1973 Individual Speedway World Championship

Motorcycle speedway world championship season

1973 Individual Speedway World Championship

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1972

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1974

The 1973 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 28th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

The 1973 World Final was won by Polish rider Jerzy Szczakiel following a run-off in with defending champion Ivan Mauger after both riders had finished on 13 points. On the second lap of the run-off, Mauger fell in turn 3 after trying a risky passing move leaving Szczakiel to win easily. Another Polish rider, Zenon Plech finished third. Rank outsider Szczakiel, who had finished last with no points scored in his only other World Final appearance in Sweden in 1971, rode the meeting of his life and was only beaten in his final two rides before defeating Mauger in the run-off.[7]

The final, held at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, Poland, is believed to have been held in front of the largest crowd in world speedway history, estimated to be around 130,000, though some reports put the size of the crowd as anywhere from 90,000 to 120,000.[8] The previous record for a final was 95,000 during the 1938 Individual Speedway World Championship at Wembley.

## Format changes

[edit]

The format of the Championship changed for the 1973 event. This time the Polish riders were allowed five places in the World Final to be held in Poland. All other nations had to go through the European Final route to provide the remaining 11 riders for the World Final.[9][10]

## First round

[edit]

### British/Commonwealth premilinaries

[edit]

* Riders progress to British/Commonwealth qualifiers

Date  | Venue  | Winner  | 2nd  | 3rd

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29 April | Arlington Stadium, Eastbourne | Gordon Kennett | Paul Gachet | Bobby McNeil
29 April | Boston Sports Stadium, Boston | Graeme Stapleton | John Dews | Russ Osborne
2 May | Odsal Stadium, Bradford | Neil Street | Billy Sanders | Rick France
7 May | Earle Street, Crewe | Mitch Graham | Arthur Price | Les Owen
7 May | Birchfield Ladbroke Stadium, Birmingham | Jim Ryman | Bob Paulson | Ted Howgego

## Second round

[edit]

### Norwegian qualifying

[edit]

* 10 September 1972
* Gamle Stadion, Sandefjord
* Top 12 to Nordic qualification 1973

| Pos. | Rider | Points

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1 | Ulf Lövaas | 14
2 | Dag Lövaas | 12
3 | Odd Fossengen | 11
4 | Helge Langli | 11
5 | Svein Kaasa | 9
6 | Oyvind S. Berg | 9
7 | Edgar Stangeland | 9
8 | Reidar Eide | 9
9 | Tormod Langli | 8
10 | Hans Erik Fuglerud | 7
11 | Johnny Larsen | 7
12 | Per Hetland | 5
13 | Svein Lökken | 3
14 | Kjell Gimre | 3
15 | Jan Jacobsen | 2
16 | Öyvind Rökeberg | 0

### Finnish qualifying (top 10)

[edit]

* (3 rounds) First (+1 seeded riders) to Nordic qualification 1973
* R1 (? '72, Kärpänen Speedway, Lahti)
* R2 (26 Aug '72, Kärpänen Speedway, Lahti)
* R3 (? '72, Eteläpuisto, Tampere)

| Pos. | Rider | Points | Total (best 2)

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1 | Matti Olin | 8+8+0 | 16
2 | Hannu Känkänen | 4+6+8 | 14
3 | Kalevi Lahtinen | 6+0+6 | 12
4 | Heikki Ahonen | 1+3+4 | 7
5 | Kari Vuoristo | 3+2+0 | 5
6 | Pekka Paljakka | 0+4+0 | 4
7 | Matti Touru | 0+0+3 | 3
8 | Tapio Leppasalko | 2+1+0 | 3
9 | Jouko Naskali | 0+0+2 | 2
10 | Timo Naskali | 0+0+1 | 1

### Swedish qualifying

[edit]

* Top 8 in each heat to Nordic qualification

| (1 May, Gamla Galgberget, Visby)

