1955 Individual Speedway World Championship

10th edition of the World motorcycle speedway championship

1955 Individual Speedway World Championship

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The 1955 Individual Speedway World Championship was the tenth edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

In a very competitive World final Peter Craven of England finished one point ahead of three other riders who had to ride off for the silver medal. The defending champion Ronnie Moore won the ride off to claim silver from fellow countryman Barry Briggs and Welshman Eric Williams who both crashed leaving Moore an easy victory, Briggs took third place from Williams who missed out on a medal.[7]

## Qualification

[edit]

Qualification started on 29 April.[8][9]

### Stage 1

[edit]

#### Norwegian round

[edit]

* 26 September 1954
* Briskebyen Utstillingsplassen, Hamar
* Top 3 (+2 seeded) to Nordic round 1955

Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 | Reidar Kristoffersen | 15
2 | Rolf Westerberg | 14
3 | Nils Paulsen | 13
4 | Sverre Gjomesli | 11
5 | Rolf Solberg | 9
6 | Odd Johansen | 8
7 | Erling Simonsen | 8
8 | Gunnar Hilsen | 7
9 | Aage W. Jensen | 7
10 | Tore Meiner | 6
11 | Erling Cae | 5
12 | Oddvar Wold | 5
13 | Tor Bjorkkvist | 4
14 | Odd Kleiven | 4
15 | Knut Bjorge | 2
16 | Jens Georg Walle | 0

#### Swedish round

[edit]

* 29 April 1955
* Linköping Motorstadion (Ryd), Linköping
* Top 6 to Nordic qualification

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 | Ove Fundin | 15
2 | Ulf Ericsson | 12
3 | Lars Pettersson | 12
4 | Kjell Carlsson | 11
5 | Rune Claesson | 10
6 | Gunnar Johansson | 9
7 | Olle Andersson II | 8
8 | Stig Pramberg | 8
9 | Olle Segerström | 8
10 | Kaj Forsberg | 8
11 | Göte Nordin | 5
12 | Thorsten Carlsson | 5
13 | Allan Nilsson | 3
14 | Rune Stenström | 3
15 | Bert Engman | 3
16 | Bertil Carlsson II | 0
17 | Stig Sköldberg | 0

* 29 April 1955
* Snälltorpet, Eskilstuna
* Top 6 to Nordic qualification

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 | Bert Lindarw | 14
2 | Göran Norlén | 14
3 | Birger Forsberg | 13
4 | Olle Andersson I | 11
5 | Joel Jansson | 9
6 | Olle Heyman | 9
7 | Sven Fahlén | 9
8 | Bernt Nilsson | 9
9 | Per-Tage Svensson | 8
10 | Bengt Nilsson | 8
11 | Göte Olsson | 4
12 | Dan Forsberg | 4
13 | Alf Jonsson | 3
14 | Evert Andersson | 3
15 | Sven Skoglund | 2
16 | Olle Broms | 0
17 | Sten Cederlöv | 0

### Stage 2

[edit]

#### Nordic round

[edit]

* 1 May 1955
* Turku Speedway track, Turku
* Top 8 to Nordic final

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 | Ove Fundin | 15
2 | Ulf Ericsson | 14
3 | Sven Fahlén | 11
4 | Kaukko Jousanen | 10
5 | Reidar Kristoffersen | 10
6 | Olle Heyman | 10
7 | Birger Forsberg | 10
8 | Antti Pajari | 10
9 | Olle Andersson I | 8
10 | Reino Niemi | 5
11 | Rauno Aaltonen | 5
12 | Aulis Tuominen | 4
13 | Aage Hansen | 3
14 | Simo Ylänen | 3
15 | Antti Mattila | 2
16 | Ilkka Helminen | 0

