1978 Speedway World Team Cup

The 1978 Speedway World Team Cup was the 19th edition of the FIM Speedway World Team Cup to determine the team world champions.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The final took place at the Ellermühle Speedway Stadium in Landshut, West Germany.^[4] Denmark won their first title defeating defending champions England, who finished in second place.^[5]^[6]

Qualification Stage 1

British & Commonwealth Round

May 21
Smallmead Stadium, Reading
Referee: A. Humphrey

Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20
1	England	43	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	26	26	29	32	35	38	41	43		43	43	43	43
	(5) Malcolm Simmons	11	3					3					3					2	11
	(6) Peter Collins	12		3			3							3			3		12
	(7) Dave Jessup	9				3			3			0				3			9
	(8) Gordon Kennett	11			3					3	2				3				11
	(18) John Davis	0																	0

2	Australia	21	0	2	2	2	3	5	7	9	12	15	16	18	18	19	21	21		21	21	21	21
	(1) Phil Crump	4				E				2				2				0	4
	(2) Phil Herne	0			0				-				-				-		0
	(3) John Boulger	7		2				2				3			F				7
	(4) Billy Sanders	2	0				1				-					1			2
	(17) John Titman	8							2		3		1				2		8

3	United States	20	1	1	3	5	7	8	9	10	11	13	15	15	17	17	17	20		20	20	20	20
	(9) Scott Autrey	9			2		2					2						3	9
	(10) Steve Gresham	4				2		1			1						-		4
	(11) Bruce Penhall	3		0						1			2			0			3
	(12) Mike Curoso	4	1						1					0	2				4
	(19) Jim Gresham	0															0		0

4	New Zealand	12	2	3	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	7	8	10	11	12		12	12	12	12
	(13) Larry Ross	2		1					0		0							1	2
	(14) Mitch Shirra	4	2							0		1					1		4
	(15) Bruce Cribb	4			1			F						1		2			4
	(16) Roger Abel	2				1	-						-		1				2
	(20) Cliff Anderson	0											0						0
Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20

M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell

Helmet colours were permanent for each team (Red, Blue, White and Yellow/Black). Colours in diagrams indicate gate positions:
gate A – inside	gate B	gate C	gate D – outside

* England and Australia to Intercontinental Final

Scandinavian Round

June 4
Tampere Stadium, Tampere
Att: 2,000

1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Denmark - 34 Finn Thomsen - 11 Mike Lohmann - 9 Hans Nielsen - 8 Ole Olsen - 6	Sweden - 33 Bernt Persson - 11 Jan Andersson - 9 Tommy Nilsson - 9 Sören Karlsson - 2 Bo Wirebrand - 2	Finland - 21 Kai Niemi - 7 Seppo Palomaki - 5 Ila Teromaa - 5 Rauli Makinen - 4 Ari Koponen - 0	Norway - 6 Rolf Gramstad - 4 Sigvart Pedersen - 1 Trond Helge Skretting - 1 Audun Ove Olsen - 0 Stein Roar Pedersen - 0

* Denmark and Sweden to Intercontinental Final

Continental Round

May 21
Stadion Wiener Neustadt, Wiener Neustadt

1st	2nd	3rd	4th
West Germany - 38 Alois Wiesböck - 12 Georg Hack - 9 Hans Wassermann - 9 Egon Müller - 8	Italy - 29 Giuseppe Marzotto - 10 Francesco Biginato - 7 Mauro Ferraccioli - 7 Sandro Pastorelli - 5	Hungary - 15 Laszlo Meszaros - 6 Istvan Sziraczki - 6 Janos Oresko - 2 Janos Jakob - 1	Austria - 14 Josef Haider - 6 Adi Funk - 3 Herbert Szerecs - 2 Gunther Walla - 2 Hubert Fischbacher - 1

