Odd Fossengen

ODD FOSSENGEN : Oslo, Norway.
POOLE PIRATE 1968 – 1974

Among the most popular of the thrill makers ever to pull on the famous skull and bones race jacket, Odd came to Poole at the beginning of 1968 with the aim of finding a place in the Pirates side following the retirement of star man Gote Nordin.

Odd took part in a series of trials along with Czech racer Antonin Kasper, with Kasper seemingly getting the vacant team place, however Odd had really impressed the fans with his never give up style and they made it clear to the Poole promotion that he was the man they preferred. The Poole management listened, invited Odd to sign, and the rest as they say is history.

His attacking riding style saw him build a special bond with the Poole fans who greeted him with the ‘Oddy, Oddy, Oddy’  war cry when he took to the track. He finished his debut season with a match average of 7.13,

He continued to serve up the thrills in 1969 as the Pirates swept all before them to lift the British League title for the first time in the club’s history and was a member of the Poole side that toured Poland at the end of the year.

A further four successive seasons in the Pirates colours saw him become firmly established not only on the domestic scene but also on the international stage. He also continued to bolster the Poole side where he proved to be the perfect foil to Pete Smith and Geoff Mudge.

Sadly his racing career came to an end just five weeks into the 1974 season following a crash at Oxford where he sustained a severely broken femur which kept him out of racing for the rest of 1974 and all of 1975. He underwent a successful operation to remove the pins in 1976 but hopes that he would return to the track failed to materialise.

Made 222 League and Knockout Cup appearances for the club and scored 1485 points
Currently ranked the Club’s 13th highest individual points scorer.
Was inducted into the Poole Hall of Fame in 1994.