KENNI LARSEN Born: 14th June 1988, Odense, Denmark
British career history: Newcastle (2008-2010), Coventry (2011-present)
KENNI made a terrific impact in his first season at Brandon in 2011 and few riders have become as popular in such a short space of time - with his return for 2012 being warmly welcomed.
He first rode in the UK at Premier League level for Newcastle, joining the Brough Park club in the closing stages of the 2008 season and displaying his rich potential by achieving an average of over eight points per meeting the following year.
He pushed that up to over nine-and-a-half in 2010 as the Diamonds achieved great success with victories in the Premier Trophy, KO Cup and play-offs – and Larsen’s personal biggest night of the season came at Sheffield in late September when he was crowned Premier League Riders’ Champion.
He had always made it clear that he intended to move into the Elite League in 2011, with Coventry his preferred destination after speaking to various high-profile Danish riders, including former long-serving Bees man John Jorgensen.
That led to an anxious wait throughout the winter before the Bees finally regained a place in the league, and Larsen quickly became a high-scorer around his new home circuit whilst gaining experience on the away tracks and delivering some notable displays - particularly in wins at both King's Lynn and Swindon.
He rode through the pain barrier of a broken wrist for several weeks, and also put Coventry first when faced with a late-season fixture crash, but unfortunately finished the year on the injured list when he further aggravated the wrist injury in a crash in the final Elite League fixture of the season.
With supporters desperate for news on Larsen's future plans, he was confirmed as a member of the 2012 season at the back end of November, and he will be hopeful of making further progress on a creditable average of just under six-and-a-half.
NEXT HOME MEETING
Next meeting at Brandon Stadium... Friday June 21 at 7.30pm ELITE LEAGUE BUILDBASE BEES v SWINDON
