Christer Hammargren

Christer Hammargren (born 5 October 1944) is a Swedish former professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1967 to 1976. He was one of the top competitors in the Motocross Grand Prix World Championships finishing in the top ten for five consecutive seasons.

Biography Hammargren was born on 5 October 1944 in Vaggeryd, Jönköping County, Sweden. He grew up 30 kilometers from the Husqvarna motorcycle factory and idolized Swedish motocross champions such as Bill Nilsson, Rolf Tibblin and Torsten Hallman.

In 1969 Hammargren won the 500cc Swedish Motocross National Championship and scored a third-place finish at the 500cc Swedish Grand Prix behind his Husqvarna teammates Arne Kring and Bengt Åberg.

Hammargren was a member of the 1970 Swedish Motocross des Nations team that won the event for the first time since 1962. After the world championship season ended, he participated in the 1970 Inter-AM Motocross Series in the United States. The Inter-AM Motocross Series was established by the American distributor for Husqvarna motorcycles Edison Dye, as a pilot event to help establish the sport of motocross in the United States. He ended the series in third place behind his fellow Swedes Åke Jonsson (Maico) and Bengt Åberg (Husqvarna). He helped the Swedish team take their second consecutive Motocross des Nations victory at the 1971 event held in Vannes, France.

Hammargren joined the Yamaha factory racing team for the 1972 season alongside teammate Jaak van Velthoven. In 1973, Yamaha introduced a new and innovative rear suspension with a single shock absorber that would revolutionize the sport of motocross. In the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, sales of recreational vehicles decreased significantly, and Yamaha was forced to reduce their competition budget by withdrawing their motocross and road racing teams after the 1975 season. Hammargren then joined the Kawasaki factory racing team for the 1974 season. He competed in his final World Championship race at the 1976 500cc Luxembourg Grand Prix at the age of 31.