48 replies to this topic

[Mischa Bijenhof]

After realising that Nicolas Kiesa is only the forth Danish Formula 1 driver, I looked up the credentials of the other Scandinavian countries. Of course, Finland and Sweden do well, but there seem to be virtually no motorracing whatsoever in Norway. Perhaps any Norwegian TNF-member who can shed a light on this?

[Darren Galpin]

Not strictly true! The following tracks are in Norway:

Arctic Circle Raceway
Gardemoen (see earlier threads about this)
Oslo
Rudskogen
Sarpsborg
Våler

So there has been some.

[Vitesse2]

Well, I'm not Norwegian, but ....

Pre-war, there was a more than capable Norwegian driver called Eugen Bjornstadt, who campaigned an ERA voiturette in a spectacular style born of his ice racing experience. He seems to have retired after the 1937 Vanderbilt Cup race in the USA - perhaps he stayed in America? All Leif's site has on him is a death date of 1993.

Post-war, there was a start made on circuit racing in Norway: I have something on this on file, but it's part of Alessandro Silva's book manuscript and based on information dug up by another TNF member. Alessandro is on holiday at the moment, so I can't ask his permission to post it and I'm uncertain whether that forum member would want this made public at present.

[Fred Gallagher]

Wasn't Martin Schance (if that's how you spell it) OK in sports cars as well as Rallycross?

And in rallying John Haugland and Petter Solberg were both guys I enjoyed co-driving for.

[Frank de Jong]

The Norwegians have been sparse in International Touringcar racing. Apart from Haugland (1971 Nürburgring, Skoda, what else?) I can only find 3 others in my records, Anders Berggren, John Unnerud and Peter Lökken. Of the last trio, there was even one racing with a Swedish licence ;)
I seem to remember some sort of ban on circuit racing, still it's strange that we have a lot of Swedes, Danes and Fins and so few Norwegians.

[anjakub]

Martin Schanche, Egil Stenshagen, Anders Norstedt, Björn Skogstad, Ludvig Husbedt and Eivind Opland were European Rallycross Champions. All from Norway.

[Jim Thurman]

Harald Huysman raced Barber Saab in the U.S. and then competed some in Sports Cars, including LeMans.

But he's the only Norwegian circuit racer I'm familiar with.


Jim Thurman

[Felix Muelas]

Mischa,

Some information can be found on this previous thread



Felix

[wibblywobbly]

Petter Solberg WRC Subaru Impreza

[Don Capps]

Isn't there a track near Lake Woebegone, Minnesota where they run the "Norwegian 500" during the festival honoring the Unknown Norwegian?

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
.....Pre-war, there was a more than capable Norwegian driver called Eugen Bjornstadt, who campaigned an ERA voiturette in a spectacular style born of his ice racing experience.....

Rates a mention in a DSJ article about the 1934 Spanish GP grid... based on a photo he was looking at...

Seems Bjornstadt had 'an early Monza Alfa Romeo' but was to miss this race because it was overweight.

[Dennis Hockenbury]

Originally posted by Don Capps
Isn't there a track near Lake Woebegone, Minnesota where they run the "Norwegian 500" during the festival honoring the Unknown Norwegian?

Don, I think the PC name of this event is the 'Norwegian 500 presented by Powdermilk Biscuits'!

[Disco Stu]

Does anyone know exactly how Eugen Bjornstadt's name was spelled? I've seen Bjornstadt, Björnstad, Bjørnstad, and probably others.

[BRG]

Isn't there some legal background to the low Norwegian motorsport involvement? I thought that racing and rallying were banned (perhaps, like Switzerland, after the 1955 Le Mans incident?).

I heard that there were sprints and hill-climbs allowed but rallying only became legal (again?) 10 or so years back, I believe, and guylike the Solberg brothers soon became well known. Haugland always had to compete abroad throughout his distinguished rally career. Maybe racing was equally restricted?

PS wasn't Tom Trana, 1960s Volvo rallyist, from Norway?

[conjohn]

Originally posted by BRG
PS wasn't Tom Trana, 1960s Volvo rallyist, from Norway?

