Parsons Peebles Monarchs are pleased to announce their fifth signing for the 2018 Speedway season, 21 year old Swedish rider Joel Andersson.
Joel was the Swedish Under-21 Champion in 2016, and also rode in the World Under-21 Final and the World Under-21 Team Championship. He has competed for several seasons in the Swedish Elite League, most recently with Masarna, and he also rides in the Swedish second tier (the Allsvenskan League). He will be coming to Britain for the first time though Monarchs have previously tried to sign him.
He said “I think that was about two years ago, I thought I was too young and didn’t feel ready. Now I need to go to the UK to get experience.
“I’ve been in the Elite League about four years. I will be a reserve for Masarna this year, and in the Allsvenskan League I will race in Norrkoping this year, for Vargarna. I was with Vastervik previously but they won the League and have been promoted. I also have Poland for next year, I am going to race in Krakow. I hope so anyway, in Poland you don’t know!
“Of course I have heard plenty about the Edinburgh Monarchs. I have been speaking to Victor Palovaara who was racing for Glasgow, and I asked him what he thought about Edinburgh. He said it was a really good club.”
Swedish circuits are often wide and long but he feels that Armadale won’t hold too many fears for him. “I like the technical tracks. Norrkoping where I will be racing next year is the smallest track in Sweden I think. I really like the technical stuff because you have to think to be fast on the track.”
That Swedish Under-21 triumph he rates as his best achievement to date. “I think it must be, anyway it is the biggest competition that I have won. I rode in the Swedish Under-21 team but we didn’t qualify for the final.” Having reached 21 he will not be in these competitions in 2018.
His website has details of his backup team but he will be looking to add to that for his UK racing. “My Polish mechanic will only do Poland and Sweden. My dad works full time so he is only with us for the meetings when he has time, and maybe when it’s close to home. I intend to find a mechanic in the UK.”
He already knows one of his new team mates well. “I know Erik Riss, I raced against him in the Under-21 stuff for a number of years, and he is racing also for Vargarna next season.”
Joel will be active over the rest of the winter prior to arriving in Scotland. “I am going to Australia in two weeks to race speedway there for two months. I will be home in early March and intend to come over as soon as possible after that. I will have two bikes and three engines, and I think my mechanic will be over in February to take them across. I can fly over and put the bikes together.
“I am a little bit nervous and excited now that it is so close. Every time I go to a track in Britain it will be a new one so that is a reason for being a little nervous!”
Subject to BSPA confirmation Joel will start on an average of 5.20.
Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.
