Per Jonsson

Who is Per Jonsson?

Per Jonsson is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1990, and finished runner-up in 1992.

In 1985, his second season with the Reading Racers, the team won six major trophies. In 1993, he won the World Pairs Championship with Tony Rickardsson and reserve Henrik Gustafsson, and also won the British League Riders' Championship. His career was cut short when a crash during a league meeting in Poland in 1994 left him using a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In recognition of his contribution to the city of Toruń, in April 2010 one of the streets was named after him.

Per Jonsson became the first rider in history to win both the World and World Under-21 Championships. He won the Under-21 title in 1985 at Abensberg, West Germany when the title was still known as the European Speedway Under 21 Championship*. He then added to this with his 1990 World Championship win at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford, England.

Per Jonsson's first appearance in a World Final was in 1987 at Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium. The final was held over two days and the 22 year old finished 5th on both days and was classed as 5th overall. He qualified for the 1988 World Final at Vojens in Denmark and equaled his 1987 result by finishing in 5th place. He missed the 1989 season, preferring to enjoy the joys of fatherhood but came back to international speedway with a bang in 1990. He qualified for his third World Final by finishing 2nd in both the Scandinavian and Intercontinental Finals and then went one better in Bradford becoming Sweden's first Speedway World Champion since Anders Michanek in 1974.