Pos  | Rider  | Points
1 | Lars Jansson | 14
2 | Bernt Persson | 12
3 | Christer Löfqvist | 10
4 | Jan Simensen | 9
5 | Sven Nilsson | 9
6 | Kenneth Selmosson | 9
7 | Bo Wirebrand | 9
8 | Karl-Erik Claesson | 9
9 | Conny Samuelsson | 8
10 | Håkan Karlsson | 7
11 | Sören Karlsson | 6
12 | Bengt Olsson | 6
13 | Anders Lövgren | 4
14 | Peter Smith | 3
15 | Lars Larsson | 3
16 | Leif Mellberg | 2
| (1 May, Målilla (Motorbana), Målilla)

Pos  | Rider  | Points
1 | Sören Sjösten | 14
2 | Bengt Jansson | 13
3 | Anders Michanek | 11
4 | Stefan Johansson | 11
5 | Tommy Johansson | 10
6 | Leif Johansson | 10
7 | Bengt Larsson | 7
8 | Stefan Salmonsson | 7
9 | Anders Jansson | 6
10 | Sigvard Johansson | 6
11 | Roy Dantanus | 5
12 | Lars-Inge Hultberg | 5
13 | Tomas Johansson | 5
14 | Therje Henriksson | 4
15 | Steve Johansson | 4
16 | Åke Andersson | 2
17 | Bertil Andersson | 0
| (5 May, Motorbanen Hagalund, Lindesberg)

Pos  | Rider  | Points
1 | Hasse Holmqvist | 14
2 | Tommy Jansson | 12
3 | Tomas Pettersson | 10
4 | Stephan Johansson | 10
5 | Leif Enecrona | 9
6 | Tommy Nilsson | 9
7 | Göte Nordin | 9
8 | Christer Sjösten | 8
9 | Rolf Johansson | 7
10 | Åke Dovhed | 6
11 | Käll Haage | 6
12 | Lennart Johansson | 5
13 | Willy Karlsson | 4
14 | Per-Åke Gerhardsson | 4
15 | Börje Klingberg | 3
16 | Hans Johansson | 3

### Continental qualifying

[edit]

* Rider progress to Continental quarter-finals

Date  | Venue  | Winner  | 2nd  | 3rd

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29 April  |  Mladost Stadum, Prelog |  Zdenek Majstr |  Evzen Erban |  Jozef Haider
6 May  |  Motodrom Halbemond, Norden |  Jan Hadek |  Jiri Dominik |  Henny Kroeze

### British/Commonwealth qualifiers

[edit]

* Top riders progress to British/Commonwealth semi-finals

Date  | Venue  | Winner  | 2nd  | 3rd

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12 May | King's Lynn Stadium, King's Lynn | John Louis | Terry Betts | Malcolm Simmons
14 May | Reading Stadium, Reading | Martin Ashby | Mick Bell | Geoff Curtis
16 May | Wimborne Road, Poole | Pete Smith | Ray Wilson | Terry Betts
17 May | Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield | Jim McMillan | Arnie Haley | Doug Wyer
18 May | Monmore Green, Wolverhampton | George Hunter | Ray Wilson | Gary Peterson
18 May | Hackney Wick Stadium, London | Terry Betts | Bob Valentine | Barry Thomas
19 May | The Shay, Halifax | John Boulger | Eric Boocock | Bill Andrew
19 May | Dudley Wood Stadium, Dudley | John Louis | Bruce Cribb | Colin Gooddy
19 May | Abbey Stadium, Swindon | Jim McMillan | Doug Wyer | Tony Davey
19 May | Hyde Road, Manchester | Ivan Mauger | Chris Pusey | Eric Broadbelt
21 May | County Ground Stadium, Exeter | Ivan Mauger | Martin Ashby | Bob Coles
22 May | Leicester Stadium, Leicester | John Boulger | Ray Wilson | Bob Kilby
23 May | Somerton Park, Newport | Eric Boocock | Roy Trigg | Gary Peterson
24 May | Wimbledon Stadium, London | Peter Collins | Norman Hunter | Ian Turner
24 May | Oxford Stadium, Oxford | Bob Kilby | Malcolm Ballard | Eric Boocock
25 May | Cliftonhill, Coatbridge | Mick Bell | John Boulger | Chris Julian
26 May | Brandon Stadium, Coventry | Nigel Boocock | Ray Wilson | Bob Kilby
29 May | Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich | Ivan Mauger | Tony Davey | Mick Bell