No, he's Swedish...

...but Tommy Rustad is a Norwegian, who, among other things, have won the Privateers Cup in BTCC 1998 in a Laguna. He was 3rd in the Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC) in a Nissan Primera in 1999, in 2000 he went one better, and won the STCC, again in a Primera. In 2001 he was 3rd in the European Super Production Championship, in a Primera. Nowadays, he can be seen, at least by me and 10'-15' others, campaigning a black BTCC Opel in the new Super 2000 STCC (wouldn't that make it a Vauxhall then??)

Before that he won the Renault Spider EuroCup in 1997, having been 2nd the previous year, and before that he drove Formula Opel, Formula Renault and some Formula 3 in Italy.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by conjohn


Tommy Rustad
Before that he won the Renault Spider EuroCup in 1997, having been 2nd the previous year, and before that he drove Formula Opel, Formula Renault and some Formula 3 in Italy.

#


I saw him in the Monaco-supporting Spider race in '96 and he was by far the most exuberant driver there - someone I really hoped would go further in the sport....

[LittleChris]

Originally posted by Jim Thurman
Harald Huysman raced Barber Saab in the U.S. and then competed some in Sports Cars, including LeMans.

But he's the only Norwegian circuit racer I'm familiar with.


Jim Thurman

From cider addled memory, Huysman raced in Uk F3. Later I'm fairly sure he was involved management wise in a current F1 drivers career, possibly Jenson Button.

[fines]

Originally posted by Disco Stu
Does anyone know exactly how Eugen Bjornstadt's name was spelled? I've seen Bjornstadt, Björnstad, Bjørnstad, and probably others.

I BELIEVE it's Bjørnstad, which is transcribed as Björnstad if your keyboard doesn't support "ø", and to Bjornstad if it doesn't support "ö" either.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by fines
I BELIEVE it's Bjørnstad, which is transcribed as Björnstad if your keyboard doesn't support "ø", and to Bjornstad if it doesn't support "ö" either.

That's what you call getting things right to a 'T'...

But where's the 't' gone?

[fines]

Ha! I was so concentrated with the ø thingy that I completely forgot about it! Shame on me! Double


__________________

Guantánamo is everywhere!

[indyricefan13]

Eugen Bjornstad won the Lviv Grand Prix in 1933. I found out in the recently published book that he drove non stop without a pit stop for the whole race while his rivals Widengren (not sure about spelling) and Balestero had to come in because he installed an extra fuel tank on his car. Later on the press in Scandinavia said that Widengren was the better driver and that Bjornstad won because of luck. But Eugen always reminded everybody that he had beaten Rudolf Caracciola's 1932 record at the 'Lviv Triangle'.

[john medley]

Bjornstad, however he spelt it, had a garage/wrecking yard outside one of the main cities of his homeland after WW2, where he had seedy photos on the walls from his motor racing days. He told a friend of mine that he hadnt actually paid for the ERA he drove, so they took it back.

[Tomas Karlsson]

Eugen Björnstad would have had some problem getting a seat fitting in a modern racecar, but he was the best Scandinavian driver in the thirties. First with a Bugatti 35C and then with an Alfa Romeo 8C. He had a lot of tough fights with the Swede Per-Wiktor Widengren, who also had an Alfa. Both cars were rebuilt as monopostos and got bigger engines.
Björnstad showed what he could do in his short spell with the ERA. According to race reports, he had a rather spectacular style after many years racing on ice.

[Richard Jenkins]

Early Indianapolis racer Gil (Gilbert) Anderson was born in Norway & although he became a naturalised American, was often referred to as "the flying Norweigan" & such like.

[bill moffat]

Fjord GT40 ?

[Tomas Karlsson]

In the years immediately after WWII there was a fast Norwegian who won almost everything in Scandinavia with his Ford Specials. His name was Arne Hinsvaerk and he had made some money in the house-building business after the war. He stopped racing when his money ran out.
He told me that he had driven in some races on the continent, substituting for other drivers! But never under his own name. He wouldn't tell me what races or drivers he was talking about. Since I have heard that story before, I didn't take it seriously, but has anyone heard about something like that?

