Hans Andersen (speedway rider)

Andersen was a Danish Junior Champion in 1996 and reached the final of the 1999 Speedway Under-21 World Championship, where he finished fourth.[5] He began his British league career when he joined Poole Pirates for the 2001 Elite League speedway season. He spent 2002 with Poole before securing a move to Peterborough Panthers in 2003.[4]

During 2004 and 2005 he rode for Ipswich Witches and was an established member of the Danish national team as well as a regular rider in the Speedway Grand Prix. He won his first Grand Prix race during the 2004 Speedway Grand Prix, when he won the Speedway Grand Prix of Scandinavia. Despite being originally left out of the 2006 Speedway Grand Prix series, he replaced the retired Tony Rickardsson, eventually winning two Grand Prix meetings and finishing sixth in the final standings. He also became only the third rider to win a GP as a wild card.[6]

Andersen riding for Peterborough in 2007

In 2006, he returned to Peterborough and impressed by recording a 10 plus average in both 2006 and 2007 for them.[7] He won his first World Cup gold medal for Denmark when the team won the 2006 Speedway World Cup.

In 2007, Andersen became Danish National Champion for the first time. Andersen left his British club, Peterborough Panthers, mid-season in July 2008 after it emerged that the club had not paid him wages amounting to several thousand pounds.[8] Shortly afterwards he signed for Coventry Bees and teamed up with Chris Harris to win the Elite League Pairs Championship.[9] he won his fourth and final Grand Prix race during the 2008 Speedway Grand Prix, when he won the Speedway Grand Prix of Italy. He also won his second World Cup with Denmark after winning the 2008 Speedway World Cup.

Andersen rode for the Poole Pirates in 2009, and moved on to join the Belle Vue Aces for the 2010 season. He returned to the Peterborough Panthers team towards the end of the 2011 season, replacing Nicki Pedersen.

Andersen led Swindon Robins to Elite League glory in 2012, and on 28 January he eventually was able to ride for the Wiltshire side again in 2013 following a winter-long battle with parent club Peterborough. In 2016, he signed for Poole Pirates, and he was with them again in 2017.[10] He was with Leicester Lions in 2018 before riding with Peterborough in 2019.[10]

In July 2021, Anderson re-signed for the Leicester Lions in the Championship. In 2022, he rode for Peterborough again, in the SGB Premiership 2022 and for the Plymouth Gladiators in the SGB Championship 2022[11] and signed again for Peterborough for the 2023 season.[12] Unfortunately, his form dipped and Peterborough released him but shortly afterwards Berwick Bandits came in to sign him as an injury replacement.[13]

• Denmark national speedway team
• List of Speedway Grand Prix riders