* West Germany and Italy to Continental Semifinal

May 21
Mladost Stadum, Prelog

Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20
1	Soviet Union	32	0	3	3	6	8	10	13	16	18	20	21	23	24	27	29	32		32	32	32	32
	(5) Grigory Khlinovsky	6	F					2					1					3	6
	(6) Vladimir Paznikov	9		3			2							2			2		9
	(7) Mikhail Starostin	11				3			3			2				3			11
	(8) Nikolay Kornev	6			F					3	2				1				6
	(18) Oleg Rakhimov	0																	0

2	Nederlands	32	3	5	8	10	13	16	18	19	22	23	26	26	28	30	30	32		32	32	32	32
	(9) Henk Steman	7			3		3					1						-	7
	(10) Henny Kroeze	8				2		3			3						X		8
	(11) Frits Koning	5		2						1			-			2			5
	(12) Frits Koppe	7	3						2					0	2				7
	(19) Rudi Muts	5											3					2	5

3	Bulgaria	27	2	3	5	6	7	8	9	11	12	15	17	20	23	23	26	27		27	27	27	27
	(1) Angel Eftimov	7				1				2				3				1	7
	(2) Orlin Janakiev	8			2				1				2				3		8
	(3) Nikolai Cvetkov	8		1				1				3			3				8
	(4) Atanas Stojanov	4	2				1				1					F			4
	(17) Nikolai Parvanov	0																	0

4	Yugoslavia	5	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	4	5	5		5	5	5	5
	(13) Vlado Kocuvan	0		0					0		0							0	0
	(14) Stefan Kekec	2	1							0		0					1		2
	(15) Djuro Fleten	3			1			0						1		1			3
	(16) Ivan Posedi	0				0	0						0		0				0
	(20) Darko Tominac	0																	0
Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20

M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell

Helmet colours were permanent for each team (Red, Blue, White and Yellow/Black). Colours in diagrams indicate gate positions:
gate A – inside	gate B	gate C	gate D – outside

* Soviet Union and Nederlands to Continental Semifinal

Semifinal

July 17
Abensberg Stadion, Abensberg
Att: 18,000

Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20
1	Soviet Union	34	2	2	4	7	10	12	14	15	18	21	22	25	28	29	32	34		34	34	34	34
	(9) Grigory Khlinovsky	10			2		3					3						2	10
	(10) Vladimir Paznikov	0																	0
	(11) Nikolay Kornev	3		X						1			1			1			3
	(12) Mikhail Starostin	10	2						2					3	3				10
	(19) Valery Gordeev	11				3		2			3						3		11

2	West Germany	27	0	3	6	8	8	8	11	14	14	16	19	20	20	22	24	27		27	27	27	27
	(1) Georg Hack	9				2				3				1				3	9
	(2) Egon Muller	11			3				3				3				2		11
	(3) Waldemar Bacik	5		3				F				2			0				5
	(4) Alois Wiesböck	2	0				0				X					2			2
	(17) Georg Gilgenreiner	0																	0

3	Nederlands	20	3	4	5	6	8	11	11	11	13	13	15	15	16	19	19	20		20	20	20	20
	(5) Henny Kroeze	9	3					3					2					1	9
	(6) Rudi Muts	3		1			2							F			F		3
	(7) Frits Koppe	4				1			0			-				3			4
	(8) Henk Steman	4			1					0	2				1				4
	(18) Frits Koning	0										0							0

4	Italy	15	1	3	3	3	4	5	6	8	9	10	10	12	14	14	15	15		15	15	15	15
	(13) Francesco Biginato	4		2					1		1							0	4
	(14) Giuseppe Marzotto	5	1							2		1					1		5
	(15) Mauro Ferraccioli	3			0			1						2		0			3
	(16) Sandro Pastorelli	3				0	1						E		2				3
	(20) Dario Famari	0																	0
Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20

M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell

Helmet colours were permanent for each team (Red, Blue, White and Yellow/Black). Colours in diagrams indicate gate positions:
gate A – inside	gate B	gate C	gate D – outside