## Third round

[edit]

### Continental quarter-finals

[edit]

* Top 32 to Continental semi-finals

Date  | Venue  | Winner  | 2nd  | 3rd

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10 May |  Svítkov Stadium, Pardubice |  Vladimir Zapleshny |  Jiří Štancl |  Miloslav Verner
20 May |  Borsod Volán Stadion, Miskolc |  Grigory Khlinovsky |  Viktor Trofimov |  Aleksandr Pavlov
20 May |  Breitenthal Stadium, Krumbach |  Milan Špinka |  Vladimir Paznikov |  Jan Holub I
20 May |  Matija Gubec Stadium, Krško |  Anatoly Kuzmin |  Vladimir Gordeev |  Petr Ondrašík

### British/Commonwealth semi-finals

[edit]

* 5 June
* Leicester Stadium, Leicester
* Top 8 to British/Commonwealth final

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 |  Ivan Mauger | 14
2 |  John Louis | 13
3 |  Chris Pusey | 12
4 |  Jim Mcmillan | 10
5 |  Rick France | 9
6 |  Peter Collins | 9
7 |  Bob Valentine | 8
8 |  Tony Davey | 8
9 |  Garry Middleton | 8
10 |  Alan Wilkinson | 7
11 |  Doug Wyer | 7
12 |  Arnie Haley | 6
13 |  Bob Humphreys | 6
14 |  Eric Broadbelt | 2
15 |  Bob Kilby | 1
16 |  Nigel Boocock | 0

* 7 June
* Wimbledon Stadium, London
* Top 8 to British final

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
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1 |  John Boulger | 14
2 |  Martin Ashby | 13
3 |  Eric Boocock | 10
4 |  Malcolm Simmons | 10
5 |  Ray Wilson | 10
6 |  Terry Betts | 10
7 |  Mick Bell | 9
8 |  Pete Smith | 9
9 |  Roy Trigg | 7
10 |  Gary Peterson | 5
11 |  Barry Thomas | 5
12 |  Malcolm Ballard | 5
13 |  Geoff Maloney | 4
14 |  George Hunter | 3
15 |  Bruce Cribb | 3
16 |  Bill Andrew | 1

### Nordic qualification

[edit]

* Top 5 from each meeting to Nordic final

| (17 May,  Gubbängens IP, Stockholm)

Pos  | Rider  | Points
1 |  Bengt Jansson | 15
2 |  Anders Michanek | 14
3 |  Göte Nordin | 13
4 |  Dag Lövaas | 12
5 |  Lars Jansson | 11
6 |  Karl-Erik Claesson | 9
7 |  Kenneth Selmosson | 8
8 |  Sören Sjösten | 8
9 |  Arne Andreasen | 7
10 |  Erik Tillgaard | 6
11 |  Sven Nilsson | 4
12 |  Hans Fuglerud | 4
13 |  Svein Lökken | 4
14 |  Jörn Mogensen | 3
15 |  Rolf Johansson (res) | 1
16 |  Heikki Ahonen | 1
17 |  Öystein Mellerud | 0
| (27 May,  Grenland Arena, Skien)

Pos  | Rider  | Points
1 |  Bernt Persson | 15
2 |  Tommy Jansson | 13
3 |  Odd Fossengen | 12
4 |  Öyvind Berg | 12
5 |  Tommy Johansson | 11
6 |  Leif Enecrona | 11
7 |  Tomas Pettersson | 8
8 |  Krause Kjaer | 8
9 |  Bengt Larsson | 7
10 |  Ulf Lövaas | 7
11 |  Helge Langli | 5
12 |  Preben Bollerup | 4
13 |  Stefan Johansson | 3
14 |  Stefan Salmonsson | 3
| (27 May,  Selskov Stadium, Hillerod)