[Mattthecat]

Still the question remains: Why so few activity in Norway? Sweden and Finland have circuit and especially rally drivers (and mighty successful ones at that) in abundance, but only a handful from Norway.

Maybe it's safer to travel Norwegian roads on skies than in cars.....

[Stefan Ornerdal]

I’m not Norwegian and will probably be slagged off from any Norwegians at TNF – Tom Berge, where are you?
As “brother countries” we are used to have a joke on each other... like the Irish and the Brits.

To Mattthecats question, and my thoughts about it:

1. Norway is a small country – inhabitants that is – if you put it flat, it’s the worlds largest country!

2. Norway suffered very bad economically from WW2.

3. As in all Scandinavian countries, motor-racing was/is not very well treated by the authorieties, state or town societies. Especially after the Le Mans disaster, in Norway very much like in Switzerland. Must be the air of the high mountains.

4. Nothing in the newspapers. No motorsport magazines in the Norwegian language. Only half a page in Swedish mag “Illustrerad Motorsport” in the 60’s and 70’s.

5. Lousy drivers. No, just joking! But the Euro Road 6 from Denmark through Sweden to Norway is regarded as the most dangerous road in Sweden, cause of crazy Norwegians on their way home from the continent...

6. Not very well known is all the Norwegian club events at tracks in Sweden, at Karlskoga and Dalslandsring. No Norweigan press and no interest from Swedish mags, very little is known about these races.

And now --- room for Norwegian comments. Be kind to me!

BTW – Norway has always good speedway-riders – famous in all North Europe – Basse Hveem, Sverre Harrfeldt, Reidar Eide and current world championship contender Rune Holta. But just about one rider at the time, not enough to make them WC-champions.

Stefan

[No brain no pain]

Originally posted by LittleChris


From cider addled memory, Huysman raced in Uk F3. Later I'm fairly sure he was involved management wise in a current F1 drivers career, possibly Jenson Button.

Huysman was sponsored by the Marlboro World Championship for years. He drove in F3 for Eddie Jordan, and had that much crashes that Eddie almost went bust..

He later on raced a Porsche 956 sponsored by the Norwegian company Hydro Aluminium, in the WSCC, and did reasonably well, with one win.

Together with Steve and David Robertson, he spotted both Jenson Button and Kimi Räikönnen, and supported them to fame. For sure they earned a dime, but this management was a very succesful one, to everyone involved.

Nowadays Huyman has bought the Rudskogen Racetrack in Norway together with among Michael Schumacher, and they plan to rebuild it to the best F1 testtrack in the world. My guess is that they will succeed.

Huysman has always been heavily supported by Marlboro.

[Mattthecat]

Some valid points, Stefan. Though by now there should have been something coming from there. Well, Solberg is... But maybe given the small population it is far more trendy to engage in the traditional winter sports than in motor racing.

[No brain no pain]

Originally posted by Mattthecat
Some valid points, Stefan. Though by now there should have been something coming from there. Well, Solberg is... But maybe given the small population it is far more trendy to engage in the traditional winter sports than in motor racing.

Norway is the world's richest country, and there are some very promising drivers coming up. Stian Sørlie is doing well in the British BMW championship with Fortec, and will race in the British F3 series in 2006. There are others as well racing around the world, in various series.

Looks promising for the Norwegian racing community.


BTW a "little off-topic" the Norwegians are dominating the Offshore boatracing Class 1 World Championship... Top speed about 290km/h..

[rx-guru]

http://www.bjerkerac...id=49&Itemid=56

Today it’s on again.

[ex Rhodie racer]

Having read Jon Ekerold´s autobiography, I recalled the 1980 350cc motorcycle racing world champion was of Norwegian decent, so I took the liberty of emailing him to ask about his Norwegian connection. He very graciously replied and informed me of the following.
Originally from South Africa, he now resides in Germany, but has a Norwegian passport and is officially a Norwegian citizen. His grandfather was the famous Norwegian scientist and explorer, Hagbard Ekerold, who founded the first weather observatory in the North sea on the island of Jan Mayen in 1921. Ekerold´s father was born in Bergen, Norway, and emigrated to South Africa shortly before WW2.
So Norway can claim at least one roadracing world champion after all.

