b. 13th May 1988 (age 20)

Norrkoping, Sweden

Billy's Website

BELLE Vue jumped in quickly to sign Billy Forsberg midway through the 2007 season and it is a decision that looks likely to pay off handsomely.

The Swedish youngster did enough in 11 Elite League matches to suggest the Aces had discovered a diamond and, by the end of the season, other promoters were starting to agree.

Aces' skipper Joe Screen, who had ridden with him in Sweden's Allsvenskan League, insisted that Forsberg was ready to step straight into the Elite League while Mats Olsson, then the Swedish team manager, felt he needed to wait until this season.

However, Belle Vue took the plunge and there is little doubt that others would have been in the hunt if the rider had still been available during the winter.

The final details were sorted out when Belle Vue chiefs David Gordon and Chris Morton met Olsson in the pits at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium before last year's British Grand Prix. Forsberg completed the move soon afterwards.
Gordon said: "We had several options at the time, which included more experienced riders, but Billy was being tipped for a big future. He was already collecting some good scores in a very tough league in Sweden.

"He was very keen to come to England and Mats Olsson was happy for him to join us, especially as he was concerned about all the approaches being made to the rider. "He felt it was best the situation was sorted out and we signed a rider who wanted to race for Belle Vue.

"We want to put young riders into place for the future of Belle Vue and Forsberg filled that requirement. Our captain Joe Screen had seen him racing in Sweden and had given him a good recommendation."
Forsberg has spent the winter months on a plumbing apprenticeship but he hasn't been thinking about U-bends as much as the tight, testing bends of the Kirkmanshulme Lane track.

He said: "I'm doing it because it's a good idea to have something to fall back on one day. But I've no interest in being a plumber at the moment, all I want to do is to ride speedway.
"It was tough when I came to Belle Vue last July because I had a burns injury to my arm and I was riding borrowed bikes because I didn't have any spare ones of my own to bring over.
"But now I'm 100 per cent fit. I've been training, as well as doing the plumbing, and I've also prepared my own bikes to bring over for the season. It will make a huge difference having them set up just how I want."

He started this season with the four-point assessed average which he was given when he arrived. But it would have been nearly 4.50 had he done one more official league match last season to establish a new figure.