* Soviet Union and West Germany to Continental Final

Qualification Stage 2

Continental Final

July 29
Leningrad Speedway Stadium, Leningrad

Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20
1	Poland	31	1	2	5	8	8	11	14	17	17	17	20	23	25	27	29	31		31	31	31	31
	(1) Edward Jancarz	11				3				3				3				2	11
	(2) Marek Cieślak	11			3				3				3				2		11
	(3) Bolesław Proch	6		1				3				0			2				6
	(4) Andrzej Huszcza	1	1				-				0					-			1
	(17) Jerzy Rembas	2					0									2			2

2	Czechoslovakia	27	0	3	5	5	6	8	9	9	12	15	17	18	21	24	27	27		27	27	27	27
	(5) Jiří Štancl	4	E					2					2					E	4
	(6) Jan Verner	8		3			1							1			3		8
	(7) Václav Verner	7				E			1			3				3			7
	(8) Aleš Dryml Sr.	8			2					0	3				3				8
	(18) Petr Ondrašík	0																	0

3	Soviet Union	22	3	5	6	7	9	10	12	14	15	17	18	20	20	21	21	22		22	22	22	22
	(13) Nikolay Kornev	5		2					2		1							-	5
	(14) Mikhail Starostin	7	3							2		2					0		7
	(15) Vladimir Smirnov	2			1			1						-		-			2
	(16) Grigory Khlinovsky	2				1	-						1		0				2
	(20) Valery Gordeev	6					2							2		1		1	6

4	West Germany	16	2	2	2	4	7	7	7	8	10	11	11	11	12	12	13	16		16	16	16	16
	(9) Waldemar Bacik	7			0		3					1						3	7
	(10) Georg Hack	5				2		F			2						1		5
	(11) Georg Gilgenreiner	1		0						1			F			0			1
	(12) Alois Wiesböck	3	2						0					0	1				3
	(19) -	0																	0
Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20

M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell

Helmet colours were permanent for each team (Red, Blue, White and Yellow/Black). Colours in diagrams indicate gate positions:
gate A – inside	gate B	gate C	gate D – outside

* Poland and Czechoslovakia to World Final

Intercontinental Final

June 18
Hyde Road, Manchester
Referee: Tore Kittilsen

Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20
1	England	33	0	1	4	5	7	10	13	16	17	20	23	25	28	31	33	33		33	33	33	33
	(1) Peter Collins	6				1				3				2				E	6
	(2) Malcolm Simmons	11			3				3				3				2		11
	(3) Michael Lee	10		1				3				3			3				10
	(4) Dave Jessup	0	0				-				-					-			0
	(17) John Davis	6					2				1					3			6

2	Denmark	25	2	5	6	6	9	10	11	13	15	15	15	18	18	20	23	25		25	25	25	25
	(5) Mike Lohmann	5	2					1					E					2	5
	(6) Ole Olsen	12		3			3							3			3		12
	(7) Finn Thomsen	3				0			1			-				2			3
	(8) Hans Nielsen	5			1					2	2				0				5
	(18) Alf Busk	0										0							0

3	Sweden	23	3	5	7	10	11	11	13	14	17	18	19	19	20	20	20	23		23	23	23	23
	(13) Anders Michanek	10		2					2		3							3	10
	(14) Jan Andersson	5	3							1		1					0		5
	(15) Christer Sjösten	2			2			E						0		0			2
	(16) Bernt Persson	6				3	1						1		1				6
	(20) Sören Karlsson	0																	0

4	Australia	15	1	1	1	3	3	5	5	5	5	7	9	10	12	13	14	15		15	15	15	15
	(9) Phil Crump	1			0		0					-						1	1
	(10) John Titman	5				2		2			0						1		5
	(11) John Boulger	2		0						0			2			-			2
	(12) Phil Herne	3	1						0					-	2				3
	(19) Mick McKeon	4										2		1		1			4
Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20

M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell

Helmet colours were permanent for each team (Red, Blue, White and Yellow/Black). Colours in diagrams indicate gate positions:
gate A – inside	gate B	gate C	gate D – outside