* 4 May 1955
* Amager Speedway Stadium, Copenhagen
* Top 8 to Nordic final

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 | Göran Norlén | 15
2 | Joel Jansson | 12
3 | Lars Pettersson | 11
4 | Basse Hveem | 10
5 | Henry Andersen | 10
6 | Kjell Carlsson | 9
7 | Rune Claesson | 8
8 | Bert Lindarw | 8
9 | Kiehn Berthelsen | 6
10 | Leif Bech | 6
11 | Arne Pander | 6
12 | Nils Paulsen | 5
13 | Erling Simonsen | 4
14 | Eivind Petersen | 4
15 | Rolf Westerberg | 3
16 | Axel Möller | 3

#### Continental round

[edit]

* 1 May 1955
* City Garden Stadium, Osijek
* Top 8 to Continental final

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 | Karel Kiendl | 13
2 | Fred Aberl | 12
3 | Sebastian Wiesent | 12
4 | Nicola Snjaric | 11
5 | Valentin Medved | 11
6 | Drago Regvart | 10
7 | Branko Regvart | 9
8 | Max Aebi | 9
9 | Josip Klemencic | 8
10 | Cornel Bijman | 7
11 | Gerhard Hofemeister | 5
12 | Josef Sinzinger | 5
13 | Alois Strasser | 4
14 | Moritz Künzl | 2
15 | Leo Petzwinkler | 2
16 | Jakob Dietrich | 0

* 8 May 1955
* Niederrheinstadion, Oberhausen
* Top 8 to Continental final

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 | Josef Seidl | 14
2 | Per-Olof Söderman | 12
3 | Sune Karlsson | 12
4 | Georg Duneborn | 11
5 | Josef Hofmeister | 9
6 | Karl Killmeyer | 8
7 | Marius Metzelaar | 8
8 | Albin Siegl | 8
9 | T van Gorcum | 8
10 | Anton Kroeze | 7
11 | Howdy Byford | 7
12 | Alan Smith | 4
13 | Leopold Killmeyer | 3
14 | J van der Sluis | 3
15 | Thei Bischops | 2
16 | Alex Jakob | 1
17 | Kurt Pieper | 1

### Stage 3

[edit]

#### Nordic Final

[edit]

* 8 June 1955
* Lerkendal Stadion, Trondheim
* First 6 to European final

Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 |  Ove Fundin | 14
2 |  Henry Andersen | 14
3 |  Basse Hveem | 12
4 |  Ulf Ericsson | 10
5 |  Birger Forsberg | 10
6 |  Kjell Carlsson | 9
7 |  Sven Fahlén | 9
8 |  Joel Jansson | 8
9 |  Rune Claesson | 7
10 |  Bert Lindarw | 7
11 |  Olle Heyman | 6
12 |  Lars Pettersson | 5
13 |  Reidar Kristoffersen | 5
14 |  Göran Norlén | 3
15 |  Antti Pajari | 2
16 |  Kaukko Jousanen | 1

#### Continental Final

[edit]

* 13 June 1955
* Altes Stadion, Abensberg
* First 6 to European Final

Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 |  Fritz Dirtl | 15
2 |  Josef Kamper | 12
3 |  Georg Duneborn | 12
4 |  Josef Hofmeister | 11
5 |  Josef Seidl | 11
6 |  Per Olof Söderman | 10+3
7 |  Karl Killmeyer | 10+2
8 |  Sune Karlsson | 8
9 |  Nicvan Gorcum | 7
10 |  Fred Aberl | 6
11 |  Sebastian Wiesent | 6
12 |  Branko Regvart | 4
13 |  Tinus Metzelaar | 3
14 |  Karl Kiendl | 2
15 |  Drago Regvart | 2
16 |  Nicola Snjaric | 1

#### British & Commonwealth round

[edit]

* Top 21 qualify for Championship round.[10]

