LUDWIG LINDGREN - NATIONALITY: SWEDISH. D.O.B. 23 September 1990 BRITISH CAREER: (2008) Wolverhampton; (2009) Birmingham; (2010) Wolverhampton; (2011) Wolverhampton, Berwick. MAJOR HONOUR: European Under-19 Team Champion: 2008. CLUB HONOURS: Elite Shield winner: 2010, 2011 [both Wolverhampton] STARTING AVERAGE: 3.84
The younger of the racing brothers linked with Wolverhampton late in the 2008 season, appearing in just eight official meetings for the Black Country club. A switch to the Premier League for 2009 saw him complete his first full British term in the colours of Birmingham, for whom he enjoyed a solid campaign to post a real-time average of close on 7 points per match. In November, it was revealed that the Swede was is in talks with an Elite League club after ruling himself out of a return to Perry Barr.
Lindgren had agreed a Polish League contract, which would make him unavailable for the Brummies’ Sunday fixtures. Birmingham stressed, however, that he would remain an asset of the club. At the end of November, it was announced that he would again be linking with his elder sibling, Fredrik, at Wolverhampton for a full term of top-flight racing in 2010.
And he was to produce some eye-catching performances as he maintained an average of over 5 points a match, none more so than at Swindon on 2 September, when he superbly amassed 13+3 points. The season’s statistical run-down gave Lindgren a tally of 206 points from forty-one matches in Wolverhampton’s black and gold colours, which yielded a real-time average of 5.26.
Having made such a dramatic improvement and subsequently indicated that he would like to return for another year, Wolverhampton were happy to announce on 16 January that the rider had agreed terms for his second successive full season at Monmore Green.
The Swede was maintaining an average of around 4.5 points per match for the Wolves, but was injured in a league match at Poole on 8 June. In heat ten of the encounter, team-mate Tai Woffinden attempted to recover from being passed by the home duo of Chris Holder and Dennis Andersson, but lost control coming off the fourth turn and hit the fence.
As he became separated from his machine, the backing up Lindgren tried to take evasive action only to take an even heavier fall himself. Whilst Woffinden was able to walk back to the pits, Lindgren sustained concussion and a shoulder injury. After being ferried to hospital for a check over, he returned to his homeland the following day for a further diagnosis on his shoulder.
It was at this meeting when Ludwig really caught the eye of Pirates' boss Matt Ford with the Poole supremo later saying "Ludwig really impressed me before that awful crash. It was the best I have seen him ride and I thought to myself that with performances from that mould he is one to keep an eye on."
After joining Berwick in July last year to replace injured fellow Swede Alex Edberg, continuing with Wolverhampton in a ‘doubling-up’ capacity, alongside James Grieves, he signed for Newcastle for the 2012 campaign for whom he will ride at Premier league level whilst doubling up with Sam Masters in the Poole side to further his Elite league experience.
LUDWIG LINDGREN - NATIONALITY: SWEDISH. D.O.B. 23 September 1990
