Håkan Andersson was a Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 motocross

Motocross

Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...

 racer. He won the F.I.M.

Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....

 250cc Motocross World Championship in 1973.

Andersson began racing in the motocross world championships for the Husqvarna

Husqvarna Motorcycles

Husqvarna Motorcycles, a subsidiary of BMW, is a company manufacturing motocross, enduro and supermoto motorcycles. The company began producing motorcycles in 1903 at Huskvarna, Sweden, as a branch of the Husqvarna armament firm which had supplied the Swedish army with rifles since 1689.-History:As...

 factory, finishing second behind Suzuki's

Suzuki

is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

 Joël Robert

Joël Robert

Joël Robert is a Belgian motocross racer who won the 250cc Motocross World Championship six times including five times in a row....

 in the 1971

1971 FIM Motocross World Championship season

The 1971 FIM Motocross World Championship season was the 15th F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.-Summary:Roger De Coster won his first 500cc world championship for Suzuki in a tight points battle with Maico rider Åke Jonsson. The championship wasn't decided until the final round of...

 250cc motocross world championship. For the 1972 season, Andersson was hired by the Yamaha

Yamaha Motor Company

, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...

 to help develop their new motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 with its innovative rear suspension using a single shock absorber called a monoshock. He again came in second place to Robert. By the 1973 season, Yamaha's monoshock suspension outclassed the competition, taking Andersson to his first world championship ahead of Adolf Weil

Adolf Weil (motorcyclist)

Adolf Weil was a German motocross racer. He competed in the FIM 250cc and 500cc Motocross Grand Prix world championships as a rider for the Maico factory racing team during the 1960s and 1970s....

 and Heikki Mikkola

Heikki Mikkola

Heikki Antero Mikkola was a four-time World Champion motocross racer. Known as the "Flying Finn", and characterized by a fierce, determined style, he was the first Finn to win a motocross world championship....

  Andersson was a member of the victorious Swedish 1974 Motocross des Nations

Motocross des Nations

The Motocross des Nations is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the "Olympics of Motocross"...

 team that included Bengt Aberg

Bengt Åberg

Bengt Åberg is a former Swedish motocross racer. He was one of the top riders in the Motocross Grand Prix World Championships during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1968 he was part of the Swedish team that won the Trophée des Nations. He was the F.I.M. 500cc Motocross World Champion in 1969...

, Ake Jonsson

Åke Jonsson

Åke Jonsson born October 5, 1942 in Hammerdal, was a Swedish motocross racer. He was also a very skilled speed skater, and belonged to the Swedish top junior elite, before his racing career took off...

 and Arne Kring. In 1975, Andersson placed second once more behind Puch's

Puch

Puch is a manufacturing company located in Graz, Austria. The company was founded in 1889 by the industrialist Johann Puch and produced automobiles, bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles.-Pre 1919:...

 Harry Everts

Harry Everts

Harry Everts is a former motocross racer from Belgium. Everts won the 1975 F.I.M. 250cc world championship as a member of the Puch factory racing team. After a period with Bultaco he signed with the Suzuki factory team and won three consecutive 125cc motocross world championships between 1979 and...

. For the 1976 season, he signed to ride for the Montesa

Montesa Honda

Montesa Honda is the Spanish subsidiary of Honda, which assembles several models of motorcycles, bicycles, and parts at its Barcelona plant. The company exports 75 per cent of its production to Europe.-Permanyer and Bultó:...

factory in the 250 class, and in 1977, he rode a Montesa in the 500cc class. He returned to Husqvarna in the 1978 and 1979 seasons in the 500cc class.

External links

• Hakan Andersson interview