Speedway World Championship
Encyclopedia
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest ranked motorcycle speedway
riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix
events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each season. However, up to 1995, it used to be organised as a single-night event, with qualifying rounds leading up to a big final with five heats, where points were awarded according to place in the heat and then tallied up at the end.
Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway had their own qualifiers, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia had the "continental" qualifiers, and the best riders met for European Championships - all organised in roughly the same way as the World final was before. The Championship Round for British, American, Australian and New Zealand racers, however, was kept until 1964, when the same qualifier system was implemented there. From these two competitions, a certain amount then qualified for the World final, which was organised in the same way as before. The quotas from each nation/continent varied from year to year, generally depending on what nation hosted the championship, and the divisions could also vary (an intercontinental final between English-speaking and Nordic countries was in use from 1972 to 1990, for example).
and MotoGP
was implemented in 1995 - while the system with qualifiers and a final was now used to qualify riders for the next Grand Prix series. Initially, there were six races, in Poland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Great Britain. The old system with everyone racing each other was still used, however, except that the four best riders qualified for a final heat which would determine who won the individual event (and score maximum points). Points were awarded as follows:
This system was used until 1998, when FIM
invented another system. Instead of 16 riders racing for points and trying to qualify for a final, there would now be 24 riders, divided into two classes. The eight best would be directly qualified for the so-called Main Event, while the sixteen others would be knocked out if they finished out of the top two in 4-man heats on two occasions - while they would go through if they finished inside the top two on two occasions. This resulted in 10 heats, where eight proceeded to the Main Event, where exactly the same system was applied to give eight riders to a semi-final. The semi-finals were then two heats of four, where the top two qualified for a final and the others raced off in a consolation final. This system meant that the point system had to be revised, with 5th place getting 15 points, 6th 14, 8th 10, and after that 8, 8, 7, 7, etc. Places after 8th place were awarded according to the time a rider was knocked out and, secondly, according to position in the last heat he rode in.
This system went largely unchanged until 2004, although the number of GP races expanded to ten in 2002 and then back to 9 in 2003 and 2004. However, the system was viewed by many as too complicated, and for the 2005 Speedway Grand Prix
season the system used from 1995 to 1997 was back, but with one minor modification; points gained in the heats would now count for the aggregate standings, and the top eight riders would qualify for two semi-final heats, just like the 1998-2004 system.
won the title, to 1938 and from 1949 to 1960. 1937 saw Americans Jack Milne
, Wilbur Lamoreaux
and Cordy Milne
swept the podium for the First win for America and the only time Riders from one country took all 3 top positions. Commonwealth countries dominated, with the UK
, Australia and New Zealand
taking four titles each up to 1959. The first non-English-speaking victor came in 1956, when the Swede
Ove Fundin
won the first of his five titles. The late 1950s and 1960s were dominated by Fundin along with the two New Zealanders Ronnie Moore
(two titles) and Barry Briggs
(four titles), and Englishman Peter Craven
(two titles).
Ivan Mauger
, a 26-year-old New Zealander who had had a slow breakthrough in British league speedway, made his debut. He finished fourth, but won two out of five races, and showed potential by winning the European final (without Swedes) at Wembley. And he lived up to it. He raced till the ripe old age of 39, winning six World titles, including three in a row from 1968 to 1970 - including nine successive races in finals events. After 1970, though, he showed himself to be more human, as Ole Olsen took over - winning in Göteborg in 1971 and eventually taking three titles. However, Mauger had the last laugh of the two - winning the last final that they both competed in, at Chorzów
in 1979, when he scored 14 out of 15 possible points to win the final ahead of Pole Zenon Plech
.
won twice in 1981 and 1982 - the latter being the first and only time a World Championship race has been hosted in the United States, in Los Angeles
- it was time for Denmark
to ascend the world control of speedway. Earlier on, only Ole Olsen had won World titles, in 1971, 1975 and 1978, but a new generation was growing up, led by Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen
who occupied the first two places at Gothenburg
in 1984. And, in fact, there were two Danes on top of the table in each and every World final from 1984 to 1988 - a somewhat extraordinary record. Gundersen and Nielsen took three titles each as the Danes won six successive and seven out of eight titles from 1984 to 1991. However, the retirement of Gundersen in 1989, followed by Jan Pedersen in 1992, both prematurely because of serious injuries, weakened Danish speedway somewhat, as only Nielsen held the class required to win the World Championship. He did in 1995 - scoring 103 points and winning one of six races (fellow Dane Tommy Knudsen
actually won two, but was too inconsistent and finished tenth), fifteen points more than his nearest opponent. He was pipped to the title by two points by Billy Hamill
in 1996, and although he continued racing till 1999, he never threatened the top.