Pos  | Rider  | Points
1 |  Ole Olsen | 15
2 |  Christer Löfqvist | 14
3 |  Jan Simensen | 13
4 |  Hasse Holmqvist | 11
5 |  Christer Sjösten | 11
6 |  Edgar Stangeland | 11
7 |  Bo Wirebrand | 7
8 |  Jan Terje Gravningen | 7
9 |  Stephan Johansson | 7
10 |  Kurt Bögh | 6
11 |  Tommy Nilsson | 6
12 |  Bent Nörregaard-Jensen | 4
13 |  Leif Johansson | 3
14 |  Tormod Langli | 2
15 |  Per Herland | 1
16 |  Matti Olin | 1

## Fourth round

[edit]

### Continental semi-finals

[edit]

* 2 June
* Rodenbach Motodrom, Rodenbach
* Top 8 to Continental final

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 |  Grigory Khlinovsky | 13
2 |  Valerij Gordeev | 13
3 |  Václav Verner | 12
4 |  Milan Špinka | 12
5 |  Vladimir Paznikov | 12
6 |  Viktor Trofimov | 7
7 |  Alexander Pavlov | 7
8 |  Josef Angermüller | 7
9 |  Oleg Dziadyk | 7
10 |  Jan Klokocka | 7
11 |  Manfred Poschenreider | 6
12 |  Jan Holub I | 6
13 |  Georgij Ivanov | 4
14 |  Miroslav Rosulek | 3
15 |  Vladimir Tchistiakov (res) | 1
16 |  Yury Dubinin | 0
17 |  Petr Safarik | 0
18 |  Otto Barth (res) | 0

* 2 June
* Slaný Speedway Stadium, Slaný
* Top 8 to Continental final

| Pos. | Rider | Points

|
|

1 |  Vladimir Gordeev | 15
2 |  Jiří Štancl | 13
3 |  Anatolij Kuzmin | 12
4 |  Vladimir Zaplechny | 11
5 |  Zdeněk Majstr | 11
6 |  Karel Vobornik | 10
7 |  Miroslav Verner | 10
8 |  Petr Ondrašík | 8
9 |  Petr Kucera | 6
10 |  Nikolai Aksjonov | 5
11 |  Gregorij Markatanov | 4
12 |  Henny Kroeze | 4
13 |  Nikolaj Kornev | 4
14 |  Gerhard Uhlenbrock | 3
15 |  Josef Bössner | 2
16 |  Pal Pereny | 1

### British/Commonwealth Final

[edit]

* 21 June 1973
* Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield
* First 8 to British-Nordic 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

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|  (15) Ray Wilson | 15  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  | 3  |  |  |  | 15  | 1 |
|  (10) Bob Valentine | 12  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 2  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 12  | 2 | 3
|  (13) Peter Collins | 12  |  |  |  | 2  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 12  | 3 | 2
4  |  (3) John Boulger | 12  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 12  | 4 | 1
5  |  (2) Ivan Mauger | 10  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | T  |  |  | 10  | 5 |
6  |  (7) Eric Boocock | 9  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 0  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 9  | 6 |
7  |  (8) Tony Davey | 9  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 9  | 7 |
8  |  (16) Rick France | 9  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 9  | 8 |
9  |  (6) John Louis | 7  |  | F  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 1  |  | 7  | 9 |
10  |  (4) Martin Ashby | 6  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 0  | 6  | 10 |
11  |  (5) Garry Middleton | 5  |  | 1  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 3  | 5  | 11 |
12  |  (14) Peter Smith | 5  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 5  | 12 |
13  |  (9) Terry Betts | 4  |  |  | 1  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | F  |  |  |  |  | F  |  | 1  |  |  | 4  | 13 |
14  |  (11) Mick Bell | 4  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  | 4  | 14 |
15  |  (1) Malcolm Simmons | 2  | 0  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 2  | 15 |
16  |  (12) Jim McMillan | 2  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 0  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 2  | 16 |
R1  |  (R1) Chris Pusey | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  | R1
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

