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Hammers career : 1991, 1993-1995, 1997-1998, 2000
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JAN PEDERSEN first came to British shores in 1991 to ride for the Hammers. He adapted to league racing very well, benefiting from the experience of riding with fellow Danish rider Bo Petersen at the Arena-Essex Raceway.
The signing of Brian Karger and the return from injury of Andy Galvin led to the unfortunate axing of the Dane, although the promotion insisted he had done nothing wrong - he later joined Milton Keynes where he finished the season as a heat leader for the Knights.
The following year he joined Rye House and although he struggled at first to come to terms with the tricky Hoddesdon circuit, he was soon banging in the scores and led them to the knockout cup final. He was retained by the Rockets for the 1993 season and completed it by riding in the number one position.
In 1994 Jan was recalled to ride for the Hammers in the First Division. He rode for just one month before a Danish League fixture saw him injure his foot. The promotion moved quickly to sign Swedish rider Christer Rohlen once it became apparent that Jan's injuries were not going to heal quickly and when he returned in the summer he was loaned out to league rivals Reading.
Jan rejoined the Hammers the following year where he enjoyed a very successful season, upping his average by almost two points. He rode for the London Lions at Hackney for part of 1996 but broke his leg in a nasty crash at Hull to complete a miserable season for him - he'd also found himself on the sidelines at the beginning of that year.
Jan rejoined the Hammers in 1997 where he was the Club's top man and nearly achieved similar status in 98, narrowly missing out to newcomer Leigh Lanham.
Come 1999 and it was a different story, though. Jan was forced out of the Hammers' line-up and was loaned to Berwick for a handful of matches before being axed.
Jan sat out the remainder of 1999 and returned to Hammers ranks in 2000 as a replacement for long-term injury victim Lanham, who'd broken his thigh in a terrible season-opening clash. Jan rode in 38 matches for the Hammers that season before hanging up his leathers at the end of the year.
Year |
Matches |
Rides |
Points |
Bonus |
Total |
Average |
Full Max |
Paid Max |
1991 |
11 |
46 |
62 |
17 |
79 |
6.87 |
0 |
0 |
1993 |
2 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
13 |
4.00 |
0 |
0 |
1994 |
4 |
18 |
15 |
3 |
18 |
4.00 |
0 |
0 |
1995 |
43 |
216 |
285 |
50 |
335 |
6.20 |
0 |
0 |
1997 |
38 |
200 |
383 |
38 |
421 |
8.42 |
0 |
2 |
1998 |
34 |
174 |
352 |
27 |
379 |
8.71 |
1 |
3 |
2000 |
38 |
171 |
254 |
26 |
280 |
6.55 |
0 |
0 |
TOTAL |
132 |
838 |
1364 |
161 |
1525 |
7.28 |
1 |
5 |
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