, the 1994 champion - who took over. Rickardsson won four titles from 1998 to 2002, only interrupted by Mark Loram in 2000. Although Dane Nicki Pedersen
and Australian Jason Crump
won in 2003 and 2004, Rickardsson was hampered by injury and unlucky draws through many of the Grand Prix races, and was often in contention for the title. The 2005 Speedway Grand Prix
series, however, saw Rickardsson return, taking his sixth victory to equal the record of Ivan Mauger
. The 2006 Grand Prix was again won by Jason Crump
who amassed a total of 188 points to lead the field throughout the championship. Rickardsson announced his retirement from the sport half way through the 2006 campaign. In 2007, Nicki Pedersen once again regained the title he first won in 2003, with a total of 196 points, while Leigh Adams finished his nearest rival on 153. Nicki Pedersen won the 2008 series for a third time, while Jason Crump picked up the silver medal, and Pole Thomasz Gollob finished third.
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
riders of the world. Today, it is organised as a series of Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix
Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. As of 2008, all of the events take place in Europe.- Event format :...
events, where points are awarded according to performance in the event and tallied up at the end of each season. However, up to 1995, it used to be organised as a single-night event, with qualifying rounds leading up to a big final with five heats, where points were awarded according to place in the heat and then tallied up at the end.
1936 to 1954
With minor modifications, the general system stayed the same from the first championship. There were initial qualifying rounds, where the riders raced in heats of four to score points against each other (3 for first place, 2 for second place, 1 for third place). The final qualifying round was called the Championship Round, and it consisted of seven to ten meetings, though no one participated in all of them. The 16 who scored the most points then qualified for the World Championship Final at Wembley, where the heat system was again used - this time with a total of 20 heats of four riders, each rider racing five heats, and every rider meeting each other at some point during the competition. The same points system was used, and the rider with the most points won. From 1936 to 1938 bonus points were carried over from the Championship Round. This was scrapped when the World Championship resumed after the War in 1949.1955 to 1994
In 1955, the World final organisers recognised that it was no longer practical for the foreigners to travel to the Championship round races in Britain, and so a system with zonal qualification races were invented. The Nordic countriesNordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway had their own qualifiers, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia had the "continental" qualifiers, and the best riders met for European Championships - all organised in roughly the same way as the World final was before. The Championship Round for British, American, Australian and New Zealand racers, however, was kept until 1964, when the same qualifier system was implemented there. From these two competitions, a certain amount then qualified for the World final, which was organised in the same way as before. The quotas from each nation/continent varied from year to year, generally depending on what nation hosted the championship, and the divisions could also vary (an intercontinental final between English-speaking and Nordic countries was in use from 1972 to 1990, for example).
1995 to date
Gradually, it became apparent that the single-night event was getting obsolete, and a Grand Prix series similar to that used in Formula OneFormula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
and MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
was implemented in 1995 - while the system with qualifiers and a final was now used to qualify riders for the next Grand Prix series. Initially, there were six races, in Poland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Great Britain. The old system with everyone racing each other was still used, however, except that the four best riders qualified for a final heat which would determine who won the individual event (and score maximum points). Points were awarded as follows:
- 25 for the winner, then 20, 18, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1 for 16th
This system was used until 1998, when FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
invented another system. Instead of 16 riders racing for points and trying to qualify for a final, there would now be 24 riders, divided into two classes. The eight best would be directly qualified for the so-called Main Event, while the sixteen others would be knocked out if they finished out of the top two in 4-man heats on two occasions - while they would go through if they finished inside the top two on two occasions. This resulted in 10 heats, where eight proceeded to the Main Event, where exactly the same system was applied to give eight riders to a semi-final. The semi-finals were then two heats of four, where the top two qualified for a final and the others raced off in a consolation final. This system meant that the point system had to be revised, with 5th place getting 15 points, 6th 14, 8th 10, and after that 8, 8, 7, 7, etc. Places after 8th place were awarded according to the time a rider was knocked out and, secondly, according to position in the last heat he rode in.
