Håkan Carlqvist was one of the last in that chain of Swedish world champions—Bill Nilsson, Sten Lundin, Rolf Tibblin, and Torsten Hallman—who dominated motocross during the sport’s formative years. He was a multi-talented athlete who played ice hockey, soccer, and skied as a youth before committing fully to motocross. In motocross, he was a fierce competitor, known for his fiery temperament and aggressive riding style.
Starting with Ossa
His international career began in 1974 as a privateer on a Spanish Ossa Phantom. His raw speed was convincing, and by 1975, Ossa provided full factory support—including a mechanic and transport to European rounds.
When Ossa withdrew mid-season in 1976 due to financial difficulties, Carlqvist was left without a bike. Kawasaki factory rider Torleif Hansen gave him a Kawasaki, with which he finished the 250cc season.
Carla climbed to third place on his borrowed bike in front of his home crowd at the 1976 Swedish GP, the first podium of his career. This performance caught the attention of the Husqvarna factory team, which signed him for the 1977 season. This led Carlqvist to end his promising ice hockey career and commit fully to motocross.
First crown with Husqvarna
The road was not straight. In 1977, he broke his leg, and in 1978, his contract was not renewed, with only a production bike on offer. It wasn’t until 1979 that Husqvarna provided a proper factory bike and mechanic Tommy Jansson, who tuned the machine and provided mental support. The result was crushing, yielding six GP wins out of twelve and the 250cc world championship, well ahead of runner-up Neil Hudson.
To Yamaha and the top of the 500 class
Carlqvist moved to the Yamaha factory team in 1980, as Heikki Mikkola’s successor. Four years of grinding in tough company followed—third in 1980 and 1981, seventh in 1982—culminating in the 1983 world championship.
The 500cc title was decided only in the final round of the season in the Netherlands, with a seven-point lead over Honda’s André Malherbe. He was the first Swedish champion in the premier class since Bengt Åberg in 1970. Thus, he became the second rider after Mikkola to win world championships in both the 250 and 500 classes.
Namur 1988 and a legendary moment
At the end of his career, Carlqvist rode as a privateer on a Kawasaki KX500. His most memorable moment occurred at the 1988 Belgian GP on the narrow forest paths of the Namur citadel. While leading the second moto by over 30 seconds, he stopped at the side of the track, took a beer can offered by a spectator, drank it to the cheers of the crowd, and still went on to win. It was his final GP victory.
An extensive success story
Twenty GP victories, 37 moto wins, and two world championships. Öhlins founder Kenth Öhlin has credited Carlqvist’s test feedback during his young company’s early years. For his 1983 championship, he received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal, and in 2002, the Swedish postal service honored him with his own postage stamp. Carlqvist passed away from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 63 in the summer of 2017.