Motorcycle speedway world championship season
The 1978 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 33rd edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.[1][2][3][4][5]
Ole Olsen won his third world crown. The final was sponsored by the Sunday Mirror and was attended by 86,500. Gordon Kennett took silver on the day of his 25th birthday and American Scott Autrey won the bronze medal run-off defeating Dave Jessup and Jerzy Rembas.[6] Dave Jessup was effectively denied a World title when after leading in heat 3 he suffered a bike malfunction and finished last in the heat. He then scored 11 points from his remaining rides which would have been enough to take the crown if he had won heat 3.[7]
Qualification results.[8][9]
Second round
Australian qualifying
- Top 16 to Australian final
New Zealand qualifying
- Top 16 to New Zealand final
British preliminary round
- Rider progress to British qualifying round
Continental preliminary round
- Riders progress to Continental quarter-finals
Swedish qualification
- Top 5 in each heat to Swedish final
(5 May, Avestavallen, Avesta) | Pos | Rider | Points | 1 | Anders Michanek | 15 | 2 | Christer Sjösten | 11 | 3 | Börje Klingberg | 11 | 4 | Gert Carlsson | 11 | 5 | Tomas Pettersson | 10 | 6 | Karl-Erik Claesson | 9 | 7 | Roger Björkman | 9 | 8 | Åke Fridell | 8 | 9 | Lars-Olof Karlsson | 7 | 10 | Åke Axelsson | 7 | 11 | Leif Johansson | 6 | 12 | Peter Johansson | 5 | 13 | Therje Henriksson | 4 | 14 | Bertil Andersson | 2 | 15 | Börje Ohlsson (res) | 2 | 16 | Hans Frisk | 1 | 17 | Willy Karlsson | 0 | 18 | Jan Holmqvist | 0 | | (7 May, Målilla Motorbana, Malilla) | Pos | Rider | Points | 1 | Tommy Nilsson | 15 | 2 | Sören Karlsson | 13 | 3 | Stefan Salmonsson | 13 | 4 | Lillebror Johansson | 11 | 5 | Bo Wirebrand | 9+3 | 6 | Lars Ericsson | 9+2 | 7 | Olle Nygren | 8 | 8 | Sven Nilsson | 8 | 9 | Bengt Larsson | 6 | 10 | Thord Löwdin | 5 | 11 | Kenneth Selmosson | 4 | 12 | Weine Ström | 4 | 13 | Tommy Johansson | 3 | 14 | Björn Persson (res) | 3 | 15 | Karl-Fredrik Lindgren | 3 | 16 | Bengt Gagner | 3 | 17 | Åke Andersson (res) | 2 | 18 | Åke Dovhed | 0 | | |
Third round
Continental quarter-finals
- Top 32 to Continental semi-finals
British qualifying round
The British qualifying rounds for the World Championship doubled up as qualifying rounds for the Volkswagen/Daily Mirror Grand Prix. Therefore, many non-British riders rode in these meetings scoring points towards the Volkswagen/Daily Mirror Grand Prix qualification - but their scores didn't count towards World Championship qualification. The top 32 British riders qualified for the british semi-finals.
Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
11 May | Wimbledon Stadium, London | Peter Collins | Bob Kilby | Dave Jessup |
11 May | Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield | Ivan Mauger | Doug Wyer | Steve Bastable |
12 May | Hackney Wick Stadium, London | Dave Jessup | Terry Betts | Finn Thomsen |
13 May | Hyde Road, Manchester | Peter Collins | Chris Morton | Bobby Beaton |
13 May | King's Lynn Stadium, King's Lynn | Michael Lee | John Titman | Malcolm Simmons |
13 May | Brandon Stadium, Coventry | Alan Molyneux | Keith White | Billy Sanders |
15 May | Smallmead Stadium, Reading | Gordon Kennett | Billy Sanders | John Davis |
15 May | County Ground Stadium, Exeter | Phil Crump | Václav Verner | Mike Farrell |
15 May | Birchfield Ladbroke Stadium, Birmingham | Ray Wilson | John Titman | Mike Lanham |
16 May | Leicester Stadium, Leicester | Scott Autrey | John Titman | Les Collins |
17 May | Wimborne Road, Poole | Tony Davey | Václav Verner | Malcolm Simmons |
17 May | White City Stadium, London | Kai Niemi | Gordon Kennett | Ila Teromaa |
17 May | The Boulevard, Hull | Ivan Mauger | Bobby Beaton | Graham Drury |
18 May | Abbey Stadium, Swindon | Peter Collins | Jan Andersson | Dave Perks |
18 May | Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich | John Louis | Michael Lee | Tony Davey |
19 May | Monmore Green, Wolverhampton | Gordon Kennett | Hans Nielsen | Jim McMillan |
19 May | Knowle Stadium, Bristol | Joe Owen | Tormod Langli | Reg Wilson |
20 May | Dudley Wood Stadium, Dudley | Alan Grahame | John Davis | Bruce Cribb |
20 May | The Shay, Halifax | Eric Broadbelt | Ian Cartwright | Phil Collins |
Finland Final
Pos. | Rider | Total |
1 | Kai Niemi | 14 |
2 | Ilkka Teromaa | 13 |
3 | Rauli Mäkinen | 12 |
4 | Seppo Palomäki | 12 |
5 | Markku Helminen | 11 |
6 | Pekka Paljakka | 10 |
7 | Pekka Hautamäki | 9 |
8 | Timo Kiansten | 8 |
9 | Olli Turkia | 8 |
10 | Veijo Tuoriniemi | 6 |
11 | Veli Pekka Kunelius | 6 |
12 | Ari Koponen | 3 |
13 | Keijo Mylläri | 3 |
14 | Esa Mattila | 3 |
15 | Raimo Posti | 2 |
16 | Jorma Karjalainen | 0 |
Norwegian Final
- 3 riders to Nordic Final
Swedish Final
Danish Final
Australian Final
Pos. | Rider | Total |
1 | John Titman | 15 |
2 | Lloyd Cross | 13 |
3 | Mick McKeon | 12 |
4 | John Boulger | 11 |
5 | Mike Farrell | 9 |
6 | Phil Herne | 9 |
7 | Billy Sanders | 9 |
8 | Robert Maxfield | 8 |
9 | Glenn McDonald | 7 |
10 | Phil Crump | 7 |
11 | Wayne Forrest | 6 |
12 | Tony Boyle | 5 |
13 | Danny Kennedy | 4 |
14 | Ricky Day | 3 |
15 | Phil Bass | 2 |
16 | Stuart Mountford | 0 |
New Zealand Final
Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
1 | Larry Ross | 3,3,3,3,3 | 15 |
2 | Barry Briggs | 2,3,3,2,2 | 12 |
3 | Mike Fullerton | 1,3,2,3,3 | 12 |
4 | Mitch Shirra | 3,2,E,3,3 | 11 |
5 | Roger Wright | 2,3,3,1,2 | 11 |
6 | Colin Tucker | 3,2,2,2,2 | 11 |
7 | Colin Farquharson | 1,1,3,2,3 | 10 |
8 | James Moore | 3,1,0,0,2 | 6 |
9 | Allan Brown | 0,0,2,3,1 | 6 |
10 | Greg Joynt | 1,2,2,0,0 | 5 |
11 | Paul Fewinks | 2,2,0,1,F | 5 |
12 | Max Brown | F,0,1,2,1 | 4 |
13 | Gavin Miller | 2,1,1,0,0 | 4 |
14 | Cliff Anderson | 0,0,1,1,1 | 3 |
15 | Patrick Pawson | 1,E,1,1,0 | 3 |
16 | Kris Berrigan | 0,1,0,0,1 | 2 |
Fourth round
British semi-finals
American selection
- No qualifying, the AMA selected two riders to represent the USA in the Intercontinental final.
