Odense Dirt track

The cinders surfaced track located in the western outskirt of Odense opened in 1930. We do not know the exact date for the opening meeting. It got abandoned in 1933. Despite its short time of life, it was very popular, and many of those days’ greatest stars rode there. The track was operated by a club named Fyens Motor Sport, and is said to be the first dirt track in Denmark outside Copenhagen.

No visible traces of the track are left. Nowadays a football ground (soccer) and some allotments are located there.

 odt001Sv. Aa. Sorensen, Copenhagen cornering at Odense Dirt track

November 23.  1930: 2. meeting.

The local newspaper Fyens Stiftstidende published the following report from a race (in extract).

”3500 watched Dirt track in Odense. Obviously dirt track is the last Sunday amusement for the citizens of Odense. 3500 fans ignored the cold weather and watched yesterday’s meeting. The rider Svend Aage Engstrøm from Copenhagen was the man of the day who impressed everyone with his phenomenal riding and a track record of 1 minute 30 seconds for four laps with flying start, 15 second below the old record (with standing start).
It was a great disappointment the due to an engine failure he was unable to ride in the last heat.
It was absolutely justified that after receiving the beautiful 1. Prize Engstrøm got a threefold cheer from the fans. We hope to see him some other day. He is really an attraction.
A couple of minor incidents happened, but no one got hurt”.

Results:
1. Race  1. Heat:

1.  Richard Darup                            Koege.
2.  Carl Kruse                                   Odense.
3.  Vald. Henriksen                          Odense.
4  Svend Aage Sorensen                 Copenhagen

2. Race
1.  Svend Aage Engstrom                Copenhagen
.2.  Svend Aage Sorensen               Copenhagen
3  Helge Jensen                                Copenhagen

3. løb  Handicap: 
1.  Svend Aage Engstrom                Copenhagen

Odense 1930Odense Dirt Track 1930, Engstrom at the prize ceremony..

April 19.  1931: 3. Meeting:

The first meeting in the season and the third on the track had 4000 fans attending and a list of some of the best Danish riders. It opened with a series of track record attempts over for laps with standing start, all failed. The local rider Bent Jensen came best with 1,46,1.

odt003Sv. Aa. Sorensen in his attack on the track record.

Results:

1. Løb 
1. Heat:
No.1. Ib Kroyer Christensen           Copenhagen

2. Heat:
No.1. Arne Fog                                 Copenhagen

3. Heat:
No.1. Svend Aage Sorensen            Copenhagen

Intermediate heat:
No.1. Bent Jensen                            Odense .

Final:  
No.1. Bent Jensen                            Odense
No.2. Richard Darup                       Koege
No.3 Ib Kroyer Christensen            Copenhagen

2. race 1. Heat:
No.1. Arne Fog                                 Copenhagen

2. Heat:
No.1. Ib Kroyer Christensen           Copenhagen

3. Heat:
No.1. Bent Jensen                            Odense

Final:
No.1. Bent Jensen                            Odense
No.2. Ib Kroyer Christensen           Copenhagen
No.3 Arne Fog                                  Copenhagen  (crashed)

Arne Fog’s crash was a dramatic forward salto, which left him unconscious on the track. At the hospital however only a minor concussion was found.

The meeting ended with a dinner for riders and officials at restaurant “Skovbakken” (Forest Hill) near Odense Zoo. The slightly disappointed riders from Copenhagen promised to return another day to get revenge over the cocky Bent Jensen.

 

May 14th 1931:

Helge Jensen from Copenhagen rode a new track record 1,43,4 for 4 laps with standing start.

odt004Helge Jensen in action

odt005

Gating: Left, Helge Jensen, Svend Aage Sorensen and Ib Kroyer Christensen.