Date  | Venue  | Winner

|
|

4 July | Wimborne Road | Ken Middleditch
5 July | Banister Court Stadium | Dick Bradley
7 July | Foxhall Stadium | Junior Bainbridge
7 July | Oxford Stadium | Ronnie Genz
8 July | Leicester Stadium | Ken Middleditch
9 July | Brandon Stadium | Tommy Miller
9 July | Rayleigh Weir Stadium | Bert Roger
9 July | Abbey Stadium | Ian Williams
11 July | County Ground Stadium | Ken McKinlay

### Stage 4

[edit]

#### Championship Round

[edit]

* Top 12 qualify for World final + 2 reserves

Date  | Venue  | Winner

|
|

8 August | Wimbledon Stadium | Barry Briggs
9 August | West Ham Stadium | Jack Young
11 August | Wembley Stadium | Brian Crutcher
13 August | Perry Barr Stadium | Doug Davies
13 August | Odsal Stadium | Arthur Wright
20 August | Hyde Road Stadium | Peter Craven
20 August | The Firs Stadium | Aub Lawson

Scores

* First 12 to World final + 2 reserves

| Pos. | Rider | Total pts

|
|

1 |  Peter Craven | 29
2 |  Jack Young | 29
3 |  Barry Briggs | 28
4 |  Ron Johnston | 26
5 |  Ronnie Moore | 26
6 |  Arthur Wright | 26
7 |  Doug Davies | 26
8 |  Cyril Roger | 25
9 |  Arthur Forrest | 24
10 |  Aub Lawson | 24
11 |  Phil Clarke | 24
12 |  Brian Crutcher | 23
13 |  Eric Williams | 23
14 |  Billy Bales | 23
15 |  Gerry Hussey | 22
16 |  Ken McKinlay | 22
17 |  Freddie Williams | 21
18 |  Alf Hagon | 19
19 |  Ken Middleditch | 19
20 |  Ron Mountford | 18
21 |  Jack Geran | 18
22 |  Jack Biggs | 17
23 |  Alan Hunt | 17
24 |  Les McGillivray | 17
25 |  Peter Moore | 15
26 |  Ron How | 14
27 |  Harry Bastable | 14
28 |  Peter Clark | 14
| Pos. | Rider | Total pts

|
|

29 |  Tommy Price | 14
30 |  Fred Rogers | 14
31 |  Dick Bradley | 12
32 |  Bob Mark | 11
33 |  Ian Williams | 11
34 |  Split Waterman | 11
35 |  Bob Duckworth | 11
36 |  Tommy Miller | 10
37 |  Reg Reeves | 10
38 |  Allan Kidd | 10
39 |  Alan Smith | 9
40 |  Fred Brand | 9
41 |  Neil Street | 9
42 |  Guy Allott | 8
43 |  Junior Bainbridge | 8
44 |  Harry Edwards | 7
45 |  Gordon McGregor | 7
46 |  Bob Roger | 6
47 |  Charlie New | 6
48 |  Jimmy Gooch | 5
49 |  Bill Holden | 5
50 |  Eric French | 4
51 |  Ron Clarke | 3
52 |  John Fitzpatrick | 3
53 |  Ken Sharples | 1
54 |  Bob Sharp | 1
55 |  Eddie Rigg | 0
56 |  Jim Lightfoot | 0

#### European Final

[edit]

* 4 July 1955
* Bislett Stadium, Oslo
* First 4 to World final[11]

Pos. | Rider | Total

|
|

1 |  Henry Andersen | 14
2 |  Olle Nygren | 12
3 |  Kjell Carlsson | 11
4 |  Ove Fundin | 11
5 |  Per Olof Söderman | 11
6 |  Basse Hveem | 10
7 |  Josef Kamper | 9
8 |  Ulf Ericsson | 8
9 |  Fritz Dirtl | 7
10 |  Birger Forsberg | 7
11 |  Georg Duneborn | 6
12 |  Alf Hagon | 5
13 |  Rune Sörmander | 4
14 |  Cyril Maidment | 3
15 |  Joseph Seidl | 2
16 |  Josef Hofmeister | 0
17 |  Reidar Kristoffersen | 0

