DATE OF BIRTH: 19 November 1966, Varmdo, Stockholm, Sweden.
BRITISH CAREER: (1985-90) Swindon; (1991) Berwick; (1992) Swindon; (1993-94) Bradford; (1995) Oxford; (1996-98) Swindon; (1999) Belle Vue; (2000) Oxford; (2001) Belle Vue.
CAREER RECORD WITH SWINDON: Meetings: 408 (243 League; 35 Knock-Out Cup; 40 League Cup; 26 Gold Cup; 3 BSPA Cup; 7 Craven Shield; 6 Midland Cup; 25 Challenge; 9 Four-Team Championship; 8 Four-Team Tournament; 6 Three-Team Tournament) Rides: 1,948 Points: 3815 Bonus: 280 Total: 4,095 Average: 8.41 Maximums: 34 (15 full and 19 paid)
CLUB DEBUT: 20 July 1985 versus Ipswich (Home) British League; 9+2 points (4 rides).
JIMMY ØIVIND NILSEN began riding on a 50cc machine in his native Sweden in 1980, and was to enjoy three separate spells with the Robins. Initially, though, in 1985, he was refused a work permit to ride for the Robins, as the Speedway Control Board were of the opinion that he wouldn't reach the requisite 6.00 average. However, local MP Simon Coombs subsequently took up the case and eventually Jimmy got his permit, making his debut for the Robins on 20 July that year in a British League match versus Ipswich at Blunsdon.
What a start it was, too, as he won both of his opening rides and ended the evening with a tally of 9+2 points. He went on to make several telling contributions, including posting a paid maximum at home to Belle Vue - in what was only his seventh league match for the club - on 14 September. By the season's close, Nilsen had racked-up 91 points from only sixteen league matches for an average of 6.54, and it was small wonder that he was being referred to as the ‘jewel in the crown' by several Blunsdon regulars.
In 1986, the Swede reached his initial World Final and performed brilliantly to finish fourth in the event at Katowice, Poland. Meanwhile, on the domestic front, his league average rose to 7.90; this was despite his season being curtailed by a compulsory stint in the Swedish Army. The following year, Jimmy was again fourth in the two-day World Final in Amsterdam, Holland, whilst a terrific league campaign saw him head the Swindon averages on a mighty 9.73 figure.
Regrettably, the opening meeting of the 1988 season turned into a nightmare, when a nasty crash left him nursing a fractured left wrist and a dislocated right shoulder. After returning to the saddle in mid-May, he struggled to regain full fitness for the rest of the term and it was no surprise that his league average plummeted to 7.31. Thankfully, Nilsen regained both his fitness and form in 1989, achieving a league average of 8.33 to again sit nicely on top of the Robins' end-of-term figures.
In 1990, he returned to the World Final stage at Bradford, finishing fifth in what was a tremendously exciting meeting. For Swindon, Jimmy continued to head back in the right direction, gleaning a total of 285 league points for a solid 8.61 average but, in a shock move, he was to spend the next season on loan to Berwick.
The Swede became something of a superstar on the tight Berrington Lough circuit and ended the season occupying fifth position in the First Division averages, having posted a 9.77 figure. Individually, he once more reached the World Final in his homeland at Gothenburg, and another fine performance again saw him finish in fifth spot.
Nilsen then returned to Swindon in 1992, but a poor year saw the Robins suffer the ignominy of relegation. Things weren't so bad on a personal level, though, as he qualified for another World Final and did well enough to claim seventh spot at Wroclaw, Poland. Swindon's relegation meant that Jimmy was again on the move - to Bradford (1993-94) and Oxford (1995), but he was brought back to the Robins' nest for the 1996 season.
And he immediately rediscovered his old form to yield a 9.35 league average, whilst also claiming his first Swedish national title and winning both the Nordic Final and Inter-Continental Final. His first sojourn in the Grand Prix series occurred in 1997, when he claimed eighth position overall and became well-known on Sky television for his armchair style of riding.
Jimmy was to stay at Swindon until 1998, a year when he rode brilliantly to finish as runner-up to Tony Rickardsson in the Grand Prix series. After the decision was made for the Robins to drop down into the Premier League, he joined Belle Vue for the 1999 campaign. He achieved an average of 8.33 for the Aces in the Elite League, but slipped back to fourth place in the Grand Prix series.
It's fair to say Nilsen had become something of a speedway journeyman by this time, and he again linked with Oxford in 2000. He then re-joined Belle Vue in 2001, only for his career to end somewhat abruptly following an alarming crash in the third round of the Grand Prix series at Vojens, Denmark on 28 July. Despite taking a very hard fall, somehow Jimmy was able to complete the meeting, but later suffered headaches, which necessitated a brain scan.
Although he again donned his racing gear to appear for Vargarna in a subsequent Swedish Elite League match, the Vojens accident effectively brought his career to a premature end. He bowed out with five World Finals under his belt (1986-87 and 1990-92), plus five appearances in the Grand Prix series (1997-01). During his stints with Swindon, he made a mammoth 408 appearances in all competitions, gleaning a grand total of 3,815 points and occupies sixth position in the club's all-time scoring list.
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DATE OF BIRTH: 19 November 1966, Varmdo, Stockholm, Sweden.
Regrettably, the opening meeting of the 1988 season turned into a nightmare, when a nasty crash left him nursing a fractured left wrist and a dislocated right shoulder. After returning to the saddle in mid-May, he struggled to regain full fitness for the rest of the term and it was no surprise that his league average plummeted to 7.31. Thankfully, Nilsen regained both his fitness and form in 1989, achieving a league average of 8.33 to again sit nicely on top of the Robins' end-of-term figures.
Jimmy was to stay at Swindon until 1998, a year when he rode brilliantly to finish as runner-up to Tony Rickardsson in the Grand Prix series. After the decision was made for the Robins to drop down into the Premier League, he joined Belle Vue for the 1999 campaign. He achieved an average of 8.33 for the Aces in the Elite League, but slipped back to fourth place in the Grand Prix series.
