Åke Jonsson
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Åke Jonsson was a Swedish motocross racer. He was one of the top riders in the Motocross World Championships during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Jonsson began his riding career in Sweden riding for the Husqvarna factory but found it difficult to get parts riding behind world champions Bengt Aberg and Torsten Hallman. Nevertheless, he finished in third place in the 1968 500cc world championship. In 1969 he was hired to ride for the Maico factory team. He rode a Maico to finish once again in third place in the 1970 500cc world championship. 1972 would be Jonsson's best year. Going into the final race of the 500cc season, Jonsson held a slight points lead over Suzuki's Roger De Coster. While leading the race, his motorcycle's spark plug came loose, allowing DeCoster to pass him for the victory and the world championship. Jonsson also won the season ending Trans-Am series held in America, winning nine consecutive races at one point.
For the 1973 season, Jonsson was hired by the Yamaha to ride their new motorcycle with its innovative rear suspension using a single shock absorber called a monoshock. He had a series of mechanical difficulties and failed to repeat his performance of the previous year. After a few more seasons, Jonsson retired from competition. Today he runs a Yamaha franchise in Sweden.[1]
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