Niels Kristian Iversen

Niels Kristian Trochmann Iversen (Danish pronunciation: [ˈiˀvɐsn̩], born 20 June 1982 in Esbjerg, Denmark)[1] is an international motorcycle speedway rider. He was part of the Danish teams that won the Speedway World Cup in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2014.

Niels-Kristian Iversen
Born (1982-06-20) 20 June 1982
Esbjerg, Denmark
NicknamePUK
Nationality Denmark
Websitewww.nielsiversen.com
Current club information
British leaguePeterborough Panthers
Danish leagueEsbjerg
Polish leagueKS Toruń
Swedish leagueSmedrerna
Career history
Great Britain
2001, 2011–2016, 2018King's Lynn Stars
2003–2004Newport Wasps
2003–2005Oxford Cheetahs
2006–2007, 2009–2010, 2020–Peterborough Panthers
2008Wolverhampton Wolves
2019Ipswich Witches
Poland
2004Wroclaw
2005Rybnik
2006–2010Falubaz Zielona Góra
2011–2018Stal Gorzów
Sweden
2004–2009Vastervik
2010–2017Indianerna
2018Smederna
2019Piraterna
Denmark
2001, 2010–Holsted
2009Esbjerg
Speedway Grand Prix statistics
SGP Number88
Starts92
Podiums9 (5-2-2)
Finalist18 time
Winner1 times
Individual honours
2002Danish Under-21 Champion
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015,
2016, 2017, 2018		Danish Champion
2013Italian Grand Prix Champion
2013Scandinavian Grand Prix Champion
2014Danish Grand Prix Champion
2015British Grand Prix Champion
2016Torun Grand Prix Champion
2007, 2013Grand Prix Challenge Winner
2013Brandonapolis
Team honours
2005Craven Shield Winner
2005, 2018Swedish Elitserien Champion
2002, 2004Danish League Champion
2006Elite League Champion
2014, 2016Speedway Ekstraliga
2006, 2008, 2012, 2014World Cup
Competition record
Representing  Denmark
Speedway World Championship
2013
Speedway World Cup
2006
2008
2012
2014
2007
2013
2015
2004
2005

Early life

Niels-Kristian Trochmann was born 20 June 1982 in Esbjerg, Denmark to Ann Marie and Flemming Iversen. Growing up with older brother Soren, Iversen decided he want to be a speedway rider. His local town Esbjerg had a track where Iversen began to learn his desired trade. Quickly moving up the ranks in Denmark, his first title came in 1994 at the 50cc Danish Individual Championship. Moving up to 80cc in 1997 saw him win his second title at 15 years old. In 1998 Iversen moved up to full size 500cc bikes as he set his sights on a bigger and better future.

Career

British team King's Lynn Stars noticed Iversen and signed him for the last three meetings of the 2001 season. At 20 years old Iversen earned his team silverware as well as individual gold. In 2002 he helped Danish team Holsted to the Division One Championship as well as becoming the Danish U21 Champion for the first time.

Iversen came back to British shores in 2003 with Newport Wasps in the Premier League and was already signed for Holsted in Denmark. For his new British team he topped the averages with an average of 9.13 and 6 maxima, attracting Elite League club Oxford Cheetahs, while Holsted went on to retain their Division One Title. New Oxford team manager Nigel Wagstaff added Iversen to the team for four meetings at the end of the 2003 season and his performances gained him entry to the World U21 Final where he finished sixth. He was selected for the Denmark squad at Speedway World Cup in August 2003: ten points from five rides helped Denmark through to the Grand Final where he and Kenneth Bjerre were replaced.

Iversen signed for Swedish club Vastervik in the Elitserien and Wroclaw in Poland. Nigel Wagstaff's Oxford also signed Iversen for the 2004 season as a full-time Elite League rider, after he had earned a 6.57 point average over 32 meetings the previous year. In Denmark he helped Holsted to a third Division One title in as many years. Once again he was selected for the Speedway World cup where he went one better than his score in the previous year – 11 points including wins over Leigh Adams and Adam Shields. Danish Grand Prix organizers selected Iversen as the Wildcard in Copenhagen on 26 June, taking his chance he reached the semi finals in his first Grand Prix and ended the meeting on 13 points.

2005 saw Iversen move to Rybnik in the Polish league and win the Elitserien with Swedish Club Vastervik as well as being selected for Denmark's World Cup team where once again he hit double figures in the qualification round. The final was won by Poland but Iversen had earned himself a Bronze Medal for the third time. In Britain, Oxford retained his services for the season but poor performances from the whole team lead them to finish just one point above Arena Essex. However 2005 gave him success in the Craven Shield.

Iversen won the Danish individual championship in both 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.[2]

Grand Prix

Iversen moved to his third Polish club in as many years: Extraliga team Zielona Gora signed him from Rybnik while in Britain Peterborough Panthers gave Iversen an opportunity to transfer. Grand Prix officials had nominated Iversen for a full spot in the GP series, the highlight came in his home GP at Copenhagen scoring 8 points. The series finished with Iversen on 51 points and outside the qualification places in 13th.

World Cup Gold

Iversen helped Peterborough to their first league win since 1999 and his performances earned him selected for Denmark's World Cup team. The Danes got through to the final via the race-off where Iversen scored 7 points. Denmark went on to win the final ahead of Sweden giving Iversen his first Gold Medal.

Iversen, along with fellow Danes Hans Andersen and Kenneth Bjerre, got the Panthers to the playoffs in 2007 but were knocked out by Swindon Robins. For the fifth season in a row Iversen was selected for his country and was part of the Danish team that finished second to Poland in the World Cup Final at Leszno on 21 July. His Danish team Holsted enjoyed success in the Superleague Championship. In Sweden, Vastervik side made it through to the Elitserien playoff finals but were knocked out in the latter stages. At the 2007 Grand Prix challenge Iversen won the final at Vojens resulting in qualification as a full-time member for the second time in the Grand Prix series.

Peterborough decided not to use Iversen in 2008 and rival Elite League Club Wolverhampton Wolves signed him on loan. During his time at Wolves he raised his average from 7.64 up to 9.04 but the team failed to climb the table and finished at the bottom. Swedish Club Vastervik failed to qualify for the playoffs and Holsted failed to win the Superleague.

Second Gold Medal

Iversen crashed in the Swedish Grand Prix and broke his shoulder and at the end of the season he finished outside the automatic qualification places in 12th place. Selected for the World cup again, Iversen and the Danish team earned victory in the 2008 final and giving him his second Gold Medal.

Brought back to Peterborough in 2009, Iversen became the Captain of the Panthers and based himself in the city. Although his average dropped, he was a crucial part of the team that finished mid-table. In Denmark, he signed for local club Esbjerg but could only manage 6th place overall, while in Poland Iversen stayed with Zielona Gora who went on to win the Extraliga title, earning Iversen his first Polish team win.

In 2010, Iversen spent his fourth season with Peterborough in the British Elite League and stayed with Zielona Góra in the Polish Extraliga. In Denmark, he moved back to Holsted after a year away from the club while in Sweden he moved from Vastervik to Indianerna. On 31 August, Iversen was selected for a wildcard place at the Nordic Grand Prix on 11 September.

In 2011, Iversen left Peterborough and joined the King's Lynn Stars, who had moved up to the Elite League.

References
  1. Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0
  2. "Danish Title No. 2 for Iversen", speedway365.com, 30 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013
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