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1981 Individual Speedway World Championship
Motorcycle speedway world championship season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 1981 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 36th edition of the official Motorcycle speedway World Championship to determine the world champion rider.[1][2][3][4][5]
It was also the last of a record 26 times that London's world famous Wembley Stadium hosted the World Final. It also marked the final time that the stadium would be used for any speedway. In future years when the final was held in England, it would be held at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford until the advent of the Speedway Grand Prix series in 1995. The 1981 Final was held before a reported crowd of 92,500, just shy of the Wembley record of 95,000 set at the 1938 World Final.
Bruce Penhall became the first American to win the World Championship since Jack Milne in 1937.[6] As a past World Championship winner at Wembley, the 74-year-old Milne was a special guest at the event and saw Penhall end America's 44 year Individual World Championship drought. Though he remained undefeated until his last ride when he only needed to finish 3rd to win the Championship (he finished that race in second behind his rival Kenny Carter), Penhall was forced to work hard for his maiden World Championship. In both Heat 7 and Heat 14 he was second for over 3½ laps behind Ole Olsen and Tommy Knudsen respectively before passing both in the run to the line. Olsen would defeat Knudsen in a runoff for second and third places after both finished on 12 points. The triple World Champion gaining some revenge on his younger countryman after Knudsen had defeated Olsen in the first heat of the meeting.
In Heat 6, Erik Gundersen set a new four lap record of 66.8 seconds for the track and as this was the final speedway meeting at Wembley it will forever be the track record.
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First round
New Zealand qualification
Australian qualification
British qualification
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Second round
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Continental preliminary round
- Riders progress to Continental quarter-finals
Australian Final
- 21 February 1981
Exhibition Ground, Brisbane
- First 8 to Australasian Final
New Zealand Final
- 6 February 1981
Meeanee Speedway, Napier
- First 8 to Australasian Final
Swedish qualification
- Top 8 in each heat to Swedish final
British semi-finals
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Third round
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Continental quarter-finals
Top 32 to Continental semi-finals
Australasian Final
- 28 February 1981
Liverpool City Raceway, Sydney
- First 4 to Overseas final plus 1 reserve
American Final
- 30 May 1981
Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles
- First 4 to Overseas final
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 |
British Final
- 3 June 1981
Brandon Stadium, Coventry
- First 8 to Overseas final plus 1 reserve
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 |
Norwegian Final
- 26 April 1981
Elgane Speedway, Varhaug
- First 2 to Nordic final
Danish Final
- 10 May 1981
Fjelsted Speedway Stadium, Harndrup
- First 6 to Nordic final
Finland Final
Pippo Speedway, Lahti
- 7 September 1980, top 2 (+1 seeded rider) to 1981 Nordic final
Swedish Final
- 17 May 1981
Gislaved Motorbana, Gislaved
- First 4 to Nordic final, Jan Andersson seeded to Nordic final
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Fourth round
Continental semi-finals
Overseas Final
- 12 July 1981
White City Stadium, London
- First 10 to Intercontinental final plus 1 reserve
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 |
Nordic Final
- 2 June 1981
Norrköping Motorstadion, Norrköping
- First 6 to Intercontinental final plus 1 reserve
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Fifth round
Continental Final
- 25 July 1981
Marketa Stadium, Prague
- First 5 to World final plus 1 reserve
Intercontinental Final
- 25 July 1981
Vojens Speedway Center, Vojens
- First 11 to World final plus 1 reserve
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
- 5 September 1981
Wembley Stadium, London.[7]
- Referee: (
) Sam Bass
- Attendance: 92,500
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
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