Elite League Record: 2003 (Eastbourne, League Cup) 5.70, 2004 (Eastbourne) 2.86, 2005 (Eastbourne) 2 matches only, 2005, (Swindon) 3 matches only, 2006 (Peterborough) 4.80, 2007 (Peterborough) 3 matches only
Premier League Record: 2004 (Isle of Wight) 6.85, 2005 (Isle of Wight) 8.62, 2007 (Birmingham) 8.51, 2007 (Workington) 8.73
Starting Average: 8.27
ULRICH Ostergaard first began riding on 50cc machines in 1992, before progressing on to 80cc engines in 1996 and the full-blown 500cc steeds in 1999.
He first appeared on these shores with Eastbourne, riding in the British League Cup competition in 2003. From nine such matches, he netted 44 points for a 5.70 average.
In 2004, he began the season with the Eagles, before linking with Premier League outfit the Isle of Wight in mid-June. Despite the switch of leagues, he did continue his association with Eastbourne in a ‘doubling-up' capacity.
The Dane made a total of nineteen league appearances for the East Sussex side, scoring 38 points for a 2.86 average. Meanwhile, for the Islanders, he posted a 6.85 figure, having yielded 157 points from twenty-two league fixtures.
The 2005 season saw Ostergaard remain with the Isle of Wight and significantly increase his Premier League average to 8.62, having tallied 231 points from twenty-four matches. He also notched three paid maximums, including a brilliant 14+1 return against Edinburgh at Smallbrook Stadium on 12 July.
He was again part of Eastbourne's back-up squad in 2005, but appeared in only two league matches for the Eagles, before a late-season switch saw him represent Swindon in three EL fixtures.
In 2006, the Dane joined Peterborough and was part of the side that clinched the Elite League Championship after winning the Play-Off Final in such dramatic fashion against Reading. In all, Ostergaard raced in thirty-eight league matches for the Panthers, recording 163 points and a 4.80 average. His stand-out meeting occurred against Oxford at the East of England Showground on 25 April, when he secured a four-ride paid full-house, tallying 9+3.
Peterborough held on to Ostergaard in a No. 8 capacity in 2007, allowing the Dane to join Birmingham in the Premier League, as the West Midlands side embarked on their first season of racing since 1986. He did well for the Brummies too, scoring 161 points from sixteen league matches to average 8.51; however, the Dane was sensationally axed from the side in early August after a conflict of interests had seen him reluctant to commit himself to the club due to being nominated for a reserve position in a European Championship round in his homeland.
He subsequently joined Workington as a replacement for the injured Carl Stonehewer and did well in a late-season stint to record 91 points from nine PL fixtures for an average of 8.73.
Adding together his league and Premier Trophy appearances for Birmingham and Workington gave Ostergaard a final green sheet average (excluding bonus points) of 8.27 and that will be his starting figure with the Racers in 2008.
Born: 19th April, 1981, Odense, Denmark
