1989 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1989 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 44th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.[1][2][3] It was the second time the championship was held in West Germany after previously being held in Norden in 1983.[4]
The World Final was held at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. Hans Nielsen made up for his 1988 run-off defeat to fellow Dane Erik Gundersen by scoring a 15-point maximum to take his third World Championship. Nielsen joined fellow Danes Ole Olsen and Erik Gundersen as a three time Speedway World Champion.[5]
Simon Wigg from England finished second with the slick, 400 metres (440 yards) track suiting his long track style. Wigg defeated fellow Englishman Jeremy Doncaster in a run-off for second and third places.[6] In what would prove to be his last World Final before his career ending crash in the World Team Cup Final at the Odsal Stadium in England just two weeks later, Erik Gundersen finished in fourth place. His chances of an outright second-place finish (after having finished second behind Nielsen in Heat 4) ended when his bike's engine seized while leading heat 9 causing him to not finish the race. In a sad twist, it was also seized engine in Heat 1 of the World Team Cup Final that would cause Gundersen's career ending crash.
Australian rider Troy Butler had a lucky passage to the World Final. After finishing fourth in the Australian Championship, he replaced countryman Jamie Fagg in the Commonwealth Final, finishing eighth to qualify for the Overseas Final. He then finished tenth in the Overseas Final to be the first reserve for the Intercontinental Final. He then got a start in the Intercontinental Final at Bradford when Overseas champion Sam Ermolenko injured his back in a horrific Long track motorcycle racing crash and was forced to withdraw (the American would be out for over 6 months). Butler would finish twelfth in the IC Final to become a reserve for the World Final where he once again came in as an injury replacement when Dane Jan O. Pedersen was forced to pull out. The 1986 Australian Champion ultimately finished twelfth in Munich, finishing with 4 points (two second places) from his 5 rides.
Overseas Series[]
New Zealand Qualification[]
- First 3 from New Zealand final to Commonwealth final
Date | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Island Final | |||||
?? | Mark Thorpe | ?? | ?? | ||
North Island Final | |||||
?? | Gary Allan | ?? | ?? | ||
New Zealand Final | |||||
?? | Western Springs Stadium | Larry Ross | Gary Allan | Mark Thorpe |
Australian Qualification[]
- First 3 from Australian final to Commonwealth final
Date | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern Territory Championship | |||||
26.11.1988 | Tennant Creek Speedway | Robbie War | |||
Victorian Championship | |||||
26.12.1988 | Leigh Adams | Phil Crump | Nigel Alderton | ||
New South Wales Championship | |||||
21.12.1988 | Liverpool City Raceway | Craig Boyce | |||
South Australian Championship | |||||
23 December | North Arm Speedway | Mark Fiora | Shane Parker | ||
Queensland Championship | |||||
12.11.1988 | Troy Butler | Steve Regelin | Mark Pearce | ||
Western Australian Championship | |||||
25.11.1988 | Claremont Speedway | Glenn Doyle | Andy Smith | Glyn Taylor | |
Australian Championship Final | |||||
15.01.1989 | Newcastle Motordrome | Glenn Doyle |
Swedish Qualification[]
Date | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Semi-Finals | |||||
30 April | Målilla | Conny Ivarsson | Peter Nahlin | ||
1 May | Visby | Tony Olsson | Per Jonsson | Jan Andersson | |
Final | |||||
16 May | Nässjö | Jimmy Nilsen | Per Jonsson | Mikael Blixt | |
17 May | Nyköping | Per Jonsson | Mikael Blixt | Jan Andersson | |
18 May | Karlstad | Per Jonsson | Erik Stenlund | Mikael Blixt |
Swedish Final[]
Pos. | Rider | Scores | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Per Jonsson | 13+15+14 | 42 |
2 | Mikael Blixt | 13+13+11 | 37 |
3 | Jan Andersson | 11+12+11 | 34 |
4 | Jimmy Nilsen | 14+11+8 | 33 |
5 | Erik Stenlund | 9+10+13 | 32 |
6 | Tony Olsson | 11+8+11 | 30 |
7 | 7+8+9 | 24 | |
8 | Peter Karlsson | 8+9+5 | 22 |
9 | 6+6+8 | 20 | |
10 | Conny Ivarsson | 8+4+7 | 19 |
11 | Dennis Löfqvist | 5+7+3 | 15 |
12 | 1+4+10 | 15 | |
13 | 6+1+3 | 10 | |
14 | Peter Nahlin | 4+6+ns | 10 |
15 | Tommy Nilsson | 3+5+0 | 8 |
16 | ns+ns+5 | 5 | |
17 | 1+1+ns | 2 |
Danish Final[]
- May 19
- Vojens, Speedway Center
- First 6 to Nordic final plus 1 reserve
Pos. | Rider | Total |
---|---|---|
1 | Erik Gundersen | 14+3 |
2 | Jan O. Pedersen | 14+2 |
3 | Brian Karger | 14+1 |
4 | Hans Nielsen | 12 |
5 | John Jørgensen | 11 |
6 | Peter Ravn | 9 |
7 | 9 | |
8 | 7+3 | |
9 | 7+2 | |
10 | Jan Stæchmann | 6 |
11 | Per Sorensen | 5 |
12 | 3 | |
13 | 3 | |
14 | 3 | |
15 | 2 | |
16 | (Res) | 1 |
17 | Torben Hansen | 0 |
British Final[]
- May 21
- Coventry, Brandon Stadium
- First 10 to Commonwealth final plus 1 reserve
American Final[]
Commonwealth Final[]
*Mitch Shirra and replaced Larry Ross and Mark Thorpe. Troy Butler replaced . Nordic Final[]
Overseas Final[]
* Rick Miller replaced Shawn Moran. Bobby Schwartz came in as the reserve rider Continental Final[]
Intercontinental Final[]
*Troy Butler replaced the injured Sam Ermolenko. Martin Dugard came in as the reserve rider. World final[]
* Troy Butler replaced the injured Jan O. Pedersen. Andy Grahame came in as the reserve rider. Classification[]
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
References[]
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- Individual Speedway World Championship
- 1989 in speedway
- 1989 in West German motorsport
- Speedway competitions in Germany