* England and Denmark to World Final

World Final

September 16
Landshut, Stadion Ellermühle^[7]
Referee: Tore Kittilsen
Att: 7,000

Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20
1	Denmark	37	2	4	7	10	12	13	16	19	22	23	26	27	30	32	35	37		37	37	37	37
	(13) Ole Olsen	10		2					3		3							2	10
	(14) Mike Lohmann	9	2							3		1					3		9
	(15) Finn Thomsen	7			3			1						1		2			7
	(16) Hans Nielsen	11				3	2						3		3				11
	(20) Kristian Præstbro	0																	0

2	England	27	3	3	4	4	7	10	10	12	13	16	18	21	22	25	27	27		27	27	27	27
	(5) Malcolm Simmons	8	3					3					2					E	8
	(6) Dave Jessup	5		0			-							3			2		5
	(7) Peter Collins	6				0			0			3				3			6
	(8) Gordon Kennett	3			1					2	-				-				3
	(18) Michael Lee	5					3				1				1				5

3	Poland	19	1	4	4	6	7	7	8	9	9	9	9	11	13	14	15	16		19	19	19	19
	(1) Edward Jancarz	9				2				1				2				1	6	3
	(2) Zenon Plech	1			0				1				0				-		1
	(3) Marek Cieślak	5		3				0				0			2				5
	(4) Jerzy Rembas	3	1				1				0					1			3
	(17) Andrzej Huszcza	1															1		1

4	Czechoslovakia	18	0	1	3	4	4	6	8	8	10	12	13	13	13	13	13	16		18	18	18	18
	(9) Jiří Štancl	9			2		0					2						3	7	2
	(10) Jan Verner	5				1		2			2						X		5
	(11) Václav Verner	2		1						0			1			0			2
	(12) Aleš Dryml Sr.	2	F						2					0	0				2
	(19) Petr Ondrašík	0																	0
Placing	Team / Rider name	Total	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Pts	17	18	19	20

M - exclusion for exceeding two-minute time allowance • T - exclusion for touching the tapes • X - other exclusion • E - retired or mechanical failure • F - fell

Helmet colours were permanent for each team (Red, Blue, White and Yellow/Black). Colours in diagrams indicate gate positions:
gate A – inside	gate B	gate C	gate D – outside

References

^ Matthews/Morrison, Peter/Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records and Results. Guinness Superlatives. p. 290. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.
^ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
^ Bott, Richard (1980). The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. p. 98. ISBN 0-09-141751-1.
^ "Speedway riders, history and results". wwosbackup. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
^ "World Team Cup 1960-1990". Edinburgh Speedway. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
^ "FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP/ SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS" (PDF). Motor Sport Top 20. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
^ "1978 WORLD TEAM CUP". International Speedway. Retrieved 15 July 2021.

[1] Matthews/Morrison, Peter/Ian (1987). The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records and Results. Guinness Superlatives. p. 290. ISBN 0-85112-492-5.

[2] Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.

[3] Bott, Richard (1980). The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. p. 98. ISBN 0-09-141751-1.

[4] "Speedway riders, history and results". wwosbackup. Retrieved 12 July 2021.

[5] "World Team Cup 1960-1990". Edinburgh Speedway. Retrieved 13 July 2021.

[6] "FIM SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP/ SPEEDWAY OF NATIONS" (PDF). Motor Sport Top 20. Retrieved 13 July 2021.

[7] "1978 WORLD TEAM CUP". International Speedway. Retrieved 15 July 2021.

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v t e Speedway World Team Cup and Speedway World Cup
Speedway World Team Cup	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Speedway World Cup (SWC)	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2023
See also	Host cities Medalists Medal classification
Speedway World Pairs Championship Speedway of Nations

Qualification Stage 1

British & Commonwealth Round

Scandinavian Round

Continental Round

Qualification Stage 2

Continental Final

Intercontinental Final

World Final

See also

References