Results:

1. Race  
1. Heat:
No.1. Helge Jensen                          Copenhagen

2. Heat:
No.1. Ib Kroyer Christensen           Copenhagen

3. Heat:
No.1. Aage Wagner                          Copenhagen

Intermediate Heat:
No.1. Svend Aage Sorensen           Copenhagen

Final:
No.1. Helge Jensen                          Copenhagen
No.2. Ib Kroyer Christensen           Copenhagen
No.3 Svend Aage Sorensen             Copenhagen 

2. race:  
1. Heat:
No.1. Helge Jensen                          Copenhagen

2. Heat:
No.1. Svend Aage Sorensen            Copenhagen

3. Heat:
No.1. Ib Kroyer Christensen           Copenhagen

Final:  
No.1. Helge Jensen                          Copenhagen
No.2. Svend Aage Sorensen           Copenhagen
No.3 Ib Kroyer Christensen            Copenhagen

odt006

Prize winners: Left, Helge Jensen, Ib Kroyer Christensen, Svend Aage Sorensen,
all Copenhagen and Herman Larsen, Odense

The Copenhageners kept their word and got their revenge to full extend. However it is a part of the story, that local ace Bent Jensen was unable to make his gearbox work and did not ride at all.
Arild Jensen from Copenhagen crashed and got hospitalized with a jaw fracture.

odt008

From left. Herman Larsen Odense,Knud E, Mogensen Odense
and Svend Aage Sorensen Copenhagen.


May 29. 1932.

The entire week before the meeting had been very rainy, so the track was deep and grippy. But on the day the weather was very fine.
The German rider Alfred Rumrich made an attempt on the track record for 4 laps with flying start, but failed.

Svend Aage Sorensen was successful with a new record on 1,32,2 in the standard class. The eagerly awaited star Baltzer Hansen from Copenhagen blew his engine in the first crack race and retired for the day.

odt009Rumrich failing in his record attempt.

Results:

1. Race:
Standard:
No.1 Bent Jensen                             Odense.
No.2 Svend Aage Sorensen             Copenhagen
No.3 N. V. Jensen                             Odense

Crack race special
1. Heat:
No.1 Alfred Rumrich                        Hamburg
No.2. Kaj Hansen                             Copenhagen
No.3 Baltzer Hansen (EF)                Copenhagen

2. Heat:
No.1 Alfred Rumrich                        Hamburg
No.2 Kaj Hansen                              Copenhagen

3. Heat:
No.1 Alfred Rumrich                       Hamburg
No.2 Kaj Hansen                              Copenhagen

Crack race standard
1. Heat: 
Nr.1.  Bent Jensen                            Odense
Nr.2.  Børge Larsen                          Odense
Nr.3  Sv. Aa. Sorensen,                    Copenhagen (retired)

2. Heat:
No.1 Bent Jensen                             Odense
No.2 Børge Larsen                           Odense
No.3 Sv. Aa. Sorensen,                    Copenhagen (retired)

3. Heat:  
No.1 Bent Jensen                             Odense
No.2 Børge Larsen                           Odense
No.3 Svend Aage Sorensen             Copenhagen

Handicap                                                               Advance sec.:
Nr.1.  Poul Kaloer                             Odense               12 s.
Nr.2.  Svend Poulsen                       Odense                10 s.
Nr.3.  Kaj Hansen                             Copenhagen         4 s.    .
Nr.4.  Alfred Rumrich                      Hamburg               0 s.   .
Nr.5.  Knud E. Mogensen               Odense                   8 s.

In Denmark’s Motor Union’s  calendar for 1933 only two meeting were scheduled, May 12th and June 18th. For 1934 the track was not listed at all.
The meeting on May 12th 1933 got cancelled because Fyens Motor Sport decided to concentrate their effort around the new scramble track at the Langeso Forest 6 miles west of Odense.

17 years should pass by before Fyens Motor Sport again appeared in dirt track, when it in cooperation with the Sports Motor club Odin organized speedway meetings at Odense Athletic Stadium in 1950.

odt007Always intense fights on Odense Dirt track.
Inside Morian Hansen, ourtside Svend Aa. Sorensen.

 

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