## World final

[edit]

* 15 September 1955
* Wembley Stadium, London[12]

Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total

|
|
|

1 |  Peter Craven | (3,3,2,3,2) | 13
2 |  Ronnie Moore | (3,1,3,2,3) | 12+3
3 |  Barry Briggs | (3,2,3,2,2) | 12+2
4 |  Eric Williams | (3,1,2,3,3) | 12+1
5 |  Brian Crutcher | (2,2,3,Fx,3) | 10
6 |  Ove Fundin | (2,1,1,3,3) | 10
7 |  Jack Young | (1,3,1,3,2) | 10
8 |  Olle Nygren | (0,3,2,2,2) | 9
9 |  Arthur Forrest | (0,2,3,1,1) | 7
10 |  Arthur Wright | (1,3,0,1,1) | 6
11 |  Billy Bales | (2,0,1,2,1) | 6
12 |  Ron Johnston | (1,1,2,1,1) | 6
13 |  Kjell Carlsson | (0,2,0,1,0) | 3
14 |  Phil Clarke | (2,0,0,0,0) | 2
15 |  Henry Andersen | (1,0,1,0,0) | 2
16 |  Cyril Roger | (0,0,0,0,Fx) | 0
R1 |  Gerry Hussey | did not ride | \-
R2 |  Ken McKinlay | did not ride | \-

* Note - Aub Lawson withdrew injured, Doug Davies withdrew with meningitis,

### Classification

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  (8) Peter Craven | 13  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 13  | 1
2  |  (2) Ronnie Moore | 12+3  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 12  | 2
3  |  (14) Barry Briggs | 12+2  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  | 12  | 3
4  |  (12) Eric Williams | 12+1  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 2  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 12  | 4
5  |  (1) Brian Crutcher | 10  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | \-  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 4  | 5
6  |  (5) Ove Fundin | 10  |  | 2  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  | 10  | 6
7  |  (9) Jack Young | 10  |  |  | 1  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 2  |  |  | 10  | 7
8  |  (6) Olle Nygren | 9  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 2  |  | 9  | 8
9  |  (4) Arthur Forrest | 7  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  | 7  | 9
10  |  (3) Arthur Wright | 6  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 6  | 10
11  |  (10) Billy Bales | 6  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 2  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 6  | 11
12  |  (7) Ron Johnston | 6  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 2  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 6  | 12
13  |  (11) Kjell Carlsson | 3  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  | 3  | 13
14  |  (13) Phil Clarke | 2  |  |  |  | 2  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 2  | 14
15  |  (16) Henry Andersen | 2  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 0  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 2  | 15
16  |  (15) Cyril Roger | 0  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  | \-  |  |  |  | 0  | 16
|  (17) Gerry Hussey | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |
|  (18) Ken McKinlay | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |
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

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

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## References

[edit]

1. ^ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. pp. 20–21. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
2. ^ "World Championship 1936-1994". Edinburgh Speedway. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
3. ^ "WORLD FINALS 1936-1994" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
4. ^ "HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK". Speedway.org. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
5. ^ "Speedway riders, history and results". wwosbackup. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
6. ^ "WORLD INDIVIDUAL FINAL - RIDER INDEX". British Speedway. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
7. ^ "Craven Wins Speedway's World Title". Bradford Observer. 16 September 1955. Retrieved 5 July 2021 - via British Newspaper Archive.
8. ^ "1955 World Championship". Metal Speedway. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
9. ^ "1955 World Championship". Speedway.org. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
10. ^ "Speedway Stars bid for World Title". Weekly Dispatch (London). 3 July 1955. Retrieved 13 January 2024 - via British Newspaper Archive.
11. ^ "1955". Speedway.org. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
12. ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5

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Individual Speedway World Championship and Speedway Grand Prix seasons

Speedway World Championship|

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See also|

* Medalists
* Medal Classification
* Grands Prix
* SGP riders
* Super Prix
* SGP Statistics

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