Australasian Final
Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
1 | Mitch Shirra | 2,2,3,3,3 | 13 |
2 | Mick McKeon | 3,3,2.5,2,1 | 11.5 |
3 | John Titman | 2,3,T,3,3 | 11 |
4 | Mike Farrell | 3,1,1,3,3 | 11 |
5 | Mike Fullerton | 1,3,3,1,2 | 10 |
6 | Phil Herne | 1,2,2,3,2 | 10 |
7 | John Boulger | 3,3,2,T,1 | 9 |
8 | Billy Sanders | 3,T,3,F,3 | 9 |
9 | Colin Farquharson | 0,2,2,2,2 | 8 |
10 | Roger Wright | 1,1,2.5,1,1 | 6.5 |
11 | Robert Maxfield | 1,1,1,2,1 | 6 |
12 | Larry Ross | 2,E,E,2,2 | 6 |
13 | James Moore | 2,1,1,1,0 | 5 |
14 | Colin Tucker | 0,2,1,0,0 | 3 |
15 | Allan Brown | 0,0,0,0,0 | 0 |
16 | Lloyd Cross | F,-,-,-,- | 0 |
R1 | Greg Joynt | 0,0,1,T | 1 |
R2 | Cliff Anderson | 0,0,0 | 0 |
Nordic Final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
Continental semi-finals
Fifth round
British Final
Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| (7) Michael Lee | 14 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | 14 | 1 | |
| (5) Dave Jessup | 12 | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | 12 | 2 | |
| (16) Malcolm Simmons | 11 | | | | 0 | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | 11 | 3 | |
4 | (9) Gordon Kennett | 10 | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | | 10 | 4 | 3 |
5 | (1) Steve Bastable | 10 | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 10 | 5 | 2 |
6 | (12) Chris Morton | 10 | | | E | | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | 10 | 6 | 1 |
7 | (13) Tony Davey | 8 | | | | 3 | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | 0 | | 8 | 7 | |
8 | (15) John Davis | 8 | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | 0 | | | | 8 | 8 | |
9 | (10) Les Collins | 7 | | | 3 | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | 7 | 9 | |
10 | (6) Peter Collins | 6 | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | E | | | | | | | E | | | 2 | | 6 | 10 | |
11 | (8) Reg Wilson | 6 | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | | 6 | 11 | |
12 | (2) Doug Wyer | 4 | 1 | | | | | 2 | | | | X | | | | 1 | | | | E | | | 4 | 12 | |
13 | (14) Alan Grahame | 4 | | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | 4 | 13 | |
14 | (4) Jim McMillan | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | T | | | | 0 | 3 | 14 | |
15 | (11) John Louis | 3 | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | 3 | 15 | |
16 | (3) Dave Morton | 3 | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | 3 | 16 | |
R3 | (R3) Mick Bell | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | R3 |
Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
Continental Final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
Intercontinental Final
Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| (3) Ole Olsen | 13 | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | 13 | 1 | 3 |
| (11) Ivan Mauger | 13 | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | | | | 3 | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| (1) Scott Autrey | 11 | 3 | | | | X | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 11 | 3 | 3 |
4 | (16) Ila Teromaa | 11 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | 11 | 4 | 2 |
5 | (13) Jan Andersson | 11 | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | 11 | 5 | 1 |
6 | (9) Anders Michanek | 10 | | | 2 | | 1 | | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | | 10 | 6 | |
7 | (5) John Titman | 10 | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 2 | 10 | 7 | |
8 | (6) Bernt Persson | 9 | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | 9 | 8 | |
9 | (2) Kai Niemi | 8 | 1 | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | 8 | 9 | |
10 | (12) Steve Gresham | 7 | | | X | | | | | 1 | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | X | | 7 | 10 | |
11 | (4) Finn Thomsen | 5 | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | E | | | | 1 | 5 | 11 | |
12 | (15) Mike Farrell | 5 | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | 5 | 12 | |
13 | (10) Mick McKeon | 3 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | 3 | 13 | |
14 | (8) Kristian Præstbro | 2 | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | | 2 | 14 | |
15 | (7) Mitch Shirra | 1 | | 1 | | | | | F | | | | | - | - | | | | | - | | | 1 | 15 | |
16 | (14) Tommy Nilsson | 1 | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | 1 | | | | | | | 0 | 1 | 16 | |
R1 | (R1) Bert Rasmussen | 0 | | | | | 0 | | | | | | | | 0 | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
R2 | (R2) Tom Jenssen | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | R2 |
Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
World Final
- 2 September 1978
- Wembley Stadium, London[10]
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify
gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
References
- ^ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. pp. 20–21. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
- ^ "World Championship 1936-1994". Edinburgh Speedway. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ "WORLD FINALS 1936-1994" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ "Speedway riders, history and results". wwosbackup. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ "WORLD INDIVIDUAL FINAL - RIDER INDEX". British Speedway. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ "Ole - He's champ". Sunday Mirror. 3 September 1978. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Timelines take a moment". Speedway Star. 6 August 2022. p. 47.
- ^ "1978 World Championship". Metal Speedway. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "1978 World Championship". Speedway.org. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
Speedway World Championship | | |
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Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) | |
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See also | |
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