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### Nordic Final

[edit]

* 6 June 1973
* Norrköping Motorstadion, Norrköping
* First 8 to British-Nordic 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

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|  (6) Ole Olsen | 15  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  | 15  | 1 |
|  (5) Bengt Jansson | 14  |  | 2  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  | 14  | 2 |
|  (7) Anders Michanek | 13  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 13  | 3 |
4  |  (8) Bernt Persson | 12  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 12  | 4 |
5  |  (3) Tommy Jansson | 10  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 10  | 5 |
6  |  (4) Jan Simensen | 9  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  | 9  | 6 |
7  |  (13) Reidar Eide | 9  |  |  |  | 3  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 9  | 7 |
8  |  (11) Göte Nordin | 8  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 8  | 8 | 3
9  |  (1) Christer Löfqvist | 8  | 2  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 8  | 9 | F
10  |  (9) Lars Jansson | 5  |  |  | 2  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 2  |  |  | 5  | 10 |
11  |  (12) Christer Sjösten | 4  |  |  | F  |  |  |  |  | E  |  | 2  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 4  | 11 |
12  |  (10) Øyvind S. Berg | 4  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 1  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 4  | 12 |
13  |  (2) Dag Lovaas | 3  | F  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 3  | 13 |
14  |  (15) Hasse Holmqvist | 3  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 0  |  |  |  | 3  | 14 |
15  |  (16) Tommy Johansson | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | E  | E  |  |  |  |  |  | \-  |  |  | \-  |  |  | 1  | 15 |
16  |  (14) Odd Fossengen | 0  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  | 0  | 16 |
R1  |  (R1) Leif Enecrona | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 1  | R1
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

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## Fifth round

[edit]

### British/Commonwealth/Nordic Final

[edit]

* 1 August 1973
* Brandon Stadium, Coventry
* First 8 to European 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

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|  (13) Anders Michanek | 14  |  |  |  | 3  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 14  | 1 |
|  (8) Ole Olsen | 11  |  | T  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 11  | 2 |
|  (4) Ivan Mauger | 11  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  | 11  | 3 |
4  |  (2) Tommy Jansson | 10  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 10  | 4 |
5  |  (7) John Boulger | 10  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 10  | 5 |
6  |  (11) Peter Collins | 9  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 9  | 6 |
7  |  (16) Ray Wilson | 9  |  |  |  | E  |  |  |  | 1  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 9  | 7 |
8  |  (15) Bernt Persson | 9  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | E  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  | 2  |  |  |  | 9  | 8 |
9  |  (1) Bob Valentine | 8  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 8  | 9 |
10  |  (6) Reidar Eide | 5  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 0  |  | 5  | 10 |
11  |  (14) Göte Nordin | 5  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  | 5  | 11 |
12  |  (10) Bengt Jansson | 3  |  |  | 2  |  |  | F  |  |  |  |  |  | F  |  |  | 1  |  | E  |  |  |  | 3  | 12 |
13  |  (9) Jan Simensen | 2  |  |  | 1  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 0  |  |  | 2  | 13 |
14  |  (12) Tony Davey | 1  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 1  | 14 |
15  |  (3) Eric Boocock | 0  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | T  |  |  |  | \-  |  |  |  | \-  |  |  |  | \-  |  | 0  | 15 |
DQ  |  (5) John Louis | 10  |  | 3  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 3  | 10  | DQ |
R1  |  (R1) Garry Middleton | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | T  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 2  | R1
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

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### Continental Final

[edit]

