DATE OF BIRTH: 31 October 1993, Esbjerg, Denmark.

BRITISH CAREER: (2010) King’s Lynn; (2011) Ipswich, King’s Lynn; (2012) Peterborough.

MAJOR HONOURS: World Under-21 Team Cup Champion: 2010; Danish Under-21 Champion: 2011.

CLUB HONOUR: Four-Team Championship winner: 2011 [Ipswich].

RIDER LINKS: Brother of Kenneth Bjerre Jensen (born: 24 May 1984, Esbjerg, Denmark).

2012 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.25 (EL).
The Dane has always ridden as Lasse Bjerre. As a 16-year-old, he initially appeared competitively in the UK in Peterborough’s 40th Anniversary meeting versus an International Select at the East of England Showground on 15 March 2010.

Representing the select side, he raced out of the No. 6 berth and demonstrated good pace on his way to 1+1 points and also emerged unhurt from a heat twelve crash. And, in August, he landed his first British berth with Premier League King’s Lynn amidst an astonishing raft of changes at the Norfolk club.

The first move had seen Adam Roynon replace Joe Haines and this was immediately followed by another four amendments to their team declaration, as Casper Wortmann and Chris Mills were released, whilst the injured Kevin Doolan and the unwell Darren Mallett also had their names removed from the 1-7. Olly Allen effectively replaced Doolan in the No. 1 position, with the other incoming riders being Bjerre, Jamie Courtney and Cal McDade.

Adding to some early impressive performances for the Stars, the Esbjerg-born rider was part of the Danish side that finally broke Poland’s grip on the World Under-21 Team Cup, notching 5 points in the final at Rye House on 5 September.

Bjerre went on to complete fourteen official meetings from King’s Lynn and gleaned 88 points for an average of 6.71. At home, his most eye-catching display came against Newcastle in the Stars’ final league fixture of the campaign on 20 October, when he notched 10+3 points from five rides.

Away from home, the Dane’s highlight occurred at Glasgow on 12 September, when he posted a return of 12+1 points from half-a-dozen starts; his tally on the afternoon was augmented by 6 points from a tactical outing in heat eight.

On 6 November, he joined his elder brother, Kenneth, at Peterborough’s end-of-season party, when he was formally introduced as a full club asset of the Panthers. However, it was revealed on 8 December that Bjerre had agreed to link with Ipswich on loan ahead of the 2011 campaign for his first full season of UK racing. That came after the Witches’ decision to drop down to the Premier League at the BSPA AGM in Bournemouth the previous month.

A day later, he was named by King’s Lynn in a ‘doubling-up’ position following the Stars’ move into the top-flight. And, on 17 December, the Norfolk outfit confirmed that he would share the role with Somerset’s Sam Masters.

Following an injury to Morten Risager, a re-shuffle at King’s Lynn on 16 May saw Bjerre’s ‘doubling-up’ role switched alongside the incoming Lee Complin, who had effectively replaced Risager. Meanwhile, Masters continued in a similar role with Tomáš Topinka.

Bjerre sustained a knee injury in his homeland on 20 June, meaning a short break from racing but he was able to return to action for Ipswich in the second leg of their Knock-Out Cup reply at Scunthorpe on 1 July. However, he was to suffer a suspected broken femur in a crash during a league fixture at Leicester just eight days later, when he tangled with new Lions’ No. 1 Kauko Nieminen going into the first bend of the deciding heat.

Ironically, the race had already been stopped at that point due to an unsatisfactory start but, whilst a shaken Nieminen walked away, the paramedic was required to accompany Bjerre to hospital, leading to the abandonment of the meeting. Thankfully, though, subsequent X-rays revealed no broken bones and he was released from hospital before travelling back to Denmark for further treatment on his leg.

Thankfully he is now fully recovered and teams up with brother Kenneth at the East of England Showground in 2012.