1973 Individual Speedway World Championship


The 1973 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 28th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.
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.
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. The previous record for a final was 95,000 during the 1938 Individual Speedway World Championship at Wembley.

Format changes

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.

First round

British/Commonwealth preliminaries

  • Riders progress to British/Commonwealth qualifiers
DateVenueWinner2nd3rd
29 AprilArlington Stadium, EastbourneGordon KennettPaul GachetBobby McNeil
29 AprilBoston Sports Stadium, BostonGraeme StapletonJohn DewsRuss Osborne
2 MayOdsal Stadium, BradfordNeil StreetBilly SandersRick France
7 MayEarle Street, CreweMitch GrahamArthur PriceLes Owen
7 MayBirchfield Ladbroke Stadium, BirminghamJim RymanBob PaulsonTed Howgego

Second round

Norwegian qualifying

Pos.RiderPoints
1Ulf Lövaas14
2Dag Lövaas12
3Odd Fossengen11
4Helge Langli11
5Svein Kaasa9
6Oyvind S. Berg9
7Edgar Stangeland9
8Reidar Eide9
9Tormod Langli8
10Hans Erik Fuglerud7
11Johnny Larsen7
12Per Hetland5
13Svein Lökken3
14Kjell Gimre3
15Jan Jacobsen2
16Öyvind Rökeberg0

Finnish qualifying (top 10)

  • First to Nordic qualification 1973
  • R1
  • R2
  • R3
Pos.RiderPointsTotal
1Matti Olin8+8+016
2Hannu Känkänen4+6+814
3Kalevi Lahtinen6+0+612
4Heikki Ahonen1+3+47
5Kari Vuoristo3+2+05
6Pekka Paljakka0+4+04
7Matti Touru0+0+33
8Tapio Leppasalko2+1+03
9Jouko Naskali0+0+22
10Timo Naskali0+0+11

Swedish qualifying

  • Top 8 in each heat to Nordic qualification

Continental qualifying

  • Rider progress to Continental quarter-finals
DateVenueWinner2nd3rd
29 April

British/Commonwealth qualifiers

  • Top riders progress to British/Commonwealth semi-finals
DateVenueWinner2nd3rd
12 MayKing's Lynn Stadium, King's LynnJohn LouisTerry BettsMalcolm Simmons
14 MayReading Stadium, ReadingMartin AshbyMick BellGeoff Curtis
16 MayWimborne Road, PoolePete SmithRay WilsonTerry Betts
17 MayOwlerton Stadium, SheffieldJim McMillanArnie HaleyDoug Wyer
18 MayMonmore Green, WolverhamptonGeorge HunterRay WilsonGary Peterson
18 MayHackney Wick Stadium, LondonTerry BettsBob ValentineBarry Thomas
19 MayThe Shay, HalifaxJohn BoulgerEric BoocockBill Andrew
19 MayDudley Wood Stadium, DudleyJohn LouisBruce CribbColin Gooddy
19 MayAbbey Stadium, SwindonJim McMillanDoug WyerTony Davey
19 MayHyde Road, ManchesterIvan MaugerChris PuseyEric Broadbelt
21 MayCounty Ground Stadium, ExeterIvan MaugerMartin AshbyBob Coles
22 MayLeicester Stadium, LeicesterJohn BoulgerRay WilsonBob Kilby
23 MaySomerton Park, NewportEric BoocockRoy TriggGary Peterson
24 MayWimbledon Stadium, LondonPeter CollinsNorman HunterIan Turner
24 MayOxford Stadium, OxfordBob KilbyMalcolm BallardEric Boocock
25 MayCliftonhill, CoatbridgeMick BellJohn BoulgerChris Julian
26 MayBrandon Stadium, CoventryNigel BoocockRay WilsonBob Kilby
29 MayFoxhall Stadium, IpswichIvan MaugerTony DaveyMick Bell

Third round

Continental quarter-finals

  • Top 32 to Continental semi-finals
DateVenueWinner2nd3rd
10 May

Nordic qualification

  • Top 5 from each meeting to Nordic final

Fourth round

British/Commonwealth Final

Nordic Final

Fifth round

British/Commonwealth/Nordic Final

Continental Final

Sixth round

Polish qualifiers

European Final

World Final

Final Controversy

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, 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.
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