Double world champion from Sweden: Marking the 10th anniversary of Kent Andersson’s death

Having won two World Championship titles in the 125cc class in 1973 and 1974, Kent Andersson is the most successful Scandinavian rider in the World Championship contested on solo road motorcycles. Apart from him, only the unforgettable ‘Sonnyboy’ Jarno Saarinen from Finland achieved this feat, though – presumably due to his far too early death in a racing accident at Monza in 1973 alongside Renzo Pasolini – he did so only once (in 1971) in the 250cc class. Kent Andersson did not live to a particularly old age either, passing away at 64, but at least he survived the racing years – which were more dangerous back then – largely unscathed.

Andersson was born on 1 August 1942 in Landvetter, near Gothenburg. He competed in his first national races at the age of 19 on a Monark. In 1966, he made his debut in the Motorcycle World Championship on a Husqvarna – which was also still a Swedish make at the time – and secured four World Championship points with a fifth place at the season opener in Jarama, Spain, as well as two sixth places in Imatra, Finland, and at the final in Fisco, Japan,Fuji, as well as finishing 20th in the final World Championship standings. At the same time, he also competed in the 350cc class, securing at least one points-scoring sixth-place finish in this category, again in the Land of the Rising Sun.

After a disappointing 1967, he lined up at the 1968 season opener on the South Loop of the Nürburgring in the 125cc class on an MZ and, finishing fifth just behind Dieter Braun – who was riding an identically specced bike – he secured his next World Championship points. These were to remain his only points in the 125cc class that year.

It was a completely different story in the 250cc class, where he rode a Yamaha and secured his first podium finish with a third-place finish at the same Grand Prix. However, in the remaining nine races of the season, he could only add two sixth-place finishes to this result and ultimately finished eighth in the World Championship.

For 1969, Kent Andersson signed a contract with Maico for the 125cc class with Maico and, riding for the newcomers from the small Swabian village of Poltringen near Pfäffingen (close to Tübingen), once again secured Maico’s first World Championship points and its first podium finish at the season-opening round in Jarama. Despite this, he subsequently left Maico, moved to Yamaha and repeated that second-place finish at Assen. By the end of the season, he had finished fourth overall.

Topic of the week

Ferrari row with Hamilton and Leclerc: Team principal Vasseur must now step up

Ferrari came away empty-handed at the Dutch Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, Charles Leclerc fifth. Afterwards, both drivers were angry, and team principal Fred Vasseur found himself having to explain the situation.

Read more

TV program

Today

Aragon: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

29.08.2026 - 08:35

However, his main focus was once again on the quarter-litre class. In this class, Andersson also finished second at Jarama and celebrated his first Grand Prix victory immediately afterwards at Hockenheim. He followed this up with a second victory at Imatra. Although he also secured four further podium finishes and, with 108 points, the highest tally of any rider, only 84 of these remained after the discard rule was applied. The Australian Kel Carruthers, riding a Benelli, had a net total of five more points to his name, which saw him crowned World Champion ahead of Kent Andersson.

He remained loyal to Yamaha and the 125cc and 250cc classes until the end of his career. In 1970, at the season finale on the Montjuïc circuit in Barcelona, he celebrated the first of his two 250cc Grand Prix victories and finished third in the World Championship. In 1974, he triumphed once more in this class at Spa-Francorchamps.

Andersson was to enjoy his greatest successes in the 125cc class. Following another disappointing year in 1971, he won three Grand Prix races in the 125cc class in 1972 and was once again runner-up in the World Championship, this time behind the Spaniard Ángel Nieto on a Derbi.

In 1973 and 1974, he won five 125cc World Championship races out of twelve and ten respectively, and was crowned World Champion in both years in commanding fashion.

In 1975, he secured his 18th and final Grand Prix victory at his home race in Anderstorp. In total, he stood on the World Championship podium 52 times. On 29 August 2006, Kent Andersson passed away at the age of just 64.