kaj Larsen and Joerges Bagger. Hans Jacobsen won the sidecar class.
1951
The 1951 season opened on May 27th. with an English – Danish – Swedish pairs match. The English pair was Bill Kitchen and Jeff Lloyd, the Swedish pair Torsten Carlsson and Dick Weider, and from Denmark Kiehn Berthelsen and Morian Hansen. England won with 9 points. Sweden and Denmark tied with 5 points.
Bill Kitchen improved the track record with flying start to 1,17,3 minut.
Soon after there was a new meeting at Holbaek Stadium. On the 10TH of June the English rider Oliver Hart lowered the track record to 1,16,9 minute.
Bill Kitchen won the Holbaek Race ahead Oliver Hart, Kiehn Berthelsen and Morian Hansen.
In the Expertmatch A Oliver Hart and Kiehn Berthelsen tied with 5 points. Morian Hansen 3 points and Bill Kitchen 2 points.
Expertmatch B was won by Aage Andersen 6 points, Rune Claesson, Sweden 4 points, Leif Hirsborg 3 points, Lennart Arnham, Sweden 2 points
A Denmark- Germany team match got ridden on July 29. Bill Kitchen was guest captain on the Danish team. Se result below.
|
Denmark |
55 point |
|
Bill Kitchen (capt.) |
7 point |
|
Aage Andersen |
11 point |
|
Irving Irvinger |
9 point |
|
Bent Jensen |
10 point |
|
Leif Hirsborg |
11 point |
|
Morian Hansen |
7 point |
|
Germany |
17 point |
|
Sedan Graf |
4 point |
|
Hans Wallasch |
4 point |
|
Rudolf Brandenburg |
0 point |
|
John Harris |
3 point |
|
Walther Gernert |
3 point |
|
Fritz Zielkowski |
3 point |
The winner of the Standard class Robert Rasmussen
is passing Alfred Larsen outside in a curve at
Holbaek Stadium.
At the meeting on August 26 the 17 years young Swede Dan Forsberg sensationally won the first heat of the Holbaek Race in the fantastic time 1,16,6 minute for 4 laps with standing start. 0, 3 seconds better than Oliver Hart’s record for flying start and 1,8 seconds better than same Hart’s record for standing start.
Kiehn Berthelsen won the final heat ahead of Dan Forsberg, Bill Kitchen and Oliver Hart.
The Expert match was won by Oliver Hart 7 points, Kiehn Berthelsen 5 points, Dan Forsberg and Bill Kitchen tied 3 points
A number of crashes happened that day. The entire 1951 season was not at all a lucky one for Norton Hansen who tasted the cinders no less than 5 times.
In an attempt to overtake Aage Iversen and Robert Rasmussen in the narrow bend he hit the fence so hard, that his bike bent one of the heavy iron poles supporting the safety fence. The bike got wrecked, Hansen himself escaped from a flight over the fence with minor bruises, but the crash made him consider to stop his career and devote his time to his family and his motorcycle shop.
Oliver Hart went down too. He slided 4 – 5 meters on his back with his bike on top, but managed to come up and finish 12, 1 second after the heat winner.
A couple of engine failures occurred. Dan Forsberg and Lennart Åström both got a blown engine. Bits from Forsberg’s blown engine penetrated his gas tank.
Really a dramatic day to be remembered.
The last meeting in 1951 was on September 30. The British rider Split Waterman lowered the track record with flying start to 1,15,0. He too got a feeling of the narrow track when he had a painful contact with the safety fence.
1952
At the season opening on the 4th of May the Norwegian rider Leif ”Basse” Hveem won the Holbaek race ahead of Split Waterman, Bill Kitchen and Kiehn Berthelsen.
Norton Hansen, who the year before considered stopping his career, was in the starting list, but rode anonymously and ended without points.
Henry Andersen, Norway won Expertmatch A ahead of Orla Knudsen and Leif Bech.
Split Waterman made a new attack on the track record but failed by 2 seconds.
