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My Michanek Mystery
 What's the first thing you think of when you see the name Anders Michanek? If you're a British League fan, the names Long Eaton, Newcastle, Leicester and Reading will spring to mind. For me, it is instantly the 1974 World Final. The photos of Anders behind the Winged Wheel and the parade alongside his wife who was beaming with delight. A magical fairytale dream come true under the Ullevi floodlights. Oh yes, such a long, long time ago but childhood memories are either the sweetest or blackest. Many times both. The Michanek's fairytale did not have that 'happy-ever-after' ending either, their marriage was over a decade later. But "that's their business Pet, certainly none of mine." Anders won that World Final without breaking a sweat. In a post-match interview, he said, "People said it looked easy and it was easy." And the score chart backed that up. His 15 point maximum was the massive 4 points clear of Ivan Mauger with 11. But if it really was that easy, his Skyscraper was not built on Dubai imported sand. It stood on a solid foundation of 6 previous appearances, laced with disappointment and heartache. So when he finally got it right, it was, in the words of Wally Loak, "The mighty Mich has done it at last!" Forward twelve months; Wembley, the 1975 World Final. Anders begins his defence with 1 point in round one behind Ole Olsen and Viktor Trofimov. Was it the bumpy and dusty track? From then on, it was another 'Michanek Master Class.' Like the previous year, he demolished all remaining opposition out of sight. And the best of that opposition? John Louis, Ivan Mauger, Peter Collins, Phil Crump, Malcolm Simmons, Tommy Jansson, Bernt Persson and Ray Wilson. For those who don't know, in the year 1975, this was the 'creme-de-la-creme'. True, Martin Ashby was stuck at reserve and John Boulger had not qualified but if none of that list could beat him, I doubt their chances either. For the record; Ole Olsen 15. Anders Michanek 13. John Louis 12. Ivan Mauger 12. Peter Collins 10. Phil Crump 10. Malcolm Simmons 10. Viktor Trofimov 8. Tommy Jansson 7. Bernt Persson 5. Ray Wilson 5. It was over two decades later, Anders confessed to the Speedway world, he threw that first heat. A gift to Ole, not because they were mates, they weren't, and not even trying to pass Trofimov. In Speedway Star, 1997, Anders confessed to Richard Bott;
"I didn't want to be World Champion anymore. I didn't enjoy it and I couldn't live up to it. I was a bad champion because I didn't win races when people expected me to. I didn't like the pressure. When you are World Champion, everybody wants to beat you wherever you go. I didn't enjoy that kind of pressure. The only way to get rid of the pressure was to stop being World Champion. So when I got to Wembley, I had no desire to win again. It is not an excuse. I remember that I dropped two points in my first race and thought 'now I can't win it, so the pressure is off.' And I started to enjoy the meeting from that moment, won my other four races and finished runner-up, two points behind Ole." Mich added to the information in Backtrack, 2004;
"I was glad, relieved to get to Wembley because I knew it was the end of it. I was pleased with my performance on the night, because I hadn't disappointed my supporters too much. I was second and that was good enough." And there you have it. Mystery solved. No, not at all. The mystery is this, if Anders did not want to win the World Final again, why did he keep entering the competition? Back to Wembley we go. The 1976 Intercontinental Final, June 26, and last round before the World Final. The top eight to qualify. But before we do, it must be remembered that this meeting was just five weeks after the death of Tommy Jansson. This tragedy hit Anders harder than most other riders, as they were extremely close. The fatal day was May 20. The World Pairs Final was held at Tommy's home track, Eskilstuna on June 17. Tommy with Anders were the defending World Champions. Anders was, of course, given permission to stand down. So for Wembley, his focus may have been well outside the boundary. I'll let Ian MacDonald's report speak for itself;
'Michanek's was an astonishing performance. After each rider had taken two rides, he was in the lead with a maximum six points. At the interval he shared the overall lead, on seven points with Chris Morton. At the end of the meeting he was down in ninth place. For once it looked as though the lack of regular British competition had really counted. In all his races, Mich gated well, rode storming first laps and looked the superstar he is. But in the latter stages he found the pace too hot. He drifted wider and wider at each bend and one could sense the strength had drained completely from him.' I agree with that except for the fact he missed the gate in heat 9 and was last behind Peter Collins, Phil Crump and John Louis. But he did get by Louis on the first turn for that seven points at half-time. It's the last two heats that have me wondering if it wasn't a lack of physical strength, but mental strength. In heat 15, he gated off the inside from Scott Autrey, Doug Wyer and Billy Sanders. Went from first to last. Then in heat 18, from gate 4, he shot into the lead from Ivan Mauger, Malcolm Simmons and Dag Lovaas. Then it was just like he threw the race as first Mauger, then Simmons picked him off with ease. With eight points, he was equal with John Louis and they ran-off for the last place. Another good gate but when Louis challenged around the outside, it was all over and he was reserve for the Chorzow World Final. I have to wonder if he was just happy to be so. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, watch these races on You-tube and judge for yourself. On that World Final afternoon, when Valeri Gordeev broke the tapes in heat 17, Anders took his only ride. Egon Muller held the lead until he alarmingly lost control on the third lap and crashed heavily. The race continued with Malcolm Simmons winning from Anders and Doug Wyer. Was Anders, as Ian MacDonald suggested, race rusty? The World Team Cup Final at White City suggested otherwise. Eleven out of twelve points, beaten only in the last heat by former team-mate John Boulger. By winning this heat, Boulger secured the Gold Medals for Australia. Anders was happy to sit in second and stop Edward Jancarz seizing victory for Poland. Now before anyone says it would have been a different story had England been there, well, it was Australia that knocked them out at Ipswich! And did Anders have any 'crack' opposition that afternoon?
