DAG LOVAAS was always destined to be a top speedway almost from the day he learned to walk, but he would be one of the first too admit that he probably didn't have all the qualities to perhaps become World Champion.
The popular Norwegian rode for five British clubs during his short career of just seven year on these shores, but it was the fear of getting hurt and possibly hurting others, that eventually saw him retire in 1976 at just 26-years-of-age.
Lovaas' first experiences of motorcycles came at just eight years old, when he used to collect up used bottles from the side of the road to help pay for his first bike. It was an old moped, which was adapted with a special frame and the rear mudguard removed to make it look more like a speedway bike. Young Lovaas would ride it around in his garden back in Holmestrand, Norway, training and perfecting his speedway skills which would go on to serve him well in the years to come.
As the years passed Dag decided that speedway was for him and took his first races as a 17-year-old at Kongsbaerd in 1968 on a modified moped frame housing a 120cc Suzuki engine. A fall in his first ride didn't dent his enthusiasm for long, as in his next ride he led from the gate to take the wing.
Lovaas' father, Hilmar, was a former Norwegian Champion back in 1932, and although Dag wished to follow in his footsteps, Lovaas senior was determined that his son must do things the hard way without family financial backing. As a result, Dag took out a high interest loan to buy a Jawa machine, which helped him pick up his first contract with Newcastle Diamonds in 1970. He would travel around the county to race meetings with the bike boarded in the back of Skoda car - something not quite seen from today's speedway stars with their multi bike set-ups loaded in a fully-fitted motorhome.
Initially Lovaas lived in digs on Tyneside, which wasn't an ideal situation, but with that, combined with proving to his father that he could stand on his own two feet, the experience served him well for the years ahead. He also suffered a heavy crash in his first ride for the Diamonds, as a result of some hard-riding from Glasgow's Charlie Monk, who had quite a reputation for being ruthless. Many observers said he was lucky to walk away still intact, but thankfully not everyone rode with the same tactics as Monk, so things got a little easier after that. The effects from that did leave their mark on the teenager, with Lovaas finishing his debut season Britain with a just a 3.91 average from 35 meetings.
When the Norwegian returned to Britain for the 1971 season he found himself on the move. Newcastle closed it's doors and the promotion transferred its licence to Reading's Tilehurst Stadium, so riders like Lovaas, Anders Michanek and Geoff Curtis became ‘Racers', as the Berkshire club, promoted by Reg Fearman, moved up from the second to the first division.
A change in scenery, and a much different environment fully benefited Lovaas, as within a year he almost doubled his average, racing to a 7.74 figure from 35 meetings in his first year with Reading.
1972 saw Dag establish himself as a British League heat-leader with Reading. He rode in 35 meetings for the Racers which saw him finish with an 8.78, which helped the Racers finish as runners-up to Belle Vue in the British League, in what was only their second season in the top flight. He also started to establish himself at international level, as long with world champion Ole Olsen he spearheaded the Denmark/ Norway combined team that finished second to England in the inter-nations tournament. The Scandinavians were the shock nation of the tournament beating England 41-37 at Poole, drawing 39-39 with Australia and a 55-22 hammering of New Zealand at Wolverhampton. However, a 40-38 defeat by Sweden at Reading, despite Lovaas scoring a 12-point maximum, cost them top place in the table.
Reading were crowned British League Champions in 1973, with Lovaas playing a massive part in that finishing with a 10.37 average from 42 meetings. Michanek was Reading's top man with 11.55, and it was the Swede's huge presence in the Reading team that saw Dag want to move onto pastures new the following season. He had a good relationship with Michanek, but Lovaas wanted to be a number one in his own right and not ride in the Swede's shadow. Reading didn't race in the British League in 1974, as their new stadium was being completed, but Lovaas said even if Smallmead had of been ready he would still have ridden elsewhere in 1974.
So where to in 1974? Oxford was his first choice as he liked the track and got on well with the promoters and club officials, but Hackney promoter Len Silver tracked him down and put together a deal to tempt the Norwegian to Waterden Road for the 1974 season.
The Hawks had a mid-table finish in British League Division One that season, and Lovaas finished top of the club's averages with 10.17 from 29 meetings. Lovaas also enjoyed his best-ever year in the world championship, where he qualified for his one and only World Final appearance at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg. He finished down the field in eleventh place with six points, in a meeting which was won by Anders Michanek.
However, despite an enjoyable season with the Londoners, Dag was on the move again the following season, but this time with his preferred destination, Oxford. Lovaas replaced Bob Kilby as number one and formed a solid heat-leader spearhead with Gordon Kennett and Richard Greer, where he finished top of the Oxford averages with 10.03 from 35 meetings. Between them they helped raise the Rebels off the foot of the table in 1974, to a respectable seventh place in 1975.
Lovaas went out of the world championship at the Intercontinental Final stage in 1976, in what was to be his last year in the sport. He rode for White City in his final year, but with his enthusiasm waning, along with his average (7.75), he decided to call it a day. Many didn't believe him at first and wondered to his reasons, but a series of crashes during his career, in particular a bad one with Ray Wilson at Leicester, made the three-times Norwegian Champion realise that enough was enough and his life and good health were too precious.
