DATE OF BIRTH: 3 June 1991, Avesta, Dalarna County, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (2011) Poole.
MAJOR HONOUR: European Under-19 Champion: 2010.
CLUB HONOURS: League Championship winner: 2011 [Poole], Knock-Out Cup winner: 2011 [Poole].
2011 STARTING AVERAGE: 4.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Andersson had been on the radar for some time, having finished seventh in the European Under-19 Championship in both 2008 and 2009. In the former at Stralsund, Germany, he scored 9 points and in the latter at Tarnów, Poland, he notched a tally of 8.
But 2010 was his big year in the competition; on 20 June, he stormed to a 15-point maximum to win his semi-final at Elgane, Norway. Then, in the final at Goričan, Croatia, on 24 July, he recorded 14 points to tie for top spot with the Polish duo of Przemysław Pawlicki and Patryk Dudek, before taking the title through a glorious run-off victory on a rain-soaked track.
On 10 December, Poole announced the signing of the European Under-19 Champion, as he became the first confirmed name on their 2011 team-sheet. The rider had been closely tailed by Pirates’ promoter Matt Ford following his performances for Swedish club Lejonen and Wrocław in Poland, and came into the Dorseteers’ line-up on an assessed average of 4.00.
Andersson was an impressive newcomer to Wimborne Road on the occasion of Poole’s Press and Practice Day on 14 March. And he hit the ground running when the team action got underway, top-scoring with 12+2 points from the No. 7 berth in a challenge match at Eastbourne six days later, before collecting another sparkling tally of 11 points in the return encounter against the Eagles on 23 March.
The teenager was forced to sit out his final programmed ride in Poole’s home match versus Eastbourne on 24 April after aggravating a rib injury in a track crash in Poland the previous night. Despite suffering painful rib injuries, he courageously still came back to England to ride in the South Coast clash, winning heat two at a canter.
The super Swede certainly endured an unfortunate spell as, after suffering three crashes in as many days, he also reported a hand injury and a knock to a leg. As touched upon, Andersson’s first crash had occurred on Easter Saturday [23 April] when riding in Toruń for his Polish club, Wrocław, where he was run over in heat nine.
Back at Poole on Easter Sunday, he took another awkward fall and was forced to pull out of his last scheduled outing for the Pirates. He then returned to Poland on 25 April, where he only managed a point for Wrocław in a league match against Zielona Góra, which was played out on a treacherous track surface.
The talented teenager flew back into the UK on 27 April in readiness for Poole’s league encounter at Swindon the following evening after X-rays had revealed no broken bones. As a result, he originally declared himself fit to face the Robins, but the hand ballooned up overnight and the swelling prevented him from taking his place in the Pirates’ reserve berth after all.
However, he was soon back in action and posting good tallies for the Dorseteers, including a top-scoring contribution of 12+2 points as Poole comfortably overcame the reigning Elite League Champions, Coventry, in a live Sky Sports presentation from Wimborne Road on 9 May.
FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record: Grand Prix ridden: 1 – 112th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix points: 0 – n/a Grand Prix races: 1 – 138th on SGP all-time list Grand Prix race wins: 0 – n/a Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a Grand Prix finals: 0 – n/a
ANDERSSON, Dennis Gustav Martin