Heat 2 result; Michanek, Billy Sanders, Zenon Plech, Grigory Chlinovski.
The picture I'm painting here is that Anders was by no means a spent force. It's now 1977, Anders joins Cradley for eleven matches. His 10.35 average speaks for itself and no-one will forget his 20 points against Swindon. Also, the World Pairs Final is at Belle Vue. While Collins/Simmons waltz off with the Gold Medals, Sweden are second. Anders is beaten only by the winners and beats Egon Muller in the Silver Medal run-off. He later qualifies for the Gothenburg World Final as top scorer and home favourite. Will he go there to win? Has he had a change of heart? Sadly, if the answer was 'yes', serious injury took any chance away. A crushed right foot just two weeks out saw Anders, foot still in plaster with a special boot all taped up. To score eight points in the rain, under treacherous conditions was really quite remarkable.
Heat 2; Mauger, Michanek, Jancarz, J Verner.
Ivan Mauger 14. Peter Collins 13. Ole Olsen 12. Mike Lee 12. Finn Thomsen 10. Bengt Jansson 9. Egon Muller 8. Anders Michanek 8.
A few weeks later, Anders won the World Long Track Final!!! If Anders really did want another serious crack at the World Final, sadly, 1977 was his last realistic opportunity. Say what? 1978, Anders was still a world-class 'Mega-Star' for sure, but, the 'Star' was beginning to fade. However, the 'Stars' of Ivan Mauger and Ole Olsen were still burning bright and Peter Collins was at the very top of his game. Also, new 'Mega-Stars' were emerging in the form of Mike Lee and Bruce Penhall. Once more I ask the question, did he want to be World Champion again? Well, he entered the competition and qualified for his eleventh and last appearance. Along with his fifteen opponents, he was handed THE most massive 'slice of head start pie', with the home favourite Peter Collins sitting in the stand, having been eliminated. [ Mechanical issues in the last round, not of his own doing ] Anders said in many interviews, "It must click from the start" and that night at Wembley, it didn't. In round one, unhappy with his bike on the way to the tapes, he changed and despite making a good start, could only watch as Scott Autrey rocketed away followed by Malcolm Simmons. Could he repeat his 1975 effort? Winning round two from Ole Olsen put him on the right track. It also proved that Anders may not have been as good as he once was, but he was as good once, as he ever was. However, that was as 'good' as it got. Olsen won his third World Title with 13 points, beaten only by Anders and Dave Jessup.
Heat 1; Autrey, Simmons, Michanek, Teromaa.
Ole Olsen 13. Gordon Kennett 12. Scott Autrey 11. Dave Jessup 11. Jerzy Rembas 11. Malcolm Simmons 10. Mike Lee 9. Ivan Mauger 8. John Titman 7. Anders Michanek 7.
The next three years would see Anders fail to qualify from the Nordic Final. 1979, 7 points. 1980, did not start. Some articles say his non-appearance was unexplained but I did read a report to say he was en route, but was needed to help assist passengers and police after witnessing a car accident. 1981, 2 points and that star was just a flicker. Oh don't get me wrong, he could still ride and was still excelling in the Longtrack world. Check this out; 1979 World Longtrack Final. 1st Alois Wiesbock. 2nd Anders Michanek. 3rd Ole Olsen. 1981 World Longtrack Final. 1st Mike Lee. 2nd Christoph Betzl. 3rd Anders Michanek. But none of this solves my mystery. And that's fine. Sometimes the best answers are left unanswered. One final thought from the Super Swede,
"It's true, I wasn't desperate enough to want to keep being World Champion. It was a good time, and I liked it, but I should have stopped earlier and saved my marriage."
This article was first published on 4th May 2025
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