[962C]

A link (note the "interesting" url) to show that historic racing is alive and well in Norway.
http://www.shag.no
Doc if you're reading this

[doc knutsen]

Originally posted by 962C
A link (note the "interesting" url) to show that historic racing is alive and well in Norway.
http://www.shag.no
Doc if you're reading this

Hi Jean-Christophe, see you at La Sarthe next year!

Getting back on topic: We have no tradition of motor racing on tarmac in Norway, our first proper track (Rudskogen) was only opened in 1990, for various reason. The years following WWII were dominated by dirt track racing, and winter time racing on frozen lakes. Our RAC MSA, Bilsportsforbundet, have always been first and foremost interested in promoting Rallying, with circuit racing very much the poor relation. So most people who wanted to do circuit racing chose to follow various Swedish championships instead, including yrs trly. There were many attempts at building a proper track before Rudskogen, but all came to nothing, as often as not through the indifference of our governing body. What money there was through the last few decades has been spent on Rallycross and later, Rallying.

Incidentally, there were no restrictions on motor sports following Le Mans 1955. However, a televised accident during Rally Norway in 1972 (iirc) led to a ban on rallying for many years....there were no personal injuries, only some severely dented rally cars. But coming up was the Oil Crisis, which affected public opinion against "wasteful" motor sports in a major way and certainly exacerbated the problem. Lately, of course, the activities of Mr Mosley has led to a palpable negative public attitude against the sport and those involved in it. The figurehead of the FIA being seen as a "Whore Customer" was big news nationwide, and has probably done a great deal of damage to the public view of the sport.

As of to-day, we have only two motor racing venues in active use, Rudskogen in Østfold, very close to Sweden, and Våler in Østerdal, an hour and a half north of Oslo. Oh, and there is the superb Arctic Circle Raceway, built on Government money, and located two and a half days' drive from the major population centres of the country which ensures that nobody uses the track. A great shame, the facilities are superb, but mindlessly placed way out of reach for all those who are week-end racers, and have to be at work during the weekdays. Which just happens to be about 99% of those who race in this country.

[rx-guru]

Originally posted by doc knutsen

Incidentally, there were no restrictions on motor sports following Le Mans 1955. However, a televised accident during Rally Norway in 1972 (iirc) led to a ban on rallying for many years....there were no personal injuries, only some severely dented rally cars.

Hi Doc, AFAIK the rally ban (from 1972 till 1984) was due to an accident of Per Engseth (from Elverum) who planted his VW Beetle into a group of parked cars behind the finnish line of a special stage of the 1971 Rally Norge…

[Boniver]

Lake Mjosa-Lillehammer Oppland - meer
25-feb 1934 I Norwegen GP - Widengren - Alfa Romeo Monza


Lake Bogstad - Oslo Bogstadvennet - Bogsta- Oslo- meer
10-feb 1935 II Norwegen GP - Widengren - Alfa Romeo Monza



ake Gjerstadjoen Gjerstad - Kolboth -Oslo - meer
8-mrt 1936 III Norwegen GP - Bjornstad - Alfa Romeo Monza


Gurdemoen Oslo - ice track
28-sep 1947 Gardemoen FL - Pahl - Bugatti
, 1948 <
28-aug 1949 Norges Isloppet F3 -Tavell - Cooper
11-jun 1950 Norges Isloppet F3 - Hveem - Cooper
11-jun 1950 Norges Isloppet FL - Carlsson -Ford


Oslo-Bjerke Isloppet
13-jun 1950 Oslo Isloppet F3 - Petterson I - Effyh / JAP


Oslo
2-jul 2000 GTR Oslo Sport - Jonasson Porsche

[doc knutsen]

The three pre-WWII races were winter races, run on Lake Bogstad (in Oslo) and Lake Gjersjøen, just to the south of the capital. The cars used the fearsome spiked tyres, with conical spikes an inch and a half long, bolted through the thread of the tyre from the inside. These wheels gave phenomenal grip on ice.

