Karl Mikael Karlsson (born 21 August 1973),[1] who later rode under the name Mikael Max, is a Swedish former international motorcycle speedway rider.[2][3] He earned 21 caps for the Sweden national speedway team.[4]

Mikael Max
Mikael Karlsson
Born (1973-08-21) 21 August 1973 (age 51)
Gullspång, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
Websitemikaelmax.com
Career history
Sweden
1989–1998Örnarna
1999–2002Valsarna
2003–2005, 2015–2016Dackarna
2006–2008Piraterna
2006–2015Gnistorna
2010–2011Lejonen
2013Hammarby
2014Indianerna
Great Britain
1993–1994, 1996–1999, 2001–2005Wolverhampton Wolves
2006Arena Essex Hammers
Poland
1995Piła
2000–2002Rybnik
2003Warsaw
2005 2009–2010Rzeszów
2006–2007Ostrów
2008Wrocław
2011Gdańsk
2012Daugavpils
Individual honours
1994World Under-21 Champion
1992Swedish U21 champion
Team honours
1994, 2000, 2003, 2004Speedway World Cup
1996Premier League
1996Elite League KO Cup Winner
1997Premiership Winner
2002Elite League
2005Polish Div Two Champion
1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999Swedish Elitserien Champion
1992, 1996, 2002, 2003Swedish Pairs Champion

Career

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After first riding a speedway bike at the age of twelve, he moved up to 500cc bikes in 1989.[5] He represented Sweden at under-21 level in 1990, and made his full debut for Sweden in 1991.[5]

He won the Swedish U21 championship in 1992[6] and finished runner-up to Joe Screen in the World Under-21 Championship in 1993.[7] He made amends the following season by winning the championship in 1994.[8][5]

Karlsson made his British speedway debut in 1993 for Wolverhampton Wolves, going on to ride for the club until 2005, only missing the 1995 and 2000 seasons. In 2006, he rode for the Arena Essex Hammers. Max is his mother's maiden name and he raced as Mikael Max from 2003.[5][9]

Max won four World team championships in 1994, 2000, 2003 and 2004.[10]

His two brothers, Peter Karlsson and Magnus Karlsson, are both speedway riders.[5] All three brothers represented Sweden in the 2007 Speedway World Cup, with Magnus riding at reserve. He won the Swedish Pairs Championship four times, twice with brother Peter, in 1992 and 1996, with Stefan Dannö in 2002 and with Stefan Andersson in 2003.

World Championship

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Speedway Grand Prix results

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Year Position Points Best Finish Notes
1995 16th 17 15th
1996 23rd 0 - Reserve in Swedish Grand Prix (did not ride)
1997 16th 14 8th 8th in Great Britain Grand Prix. Reserve in three others.
1999 14th 45 9th
2000 13th 39 7th
2001 7th 59 2nd 2nd in Sweden Grand Prix. 3rd in Poland Grand Prix.
2002 5th 122 3rd 3rd in Norway Grand Prix. 3rd in Great Britain Grand Prix.
2003 13th 52 5th
2004 16th 49 9th
2005 28th 0 17th Reserve at Sweden Grand Prix

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0
  2. ^ Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 522. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
  3. ^ "Mikael Karl Max Szwecja". Polish Speedway Database. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Oakes, Peter (2004) British Speedway Who's Who, ISBN 0-948882-81-6, p. 150
  6. ^ "Swedish Speedway Junior Championship". Speedway History. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Joe's king - thanks to pals". Manchester Evening News. 16 August 1993. Retrieved 9 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "Wolves' Karlsson trumphant as King of the Under-21s". Birmingham Daily Post. 15 August 1994. Retrieved 10 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "2008 Rider index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  10. ^ "There have been three international team competitions run by the F.I.M". International Speedway. Retrieved 26 March 2023.