Ari Koponen (20 July 1959 – 28 April 2018) was a Finnish motorcycle speedway rider.
[1] The following year he won a bronze medal at the 1979 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship.
He remained with Birmingham for five years, scoring over 800 points[3] until he requested a transfer[6] and joined Wimbledon Dons in 1983.
[7][1] It was in 1983, that Koponen became the national champion of Finland after winning the Finnish Individual Speedway Championship.
[8] In 1984, Koponen switched from Wimbledon to join the Swindon Robins where he enjoyed two successful seasons in 1984 and 1985.