1973 Individual Speedway World Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1973 Individual Speedway World Championship.
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. In 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. The final, held at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów
, Poland
, was held in front of the largest crowd in world speedway history, estimated to be around 130,000.
The Final was surrounded by controversy with decisions made by the Polish referee of the meeting seeming to openly favor the Polish riders in an attempt to have a home town win, including having 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 4 Polish riders in the race as well as changing the outcome of Heat 19 in which Soviet rider Gregory Khlynovski attempted to pass Zenon Plech for the lead going into the back straight of the last lap and Plech fell. Despite protests from the Soviet officials, the referee simply took Plech's word that Khlynovski had knocked him off his bike and England
's Peter Collins
was awarded the heat win while Plech, who didn't actually finish the race was awarded 2nd which allowed him to finish a clear third in the championship.
The 1973 World Final was won by Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
rider Jerzy Szczakiel
Jerzy Szczakiel
Jerzy Szczakiel is a Speedway rider. He is one of two Polish nationales to win the Speedway World Championship, the other being 2010 Speedway Grand Prix champion Tomasz Gollob....
following a run-off in with defending champion 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...
after both riders had finished on 13 points. In the run-off Mauger fell in turn 3 after trying a risky passing move leaving Szczakiel to win easily. Another Polish rider, 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:...
finished third. The final, held at the Silesian Stadium in 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...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, was held in front of the largest crowd in world speedway history, estimated to be around 130,000.
The Final was surrounded by controversy with decisions made by the Polish referee of the meeting seeming to openly favor the Polish riders in an attempt to have a home town win, including having 2nd reserve Andrzej Wyglenda
Andrzej Wyglenda
Andrzej Wyglenda is a former Polish motorcycle speedway rider who has won 1971 Speedway World Pairs Championship and Speedway World Team Cup three times. He was won Individual Polish Champion title four times...
of Poland race in Heat 16 in front of 1st reserve Tommy Jansson
Tommy Jansson
Per Tommy Jansson was a motorcycle speedway rider. He was one of Sweden's most exciting speedway prospects in the 1970s but was killed in the Swedish Final a World Championship Qualifying Round meeting....
of Sweden
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....
(after Bernt Persson
Bernt Persson
Bernt Eveart Persson is a former Swedish international speedway rider who finished runner up in the 1972 Speedway World Championship final....
of Sweden was unable to ride) making it 4 Polish riders in the race as well as changing the outcome of Heat 19 in which Soviet rider Gregory Khlynovski attempted to pass Zenon Plech for the lead going into the back straight of the last lap and Plech fell. Despite protests from the Soviet officials, the referee simply took Plech's word that Khlynovski had knocked him off his bike and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's Peter Collins
Peter Collins (speedway rider)
Peter Spencer Collins MBE is a former Speedway rider who spent his whole career with the Belle Vue Aces, the team he supported as a child...
was awarded the heat win while Plech, who didn't actually finish the race was awarded 2nd which allowed him to finish a clear third in the championship.
World final
- September 2, 1973 ChorzówChorzówChorzów 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...
, Silesian Stadium
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jerzy SzczakielJerzy Szczakiel Jerzy Szczakiel is a Speedway rider. He is one of two Polish nationales to win the Speedway World Championship, the other being 2010 Speedway Grand Prix champion Tomasz Gollob.... |
(3,3,3,2,2) | 13+3 |
| 2 |  Ivan MaugerIvan 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... |
(3,1,3,3,3) | 13+F |
| 3 | 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:... |
(2,3,2,3,2) | 12 |
| 4 |  Ole Olsen |
(1,2,3,2,3) | 11 |
| 5 |  Gregory Khlynovski |
(2,3,2,3,X) | 10 |
| 6 | Vladimir Paznikov Vladimir Paznikov Vladimir Paznikov was a Soviet international speedway rider who reached the final of the Speedway World Championship in 1973. He was also a very accomplished ice speedway rider... |
(3,1,2,1,1) | 8 |
| 7 | Paweł Waloszek |
(1,2,1,1,3) | 8 |
| 8 | Valery Gordeev Valery Gordeev Valery Gordeev is a former Soviet international speedway rider who reached the finals of the Speedway World Championship five times... |
(2,0,1,3,1) | 7 |
| 9 | Jan Mucha Jan Mucha (speedway rider) Jan Mucha is a former international motorcycle speedway rider who appeared in the Speedway World Championship finals four times.-World Final appearances:* 1969 - London, Wembley Stadium - 10th - 7pts... |
(1,1,1,2,2) | 7 |
| 10 |  Anders MichanekAnders Michanek Anders Michanek is a Speedway rider. In 1974 he won the Speedway World Championship in his Swedish homeland with a maximum score of 15 points. He also won the World Pairs Championship with the late Tommy Jansson in 1973 and 1975 and with Sören Sjösten in 1974.Michanek had a very successful career... |
(0,3,0,1,2) | 6 |
| 11 | Edward Jancarz Edward Jancarz Edward 'Ed' Jancarz was an international speedway rider.-Career:Jancarz rode in the UK for the Wimbledon Dons between 1977–1982 and in Poland for Stal Gorzów... |
(3,1,0,2,0) | 5 |
| 12 |  Peter CollinsPeter Collins (speedway rider) Peter Spencer Collins MBE is a former Speedway rider who spent his whole career with the Belle Vue Aces, the team he supported as a child... |
(1,0,2,0,3) | 6 |
| 13 |  John BoulgerJohn Boulger John Boulger is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. After he retired from riding Solo's, Boulger raced in Speedcars from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s... |
(2,2,1,0,1) | 6 |
| 14 | Ray Wilson |
(0,2,3,0,0) | 5 |
| 15 | Vladimir Zapleczny |
(0,0,0,1,1) | 2 |
| 16 | Bernt Persson Bernt Persson Bernt Eveart Persson is a former Swedish international speedway rider who finished runner up in the 1972 Speedway World Championship final.... |
(0,0,0,-,-) | 1 |
| R1 | Andrzej Wyglenda Andrzej Wyglenda Andrzej Wyglenda is a former Polish motorcycle speedway rider who has won 1971 Speedway World Pairs Championship and Speedway World Team Cup three times. He was won Individual Polish Champion title four times... |
(0) | 0 |
| R2 | Tommy Jansson Tommy Jansson Per Tommy Jansson was a motorcycle speedway rider. He was one of Sweden's most exciting speedway prospects in the 1970s but was killed in the Swedish Final a World Championship Qualifying Round meeting.... |
(0) | 0 |