The Gardermoen races in 1949 and 1950 were not "Isloppet" or "the Ice Race", not even Norway has got ice in
June and August. Those races were run on a road course made up from the runways and taxi ways of the old airport at Gardermoen, to the north of Oslo. The 500cc "midgets" were very popular here. The 1949 race saw a tragic 500cc class, with Swede Sture Selander crashing, killing himself and a couple of spectators.

The Bjerke race, again, was not an ice race, but run on the 1000m horse-trotting track of Bjerkebanen in Oslo
Those races, in the Fifties and Sixties, were very popular, often drawing 10 000 spectators on a Thursday afternoon. The races would be for motorcycles and for cars, and the big name would be Basse Hveem on his long-track JAP powered Hveem Special bikes.

[Blazerteam]

Well...i dont know where to start,but living in the middle of Norway in a town called Mo I Rana..i cant relate to all what doc knutsen says.The first ice races was held here on the lakes in 1960,and in 1975,the first track with asphalt where opened in Norway.

This is a pic of Røssvoll motorstadion in 75.



And heres a lot of pictures from the same track in different years from 71-85.

http://forum.histori...opic.php?t=1067

In the eighties it was mostly used as a road raceing track for motor bikes,and later it became a Rally cross arena..and its still used as that.

And the Arctic Circle Raceway isnt 2,5 days from Oslo..its a one day driving nowadays.1000 kilometers..

Arctic Circle Raceway is mostly used as a Track day events nowadays,but hopefully we will get some more serious action here this summer.

http://forums.autosp... circle raceway

[need4speedACR]

Deer doc Knutsen. If You think the motor stadion I mo I Rana that was built in 1975 isn't a proper racetrack,it is quite obvious that you never have been north of sinsenkrysset.

The race track have been used for many years of the greatest race car drivers in Norway for many years before rudskogen.

And the old rudskogen is like an gocart track in comparison of arctic circle raceway, by the way You know that new rudskogen isnt approved for road racing yet.

[Rob Semmeling]

Nice video of the one-off Oslo street race of the Norwegian Touring Car Championship (02/07/2000):

[GMiranda]

Huysman was sponsored by the Marlboro World Championship for years. He drove in F3 for Eddie Jordan, and had that much crashes that Eddie almost went bust..

He later on raced a Porsche 956 sponsored by the Norwegian company Hydro Aluminium, in the WSCC, and did reasonably well, with one win.

Together with Steve and David Robertson, he spotted both Jenson Button and Kimi Räikönnen, and supported them to fame. For sure they earned a dime, but this management was a very succesful one, to everyone involved.

Nowadays Huyman has bought the Rudskogen Racetrack in Norway together with among Michael Schumacher, and they plan to rebuild it to the best F1 testtrack in the world. My guess is that they will succeed.

Huysman has always been heavily supported by Marlboro.

Harald Huysman was probably the most renowned Norwegian driver from the '70s to '90s, wasn't he?

[Myrvold]

Harald Huysman was probably the most renowned Norwegian driver from the '70s to '90s, wasn't he?

 

I'm curious. Why are you so heavily into researching Huysman right now?

[GMiranda]

I'm curious. Why are you so heavily into researching Huysman right now?

I am doing some research on his career right now; that's why I did some research here. TNF is a priceless resource.

[DogEarred]

Wasn’t his mother Belgian?

He did his FF1600 & F3 based in Brussels.

[GMiranda]

Wasn’t his mother Belgian?

He did his FF1600 & F3 based in Brussels.

I think his father is Belgian and his mother is from Norway.

[DogEarred]

I think you are probably right, G.

Long time ago when I knew him.

[ReWind]

I think his father is Belgian and his mother is from Norway.

From the sound of the name it is most likely.

BTW, he could become Michael Schumacher's brother-in-law.

[GMiranda]

From the sound of the name it is most likely.

BTW, he could become Michael Schumacher's brother-in-law.

Yes, he has a Norse mother and a Belgian father. I know that.