This system went largely unchanged until 2004, although the number of GP races expanded to ten in 2002 and then back to 9 in 2003 and 2004. However, the system was viewed by many as too complicated, and for the 2005 Speedway Grand Prix
2005 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2005 Speedway Grand Prix season is the 11th season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :...
season the system used from 1995 to 1997 was back, but with one minor modification; points gained in the heats would now count for the aggregate standings, and the top eight riders would qualify for two semi-final heats, just like the 1998-2004 system.
Humble beginnings
The British pride themselves on inventing the World Championship, having hosted the first fifteen - all in Wembley Stadium. These were from 1936, when Australian Lionel Van PraagLionel Van Praag
Lionel Maurice Van Praag, GM was an Australian motorcycle speedway champion, who won the inaugural Speedway World Championship in London on 10 September 1936.-1932 UK National League Champion:...
won the title, to 1938 and from 1949 to 1960. 1937 saw Americans Jack Milne
Jack Milne
Jack Milne was an international Speedway rider. He became the first American to win a motorcycling world championship when he won the Speedway World Championship in 1937...
, Wilbur Lamoreaux
Wilbur Lamoreaux
Wilbur Lamoreaux was a former international motorcycle speedway rider who qualified for three Speedway World Championship finals and never finished lower than fifth place.-Early life:...
and Cordy Milne
Cordy Milne
Cordy Milne was an American international motorcycle speedway rider who finished third in the 1937 Speedway World Championship final, behind his brother Jack and second placed Wilbur Lamoreaux...
swept the podium for the First win for America and the only time Riders from one country took all 3 top positions. Commonwealth countries dominated, with the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
taking four titles each up to 1959. The first non-English-speaking victor came in 1956, when the Swede
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Ove Fundin
Ove Fundin
Ove Fundin is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship five times...
won the first of his five titles. The late 1950s and 1960s were dominated by Fundin along with the two New Zealanders Ronnie Moore
Ronnie Moore (speedway rider)
Ronnie Moore MBE is a former international Speedway rider. His family moved to New Zealand when he was still a child and although Moore was born in Australia, he has always considered himself to be a New Zealander....
(two titles) and Barry Briggs
Barry Briggs
Barry Briggs MBE from Christchurch, New Zealand is a former Speedway rider.He won the World Individual Championship title four times - in 1957, 1958, 1964 and 1966. He appeared in a record 17 consecutive World Individual finals , and a record 18 in all, during which he scored a record 201 points...
(four titles), and Englishman Peter Craven
Peter Craven
Peter Theodore Craven was an English motorcycle racer. He was a finalist in each FIM Speedway World Championship from 1954 to 1963 and he won the title twice . He was British Champion in 1962-63....
(two titles).
Mauger's era
Then, at the 1966 World Championship in GothenburgGothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
Ivan Mauger
Ivan Mauger
Ivan Mauger, OBE, MBE, is a retired motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships, a feat only equalled by Tony Rickardsson of Sweden...
, a 26-year-old New Zealander who had had a slow breakthrough in British league speedway, made his debut. He finished fourth, but won two out of five races, and showed potential by winning the European final (without Swedes) at Wembley. And he lived up to it. He raced till the ripe old age of 39, winning six World titles, including three in a row from 1968 to 1970 - including nine successive races in finals events. After 1970, though, he showed himself to be more human, as Ole Olsen took over - winning in Göteborg in 1971 and eventually taking three titles. However, Mauger had the last laugh of the two - winning the last final that they both competed in, at Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
in 1979, when he scored 14 out of 15 possible points to win the final ahead of Pole Zenon Plech
Zenon Plech
Zenon Plech is a former Polish international motorcycle speedway rider.He finished third in the Speedway World Championship in 1973 and then runner-up in 1979.-Career summary:...
.
