BRITISH CAREER
(2003-04) Newport; (2005) Newport, Swindon; (2006-07) Swindon.

Mads Korneliussen was born in Aalborg, Denmark on 5 June 1983.

The mega-popular Mads first rode on an 80cc machine in 1993. He has family links with speedway, as his elder brother, Tim, was a former Danish Under-21 Champion and also had spells in British racing with Hackney (1990), Peterborough (1991) and Glasgow (1992).

Korneliussen was introduced into the Newport side late in 2003, as a replacement for the retired Frank Smart. He made his debut for the Wasps on 12 October that year, impressively scoring 8+2 points in a home league match versus Somerset. The youngster was to appear in just four league fixtures, totalling 22 points for an average of 6.44.

Included in the Newport side from the start of 2004, Korneliussen knocked-up several impressive double-figure tallies in the Premier League, including 13 points at Edinburgh on 16 July and 14+1 at home to Berwick on 12 September. At the end of the campaign, he had appeared in twenty-six league matches, scoring 223 points for a solid 7.15 average.

The ambitious Dane again represented Newport in 2005, but also became Swindon’s other ‘doubling-up’ rider, alongside Olly Allen. Commenting on the rider, who took out an ACU licence in order to line-up for the Robins, team boss Alun Rossiter said at the time: ‘Mads spent much of 2004 riding at No. 1 for Newport in what was only his first real season of British racing and, as such, to finish with a league average of 7.15 was very impressive indeed.’

Regrettably Korneliussen’s season was disrupted by a nasty shoulder injury, sustained whilst riding for parent club Newport against Reading in a Knock-Out Cup tie on 17 July. The innocuous appearance of his fall, as he crossed the line to win the opening heat, was deceptive and the severity of the injury kept the Dane out of action for a lengthy period during the decisive middle-to-latter section of the season.

Prior to being sidelined, the youngster had been enjoying an exceptionally rich vein of form not just at the Abbey Stadium, but at various tracks throughout the country. Indeed, Mads followed in the footsteps of compatriot Charlie Gjedde and became a real favourite with the Blunsdon crowd as the term progressed, thanks to the combination of his big smile, witty sense of humour and courageously wide racing lines.

Season highlights included a magnificent 11+1 score in the 10-point defeat at Poole on 20 April and an 8+1 tally in the victory over Arena-Essex at Blunsdon on 19 May. His end-of-term statistics with the Robins showed a tally of 76 points from nineteen league appearances and a 4.15 average. Meanwhile, Korneliussen also improved his Premier League average with Newport during the season, raising his figure to 7.31, having recorded 169 points from twenty-one meetings.

After a successful ‘doubling-up’ season with the Robins in 2005, Mads made the bold move to become a full-time Elite League rider in  2006. The Dane was quickly snapped-up by the Swindon management to fill one of the second-string berths and his contract was bought from the Newport promotion. A testament to the youngster’s ability was the praise he received from Robins’ captain Leigh Adams, who was influential in bringing him back to Blunsdon for a second term.

Overall, Korneliussen enjoyed a successful season in which he added to his average, posting a 4.95 figure, having scored 178 points from thirty-eight league matches. For the most part the Dane occupied the No. 2 position, which allowed him to form a wonderful riding partnership with Leigh Adams, and the duo often registered heat advantages in the opening race of the night. Mads’ popularity amongst the fans continued to grow during the campaign, with his outright honesty and playful nature further endearing him to the Swindon public.

The only negative to come from Korneliussen’s campaign was his lack of consistency, which could vary radically from a less impressive haul to a double figure tally. However, the Dane’s first-class attitude, tenacity to succeed and willingness to learn meant that his progression up the speedway ladder would undoubtedly continue.

Remaining with the Robins in 2007, Mads began the season in blistering form from a reserve berth. His wonderful start to the campaign saw him move into the main body of the side in mid-April. However, he was to suffer the first of two injuries on 7 June, when he broke a hand in a home match against Wolverhampton after a defective chain had caused his machine to stop dead, sending him flying forward as he exited the fourth bend in heat nine.

Following almost two months on the sidelines, the Dane returned to action from the No. 7 position in August and again showed plenty of his early-season sparkle. Regrettably, his campaign ended abruptly on 8 September, when he suffered a broken bone at the bottom of a heel. This occurred in a meeting between Holsted and Esbjerg in Korneliussen’s homeland, when the rider he was chasing (Patrick Hougaard) unfortunately suffered a blown engine, leaving him nowhere to go but into the resultant carnage.

Statistically, Mads recorded 158 points for Swindon from twenty-eight appearances, yielding a career-best Elite League figure of 6.10. And the Robins certainly missed his presence in the latter part of the season.

On 13 December 2007, it was revealed that the Dane would once again line-up for the Robins in 2008. Following a reduction in the Elite League points-limit to 38.85 at the annual AGM of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association, this meant that Korneliussen was one of only two riders retained from the 2007 side, the other, of course, being skipper Leigh Adams. The deduction of bonus points means that he will begin 2008 with a green sheet average of 5.18.

Upon the announcement that Mads would again represent the Robins, team boss Alun Rossiter said: ‘He is the fans’ favourite and I’m delighted that he will be with us once more. He has improved every year and, despite the injuries he received last term, he did very well in what was a strong league, putting his average up again. Mads is a character and always brings that little bit to the pits that you need in a side.’