{{Short description|Finnish speedway rider}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Use British English|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox Speedway rider | name = Timo Laine | image = | caption = | nationality = Finnish | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1934|7|5}} | birth_place = Turku, Finland | death_date = | death_place = | career1 = | years1 = | indivyear1 =1961 | indivhonour1 = European Longtrack Champion | indivyear2 = 1961, 1962, 1963 | indivhonour2 = Finland National Champion | teamyear1 = | teamhonour1 = }} '''Timo Aleksander Laine''' (born 5 July 1934) is a former international Speedway longtrack and motorcycle speedway rider from Finland.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005377/19610908/164/0011 |title=SpeedwayChampionship |website=Liverpool Daily Post |date=8 September 1961 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=25 August 2024}}</ref><ref name=GTGB>{{cite web |url=https://grasstrackgb.co.uk/timo-laine/|title=Timo Laine|website=GrasstrackGB|access-date=17 July 2021}}</ref> He was the three times champion of Finland.
== Speedway career == Laine won the gold medal at the European Longtrack Championship in the 1961 Individual Long Track European Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedway.org/history/61.htm#1961|title=SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK|publisher=Speedway.org|access-date=17 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://grasstrackgb.co.uk/world-longtrack-1960-final/|title=World Longtrack World Champions|publisher=Grasstrack GB|access-date=17 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2016/10/european-long-track-championship.html|title=European Long Track Championship|website=Edinburgh Speedway|access-date=17 July 2021}}</ref> In addition he won the Nordic Longtrack Championship three times (1964, 1965, 1966) and the Finish Longtrack Championship seven times (1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1972).<ref name=GTGB/>
He was also a prominent rider in conventional speedway and won the Finnish Individual Speedway Championship on three occasions in 1961, 1962 and 1963.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwaysanomat.fi/tekstit/tilastot_sm.html |title=Speedway Individual Finnish Championship |website=Speedway Sanomat |access-date=18 February 2023}}</ref>
He did not ride in the British leagues for a team, which was rare for the leading riders of the time but did visit the United Kingdom to take part in several meetings.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000769/19610616/531/0046 |title=Finnish Speedway Star's Visit |website=Coventry Evening Telegraph |date=16 June 1961 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=25 August 2024}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laine, Timo}} Category:1934 births Category:Finnish speedway riders Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Turku
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