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.
Sv. 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 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.
Sv. 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.
Helge Jensen in action
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
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.
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.
Rumrich 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.
Always intense fights on Odense Dirt track.
Inside Morian Hansen, ourtside Svend Aa. Sorensen.
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