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Hammers career : 1991-1993
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BO PETERSEN first made his British Speedway debut way back in 1978 when he was brought over to ride in the UK by Hackney Hawks promoter Len Silver. Bo averaged over six points a match in a successful first season and established himself as a huge crowd favourite down at Waterden Road.
In 1980 his form exploded and he became virtually unbeatable at the Wick, his points scoring average rising to over 10 points a match as he consolidated his position as a fully-fledged Danish international. When Silver decided to relinquish the reins at Hackney at the end of 1983, Petersen moved on to Swindon, where he remained for the next couple of seasons. Bo spent the late eighties drifting in and out of British Speedway, with spells at King's Lynn and at Wolverhampton as a temporary replacement for Sam Ermolenko in 1990.
In 1991 his long time sponsor Ivan Henry, who had just taken over the promotion at Arena-Essex with Terry Russell, moved to quickly tie the Dane to a deal to ride in the second division for the Hammers. After an initial bedding in period, where Bo struggled a little with his gating during the early-season Gold Cup, he quickly settled down to become a tower of strength for the club. He averaged over 10 points a match and led the Hammers to their first ever team silverware at Peterborough when he scored a stunning maximum to lead them to four team championship glory.
The summer of 1991 was pivotal to the Hammers' league success and multiple away victories saw them wrap up the league championship title on 12th September with victory over Stoke - and Bo typified his fantastic form with a paid maximum on that occasion.
The season ended in spectacular fashion when the Hammers claimed knockout cup victory over Glasgow in a replayed final after the first tie ended all square.
The Hammers were rewarded with promotion to the top flight in 1992 and Bo stayed with the club as they made the move. He carried on his dominant form at Arena and looked like he had never been away from the higher echelons in the UK as he held down a heat leader slot alongside Brian Karger.
Come the end of that season and Bo announced his retirement from British Speedway - but he was persuaded back at the end of 1993 by the management when Peter Ravn was ruled out with a long-term mid-season injury. A rider who'll forever be remembered with fondness by East London and Essex speedway followers, Bo is a true Hammers legend.
Year |
Matches |
Rides |
Points |
Bonus |
Total |
Average |
Full Max |
Paid Max |
1991 |
31 |
156 |
395 |
16 |
411 |
10.54 |
4 |
7 |
1992 |
26 |
137 |
260 |
20 |
280 |
8.18 |
0 |
1 |
1993 |
19 |
105 |
200 |
21 |
221 |
8.42 |
0 |
1 |
TOTAL |
76 |
398 |
855 |
57 |
912 |
9.17 |
4 |
9 |
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