Rune Sörmander

Rune Bertil Leopold Sörmander (29 November 1929 – 20 December 2020) was an international motorcycle speedway rider from Sweden. He earned 66 caps for the Sweden national speedway team.

Speedway career Sörmander was one of speedway's leading riders during the 1950s and 1960s, he was a three times champion of Sweden, winning the Swedish Championship in 1955, 1958 and 1959. On 22 June 1952 he won the Continental Speedway Final, which formed part of the 1952 Individual Speedway World Championship.

He reached the final of the Speedway World Championship on seven occasions (1953, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962) and the final of the Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship three times (1959, 1961, 1962). His last season in Britain was with the Leicester Hunters in 1957. In 1956, he toured South Africa before joining Stockholm Monarchs for a tour of Great Britain.

World Final appearances

Individual World Championship 1953 - London, Wembley Stadium - 11th - 5pts 1957 - London, Wembley Stadium - 5th - 11pts + 1pt 1958 - London Wembley Stadium - 13th - 4pts 1959 - London, Wembley Stadium - 11th - 6pts 1960 - London, Wembley Stadium - 12th - 5pts 1961 - Malmö, Malmö Stadion - 8th - 7pts 1962 - London, Wembley Stadium - 11th - 7pts

World Team Cup 1960 - Gothenburg, Ullevi (with Olle Nygren / Ove Fundin / Björn Knutson) - Winner - 44pts (11) 1961 - Wrocław, Olympic Stadium (with Sören Sjösten / Ove Fundin / Björn Knutson / Per Tage Svensson) - 2nd - 30pts (4) 1962 - Slaný, Slaný Speedway Stadium (with Björn Knutson / Sören Sjösten / Göte Nordin / Ove Fundin) - Winner - 36pts (3) 1963 - Vienna, Stadion Wien (with Björn Knutson / Per Olof Söderman / Göte Nordin / Ove Fundin) - Winner - 37pts (3) 1964 - Abensberg, Abensberg Stadion (with Björn Knutson / Göte Nordin / Ove Fundin / Sören Sjösten) - Winner - 34pts (7)