* 23 June 1973
* Leningrad Speedway Stadium, Leningrad
* First 8 to European Final plus 1 reserve

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

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|  (15) Valery Gordeev | 13  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  | 3  |  |  |  | 13  | 1 |
|  (4) Grigory Khlinovsky | 12  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 3  | 12  | 2 |
|  (16) Vladimir Zapleshny | 12  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 12  | 3 |
4  |  (6) Vladimir Gordeev | 11.5  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 1/2  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 2  |  | 11.5  | 4 |
5  |  (1) Viktor Trofimov | 11.5  | 3  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 1/2  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 11.5  | 5 |
6  |  (12) Aleksandr Pavlov | 11  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 3  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 11  | 6 |
7  |  (8) Anatoly Kuzmin | 10  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 10  | 7 |
8  |  (11) Vladimir Paznikov | 10  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  | 10  | 8 |
9  |  (9) Jiri Stancl | 8  |  |  | 2  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 2  |  |  | 8  | 9 |
10  |  (3) Petr Ondrašík | 5  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 5  | 10 |
11  |  (14) Milan Špinka | 5  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | X  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 5  | 11 |
12  |  (13) Václav Verner | 4  |  |  |  | 0  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 4  | 12 |
13  |  (5) Miloslav Verner | 3  |  | 1  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 0  | 3  | 13 |
14  |  (7) Josef Angermüller | 3  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 3  | 14 |
15  |  (10) Karol Vobornik | 1  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 1  | 15 |
16  |  (2) Petr Kučera | 0  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  | 16 |
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

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## Sixth round

[edit]

### Polish qualifiers

[edit]

* The top five finishers in the Golden Helmet, during the 1973 Polish speedway season gained nominations for the World final.

### European Final

[edit]

* 19 August 1973
* Abensberger Stadion, Abensberg
* First 11 to World Final plus 1 reserve

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

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|  (7) Anders Michanek | 15  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 15  | 1 |
|  (5) Ivan Mauger | 14  |  | 2  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  | 14  | 2 |
|  (13) Vladimir Paznikov | 12  |  |  |  | 3  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 12  | 3 |
4  |  (4) Bernt Persson | 10  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  | 10  | 4 |
5  |  (9) Vladimir Zapleshny | 9  |  |  | 3  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 2  |  |  | 9  | 5 |
6  |  (16) Peter Collins | 9  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | E  |  |  | 9  | 6 |
7  |  (14) Valery Gordeev | 8  |  |  |  | F  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 8  | 7 |
8  |  (11) Ole Olsen | 8  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | \-  | 8  | 8 |
9  |  (1) Grigory Khlinovsky | 7  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 7  | 9 |
10  |  (3) John Boulger | 7  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 7  | 10 |
11  |  (2) Ray Wilson | 6  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | F  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 6  | 11 |
12  |  (6) Bengt Jansson | 6  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 2  |  | 6  | 12 |
13  |  (15) Aleksandr Pavlov | 4  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  | 1  |  |  |  | 4  | 13 |
14  |  (8) Jiri Stancl | 2  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 2  | 14 |
15  |  (12) Viktor Trofimov | 2  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 1  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 2  | 15 |
16  |  (10) Anatoly Kuzmin | 1  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  | 0  |  |  |  | 1  | 16 |
R1  |  (R1) Otto Barth | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  | 0  | R1
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

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## World Final

[edit]

### Final Controversy

[edit]

The Final was surrounded by controversy, with decisions made by Georg Traunspurger, the referee assigned to the meeting by the FIM, seeming to favour the Polish riders. One of his decisions was to have 2nd reserve Andrzej Wyglenda of Poland race in Heat 16 in front of 1st reserve Tommy Jansson of Sweden (after Bernt Persson of Sweden was unable to ride), making it four Polish riders in the race. In the race, second placed Edward Jancarz, who led for the first three laps, seemed to let Zenon Plech take the lead in the final turn, allowing Plech, who had more points at that stage of the meeting, to collect another three points for the win.

