Österbro Stadium

Speedway

Facts:
Track name: Österbro Stadium
Track owner: Copenhagen Municipality
Track adress: Osterbrogade (now 7, Gunnar Nu Hansen’s place)
Length: 400 m.
Track surface: Cinders
Straigth width: Ca. 8 m.
Bends width: Ca. 8 m.
Opened year/date: 1946
Closed year/date: 1952

The meetings at the Stadium were organized by the association of motor clubs in Copenhagen, which also arranged meetings at Gentofte and Gladsaxe stadiums. The income from these meetings was spent on the establishing of the Amager Speedway.
The stadium was, and still is, a combined football and athletics stadium. Despite being relatively narrow the cinders track was usable for speedway racing. The artificial light was just sufficient enough for meetings held on workday’s nights, as it can be seen on the programme cover below.

Østerbro

Østerbro 001
The riders in the Expert class 18/10 1951.
(The hand writing is Orla Knudsen’s)

From the initial heats the 4 fastest riders proceeded into 3 A-heats, the 4 next into 3 B-heat and so on into C- and D-heats..
Expert match A:
Nr. 1. Kiehn Bertelsen,                 Copenhagen     8 point.
Nr. 2. Orla Knudsen                      Copenhagen     7 point.
Nr. 3. Evert ”Kumla” Fransson.    Sweden             2 point.
Nr. 4. Thorleif Andreassen,         Norway              retired.

Expert match B:
Nr. 1. Evert Hägg,                         Sweden              7 point.
Nr. 2. Lars Erik sterberg,             Norway               6 point.
Nr. 3. Aage Andersen.                 Copenhagen      2 point.
Nr. 4. Jorgen Petersen,               Copenhagen       0 point.

Expert match C:
Nr. 1. Lars Thaung,                       Norway           5½ point.
Nr. 2. Leif Hirsborg,                      Copenhagen  4½ point.
Nr. 3. Edvin Frederiksen.             Norway             2 point.
Nr. 4. Uno Jensen,                        Copenhagen     0 point.

April 14. 1952  Danish WC qualification meeting:
This meeting was scheduled to April 3., but a long and late winter covered the track with a heavy layer of snow. Finally after two postponements it was possible to get it staged.
A team meeting between Kaparna from Sweden and a Danish select soon lost every interrest due to superiority of the Swedish team.

056 1952
From left:. Kiehn Bertelsen, Jorgen Petersen, Orla Knudsen
and Morian Hansen (photo: Kurt Willems)

Results:  (received from  Erik Jensen, Karlebo.)
WC qualification
Nr. 1 Kiehn Berthelsen                                          9 point.
Nr. 2 Orla Knudsen                                                5 point.
Nr. 3 Morian Hansen                                             4 point.
Nr. 4: Jorgen Petersen                                           0 point.
Berthelsen and Knudsen qualified for the Scandinavian round.

Team match: (Results: Motor Bladet May 1952)
Danish select          27 point.          “Kaparne”              45 point.
Kiehn Berthelsen       12 point.           Kjell Carlsson         11 point.
Leif Hirsborg                6 point.           Nilsson                    10 point.
Jørgen Petersen          3 point.            Eineskog                   7 point.
Uno Jensen                 3 point.             Norlén                      5 point.
Orla Knudsen              2 point.            Claesson                   5 point.
Aage Andersen           1 point.            Gustafsson                5 point.
Morian Hansen           0 point.            Friberg                      2 point.
Erhardt Fisker             0 point.

Special 500 cc:
Nr. 1 Leif Bech,                          Copenhagen                      5 point.
Nr. 2 Lennart Ahrren,                 Sverige                              4 point.
Nr. 3 Erhardt Fisker,                   Copenhagen                     3 point.
Nr. 4 Eivind Petersen,                Copenhagen                      0 point.

Standard 500 cc:
Nr. 1 Robert Rasmussen,           Odense                             8 point.
Nr. 2 Eivind Hansen,                   Odense                             7 point.
Nr. 3 Børge Mørch,                     Kolding                             5 point.
Nr. 4 Alfred Larsen,                    Copenhagen                     4 point.

May 1. 1952:
This was apparently the last meting held at this stadium. Then weather was bright sunshine, but a programme with some Danish and Swedish riders was unable to attract more than a few hundred spectators away from the May 1st celebration with shows and speeches in the park less than a half mile away.

Results:
Expert A:
Heat 1: Kiehn Berthelsen, Morian Hansen, Leif Hirsborg.
Heat 2: Kiehn Berthelsen, Morian Hansen, Leif Hirsborg.
Heat 3: Kiehn Berthelsen, Morian Hansen, Leif Hirsborg.

Expert B:
Heat 1: B. Persson, Leif Bech, Erhardt Fisker.
Heat 2: Erhardt , B. Persson, Leif Bech.
Heat 3: Leif Bech, B. Persson, Ejv. Petersen.

Expert C:
Heat 1: Andersson, Uno Jensen, Jorgen Nielsen.
Heat 2: Anderssen, Uno Jensen, Jorgen Nielsen.

Sport A:
Heat 1: Robert Rasmussen, Ljungstrand, Borge Morch.
Heat 2: Ljungstrand, Robert Rasmussen, Ejvind Hansen.
Heat 3: Borge Morch, Robert Rasmussen, Lungstrand.

Sport: B
Heat 1: Johannes Mygind, Alfred Larsen
Heat 2: Johannes Mygind, Due.
Heat 3: Johannes Mygind, Due.

Østerbro stadion
Satellite view of Østerbro Stadium. The artificial track cannot be used for Speedway.
7The main building with the red roof is now under preservation

Speedway was not far away from the Stadium, as it as neighbor to PARKEN on the backside offered an area in the left upper corner to the pits at the SGP events there.

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Thank you very much in advance.