The British rider Wally Green who rode on the track on June 15 1952 characterized the track as deadly dangerous with its narrow bends that left no space for four riders abreast.
But that did not keep the good Mr. Green away from beating both the Norwegian Basse Hveem and the Dane Kiehn Berthelsen, in his own words, only because he was a very fast gater.
Wally Green came in on short notice as substitute for Tommy Price, who was in the programme, but got hindered. And what a good substitute he was.
Basse Hveem made a successful attack on the track record in the fine time 1,13,5.
Leif Bech won a crack race ahead of Reidar Kristoffersen, Norway and Kiehn Berthelsen.
We have no information from the meeting on the 10th of August. Can anyone help?
The main event on Sunday September 7 was a Danish – Swedish team match where the Danes had to give in for Swedish superiority
|
Denmark |
39 |
|
Kiehn Berthelsen |
12 |
|
Leif Bech |
11 |
|
Orla Knudsen |
9 |
|
Erhard Fisker |
3 |
|
Leif Hirsborg |
3 |
|
Oluf Elsberg |
1 |
|
Jørgen Petersen |
0 |
|
Erik Wincentz |
0 |
|
Sweden |
69 |
|
Einar Lindqvist |
18 |
|
Stig Pramberg |
18 |
|
Per Tage Svensson |
17 |
|
Stig Svensson |
8 |
|
Björn Davidsson |
5 |
|
Rune Andersson |
3 |
|
Lennart Åström |
0 |
The final meeting in 1952 on September 28 included a very interesting Expert match to which the club signed the two old English stars Jack Parker and Bill Kitchen to meet the young raising stars from Sweden Dan Forsberg and Olle Nygren.
Unfortunately our programme is noy filled in with the result. Any help here shall be much appreciated.
Dan Forsberg made an attempt on the track record, but with no success. Basse Hveem’s record kept standing.
Bill Kitchen
Jack Parker
Olle Nygren
Dan Forsberg
1953
April 26: Three Norwegian riders, Henry Andersen, Erik Storm Larsen and Reidar Kristoffersen participated in the Holbaek race against Leif Bech, Kiehn Berthelsen, Oluf Elsberg and Bue Jensen, all on JAP bikes. Besides the Holbaek race, which as usual was for the fastest time, the riders also had to fight for points in the Expert race. We regret being unable to list the results, because the programme is not filled in. Informations are most welcome.
On July 19. 3000 spectators saw the car driver Henning Clemmensen make a test drive in a Midget car. In the first attempt the car spun around and penetrated the safety fence with the rear end. The track was too soft, and its lack of width made it unsuitable for car racing as well as for sidecars. No further attempt was made
The day’s programme contained a team match between the cities Holbaek and Naestved. Holbaek won comfortably 48 – 25, which mainly was owed to Holbaek’s use of Irving Irvinger, Leif Hirsborg, Erhard Fisker and Aage Andersen as guest riders.
Norton Hansen had regained the “joy of racing” and won all 3 heats in the Standard class
1954
Only 2 meetings were scheduled in 1954. The first was on April 25 and was mostly characterized by being Bill Kitchen’s “Farewell race” after a 25 years long glorious career in which he 7 times as captain led the Wembley team to victory in the British league.
His fellow citizen Tommy Price made an attack on the track record, but failed with 1,16,1.
Hence the Norwegian Basse Hveem’s track record kept standing forever.
The main and last event in 1954 was the Danish Speedway Championship Final Sunday the 19th September. The tiny rider Leif Bech from Copenhagen took the full advantage 15 point from a series of brilliant gating.
After the race he said:
- This could only be done at Holbaek, – here they couldn’t pass me from behind.
- Had it been on the Amager track I only could have hoped for being runner up after Kiehn Berthelsen.
Kiehn Berthelsen took the silver medal with 14 points and Erhard Fisker Bronze with 12 points.
The programme cover from the very
last meeting at Holbaek Speedway