Danes take over
After Bruce PenhallBruce Penhall
Bruce Lee Penhall is a retired American motorcycle speedway racer who also starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Heathens speedway team in the United Kingdom...
won twice in 1981 and 1982 - the latter being the first and only time a World Championship race has been hosted in the United States, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
- it was time for Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
to ascend the world control of speedway. Earlier on, only Ole Olsen had won World titles, in 1971, 1975 and 1978, but a new generation was growing up, led by Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen
Hans Nielsen (speedway rider)
Hans Hollen Nielsen - a prominent speedway rider active from the 1970s to the late 1990s; a former World Champion....
who occupied the first two places at Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
in 1984. And, in fact, there were two Danes on top of the table in each and every World final from 1984 to 1988 - a somewhat extraordinary record. Gundersen and Nielsen took three titles each as the Danes won six successive and seven out of eight titles from 1984 to 1991. However, the retirement of Gundersen in 1989, followed by Jan Pedersen in 1992, both prematurely because of serious injuries, weakened Danish speedway somewhat, as only Nielsen held the class required to win the World Championship. He did in 1995 - scoring 103 points and winning one of six races (fellow Dane Tommy Knudsen
Tommy Knudsen
Tommy Knudsen is a former Speedway rider who became Speedway World Pairs Champion in 1995 with Erik Gundersen. Tommy was also World Under-21 Champion in 1980...
actually won two, but was too inconsistent and finished tenth), fifteen points more than his nearest opponent. He was pipped to the title by two points by Billy Hamill
Billy Hamill
William Gordon Hamill is an American international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a former Speedway World Champion, winning the title in 1996.-Early career:...
in 1996, and although he continued racing till 1999, he never threatened the top.
Speedway Grand Prix
Instead, it was Sweden - represented by Tony RickardssonTony Rickardsson
Tony Rickardsson is a retired Swedish motorcycle speedway rider. He is widely acknowledged as being the most successful speedway rider of the current era, having won six Speedway World Championship titles in 15 attempts. He has two daughters, Michelle and Natalie with his wife Anna...
, the 1994 champion - who took over. Rickardsson won four titles from 1998 to 2002, only interrupted by Mark Loram in 2000. Although Dane Nicki Pedersen
Nicki Pedersen
Nicki Pedersen is a Danish motorcycle speedway rider. He has won the World Championship in 2003, 2007 and 2008 and was a World Cup winner with Denmark in 2006 and 2008. His brother, Ronni Pedersen, has also ridden in the Speedway Grand Prix and World Cup.-Domestic teams:Pedersen began speedway...
and Australian Jason Crump
Jason Crump
Jason Phillip Crump is an Australian international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a three-time Speedway World Champion, a World Cup winner and a former World Under-21 Champion.-Family:...
won in 2003 and 2004, Rickardsson was hampered by injury and unlucky draws through many of the Grand Prix races, and was often in contention for the title. The 2005 Speedway Grand Prix
2005 Speedway Grand Prix
The 2005 Speedway Grand Prix season is the 11th season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and is used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :...
series, however, saw Rickardsson return, taking his sixth victory to equal the record of Ivan Mauger
Ivan Mauger
Ivan Mauger, OBE, MBE, is a retired motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships, a feat only equalled by Tony Rickardsson of Sweden...
. The 2006 Grand Prix was again won by Jason Crump
Jason Crump
Jason Phillip Crump is an Australian international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a three-time Speedway World Champion, a World Cup winner and a former World Under-21 Champion.-Family:...
who amassed a total of 188 points to lead the field throughout the championship. Rickardsson announced his retirement from the sport half way through the 2006 campaign. In 2007, Nicki Pedersen once again regained the title he first won in 2003, with a total of 196 points, while Leigh Adams finished his nearest rival on 153. Nicki Pedersen won the 2008 series for a third time, while Jason Crump picked up the silver medal, and Pole Thomasz Gollob finished third.
See also
- Speedway World Championship ClassificationSpeedway World Championship ClassificationThe table below is a classified table of every speedway rider to have finished in the top three of a Speedway World Championship competition.- Classification :...
- World Under-21 ChampionshipIndividual Speedway Junior World ChampionshipThe Individual Speedway Junior World Championship is an annual speedway event held each year organized by the International Motorcycling Federation since 1977...