His most controversial decision was to exclude Soviet rider Grigory Khlinovsky from heat 19. Khlinovsky had attempted to pass on the inside of Zenon Plech for the lead going into the back straight of the last lap. As he was passed by the Russian, Plech lost control of his bike and fell. Despite protests from riders and the Soviet officials Khlinovsky was excluded and England's Peter Collins, who was in 3rd place at the time of the crash, was awarded the heat win, Plech, who didn't actually finish the race, was awarded 2nd. The result of the two points he gained for second place allowed Plech to finish a clear third in the championship. Had Khlinovsky been the winner of the heat, he would have ended on 13 points, which would have put him in the run-off for the title with Szczakiel and Mauger.[11]

British television commentator Dave Lanning called the ruling "The craziest piece of speedway regulations in the history of World Championship racing", before adding that "It seems to me that the authorities here in Katowice are making up the rules to suit themselves to get their boys a world title."

### Final result

[edit]

* 2 September 1973
* Silesian Stadium, Chorzów[12]
* Referee:  Georg Traunspurger

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

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|  (16) Jerzy Szczakiel | 13  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 3  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 2  |  |  | 13  | 1 | 3
|  (8) Ivan Mauger | 13  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 13  | 2 | F
|  (6) Zenon Plech | 12  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 2  |  | 12  | 3 |
4  |  (7) Ole Olsen | 11  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 3  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  | 11  | 4 |
5  |  (3) Grigory Khlinovsky | 10  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | X  |  | 10  | 5 |
6  |  (2) Vladimir Paznikov | 8  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  | 8  | 6 |
7  |  (4) Paweł Waloszek | 8  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 3  | 8  | 7 |
8  |  (12) Valery Gordeev | 7  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  | 1  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 7  | 8 |
9  |  (11) Jan Mucha | 7  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  | 7  | 9 |
10  |  (1) Anders Michanek | 6  | 0  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  | X  |  |  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  | 6  | 10 |
11  |  (9) Edward Jancarz | 6  |  |  | 3  |  | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 0  |  |  | 6  | 11 |
12  |  (13) Peter Collins | 6  |  |  |  | 1  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  | 6  | 12 |
13  |  (14) John Boulger | 6  |  |  |  | 2  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 1  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1  | 6  | 13 |
14  |  (5) Ray Wilson | 5  |  | F  |  |  | 2  |  |  |  |  | 3  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | F  | 5  | 14 |
15  |  (10) Vladimir Zapleshny | 2  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  | 1  |  | 1  |  |  |  | 2  | 15 |
16  |  (15) Bernt Persson | 0  |  |  |  | F  |  |  | 0  |  |  | R  |  |  |  |  |  | \-  | \-  |  |  |  | 0  | 16 |
R1  |  (R1) Andrzej Wyglenda | 0  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 0  |  |  |  |  | 0  | R1 |
R2  |  (R2) Tommy Jansson | 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

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## References

[edit]

1. ^ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. pp. 20–21\. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.20-21&rft.pub=Studio+Publications+(Ipswich)+Ltd&rft.date=1981&rft.isbn=0-86215-017-5&rft.aulast=Oakes&rft.aufirst=Peter&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:1973+Individual+Speedway+World+Championship" class="Z3988">
2. ^ "World Championship 1936-1994". Edinburgh Speedway. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
3. ^ "WORLD FINALS 1936-1994" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
4. ^ "HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK". Speedway.org. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
5. ^ "Speedway riders, history and results". wwosbackup. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
6. ^ "WORLD INDIVIDUAL FINAL - RIDER INDEX". British Speedway. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
7. ^ "Unknown Pole wins crown from Mauger". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 3 September 1973. Retrieved 6 April 2024 - via British Newspaper Archive.
8. ^ Katowice 1973
9. ^ "1973 World Championship". Metal Speedway. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
10. ^ "1973 World Championship". Speedway.org. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
11. ^ YouTube
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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