Remembering Hakan Carlqvist

The famous Swedish Motocross rider was born on 15 January 1954 in Järfalla, near Stockholm. He started to race quite late, when almost 20 years old. In 1974 riding an Ossa 250cc, he raced in national events and took part in some World Championship races where he gained his first points in Germany, Finland (8th place) and Sweden (10th), finishing the Championship in 25th place. He kept this trend going the following year and finishing 23rd at the end of the season. In 1976, on a Kawasaki, he improved his riding and obtaining better results such as a fifth place twice in the Swedish Grand Prix and ending 15th overall in the series. This was sufficient for him to be hired by the Swedish factory Husqvarna. It took him three seasons to get to the top: 17th in 1977, 7th in 1978 with his first win in the first Grand Prix (Spain, second heat), and the World title in 1979 (with 14 heat wins, finishing ahead of British rider Neil Hudson on Maïco, and Russian riders Vladimir Kavinov and Guennady Moisseev on KTM).

He then moved up to the 500cc class, in the Yamaha factory team, and immediately took his place among the top riders of the class. Third in 1980 behind André Malherbe and Brad Lackey, third in 1981 behind Honda riders Malherbe and Noyce, and eighth in 1982, he fought hard with Honda riders Malherbe and Noyce during the whole 1983 season and ended clinching the title with just seven points ahead of Malherbe. But he could not repeat his performance in 1984: injured after the 4th event, he missed several Grand Prix and ended the year in 10th place. He kept on racing two more seasons for Yamaha (16th in 1985 and 8th in 1986), and raced two more years as a privateer on a Kawasaki.

He is also remembered for his fantastic racing in his last season by dominating both heats of the 1988 Belgian Grand Prix in Namur in true ‘Carlqvist style’. The fans still talk about it today, especially as it overshadowed the feat of Eric Geboers who clinched the world championship title on the same day to become the first rider ever to clinch a world championship in all three classes.

Hakan Carlqvist has sadly passed away on July 6th last.

FIM Communications