# 1972 Individual Speedway World Championship

The 1972 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 27th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.
The 1972 final attendance at Wembley Stadium was 75,000. New Zealander Ivan Mauger joined Barry Briggs on four title wins (2nd only behind Ove Fundin) by defeating Bernt Persson in a run-off after both riders finished on 13 points.
In heat five, Briggs was involved in an accident which all but ended his speedway career. Going into the first turn his front wheel was hit by Bernt Persson's bike which caused him to fall. He was then hit by the Russian riders Grigory Khlinovsky and Valery Gordeev. Briggs suffered a severe hand injury and lost the index finger on his left hand which caused him to temporarily retire from racing. Briggs had been considered one of the pre-meeting favourites and his favouritism had been firmed when he had beaten fellow New Zealander Ivan Mauger in heat 2.
To the boos of the 75,000 strong Wembley crowd, FIM referee Georg Traunspurger did not exclude Persson. Defending champion Ole Olsen was unlucky not to retain his title because in his first ride (heat 4) while challenging Swede Christer Löfqvist he fell and would score no points. He won his next four rides to finish in a clear third place.
Before the final, the Russian riders had three of their bikes stolen and had to borrow equipment to compete.

## First round

Qualification results.

### Continental qualifying

* Riders progress to Continental quarter-finals
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 7 May | Kovinar Stadium, Maribor | Petr Ondrašík | Jan Verner | Sandor Csato |
| 11 May | Stadio Moretti, Udine | Draško Oreško | Gunther Walla | Nedialko Nedialkov |

## Second round

| Norwegian qualifying 19 September 1971 Sandnes Idrettspark, Sandnes Top 9 (+3 seeded) to Nordic qualification 1972 Pos.RiderPoints 1Reidar Eide15 2Dag Lovaas13 3Svein Kaasa12 4Tormod Langli11 5Odd Fossengen11 6Jan Terje Gravningen10 7Dagfinn Dahl9 8Edgar Stangeland8 9Oyvind S. Berg7 10Johnny Larsen6 11Nils Otto Haraldsen5 12Kjell Thomas Skjëveland4 13Eidar Egedius4 14Helge Langli3 15Ole Fjötland | Finnish qualifying (top 9) (3 rounds) First (+2 seeded riders) to Nordic qualification 1972 R1 (9 Aug '71, Eteläpuisto, Tampere) R2 (28 Aug '71, Kärpänen Speedway, Lahti) R3 (12 Sep '71 Eteläpuisto, Tampere) Pos.RiderPointsPoints 1Matti Olin8+6+816 2Kalevi Lahtinen4+8+012 3Hannu Känkänen3+4+610 4Reima Lohkovuori6+2+39 5Heikki Ahonen0+3+47 6Kari Vuoristo2+1+03 7Matti Touru0+0+22 8Ari Hiljanen1+0+01 9Rauli Mäkinen0+0+11 |

### British/Commonwealth premilinaries

* Top riders to British/Commonwealth qualifiers
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 15 April | Kingsmead Stadium, Canterbury | Bob Young | Malcolm Ballard | Brian Foote |
| 16 April | Rye House Stadium, Hoddesdon | Dave Kennett | Bob Humphreys | Barry Crowson |
| 21 April | East of England Arena, Peterborough | Geoff Maloney | Phil Crump | Kevin Holden |
| 27 April | Holker Street, Barrow-in-Furness | John Harrhy | Alan Wilkinson | Malcolm Shakespeare |
| 28 April | Derwent Park, Workington | Alan Knapkin | George Major | Russ Dent |

### Continental quarter-finals

* Top 16 to Continental semi-finals
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 21 May | Borsod Volán Stadion, Miskolc | Janosh Szőke | Oleg Dzyadyk | Aleksandr Pavlov |
| 21 May | Pavlovický Stadion, Liberec | Viktor Trofimov | Yury Dubinin | Jan Mucha |
| 21 May | Abensberger Stadion, Abensberg | Henryk Glucklich | Jan Holub I | Grigory Khlinovsky |
| 21 May | Stadion żużlowy, Gorzów Wielkopolski | Edward Jancarz | Zenon Plech | Valery Gordeev |

### Swedish qualification

* Top 6 in each heat to Nordic qualification
(27 April, Gubbängens IP Stockholm) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Anders Michanek | 14 |
| 2 | Karl-Erik Claesson | 13 |
| 3 | Hasse Holmqvist | 13 |
| 4 | Lars-Inge Hultberg | 12 |
| 5 | Bo Wirebrand | 10 |
| 6 | Göte Nordin | 9 |
| 7 | Åke Dovhed | 9 |
| 8 | Dirk van der Voet | 7 |
| 9 | Tommy Nilsson | 6 |
| 10 | Jan-Inge Karlsson | 5 |
| 11 | Bertil Andersson | 5 |
| 12 | Åke Andersson | 5 |
| 13 | Sune Eriksson | 5 |
| 14 | Harald Sandberg | 3 |
| 15 | Sune Stark | 3 |
| 16 | Bengt Brannefors | 0 |
| 17 | Kjell Marrsson (res) | 0 |
(30 April, Målilla (Motorbana) Målilla) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Jan Simensen | 12 |
| 2 | Tommy Johansson | 12 |
| 3 | Per-Olof Söderman | 11 |
| 4 | Torbjörn Harrysson | 11 |
| 5 | Christer Sjösten | 10 |
| 6 | Stephan Johansson | 9 |
| 7 | Anders Jansson | 9 |
| 8 | Roy Dantanus | 9 |
| 9 | Berndt Johansson | 7 |
| 10 | Willy Karlsson | 7 |
| 11 | Bengt Olsson | 7 |
| 12 | Floyd Ohlsson | 5 |
| 13 | Lars-Olov Karlsson | 4 |
| 14 | Anders Lövgren | 4 |
| 15 | Claes-Ingvar Svensson | 2 |
| 16 | Curt Nyqvist | 0 |
| 17 | Kalle Lindgren (res) | 0 |
(1 May, Motorbanen Hagalund Lindesberg) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Bernt Persson | 15 |
| 2 | Sören Sjösten | 14 |
| 3 | Lars Jansson | 13 |
| 4 | Bengt Larsson | 12 |
| 5 | Hans Johansson | 11 |
| 6 | Tommy Wedén | 9 |
| 7 | Stefan Salmonsson | 9 |
| 8 | Casimir Nilsson | 8 |
| 9 | Sigvard Johansson | 6 |
| 10 | Therje Henriksson | 6 |
| 11 | Lars Jennefors | 5 |
| 12 | Lars-Åke Andersson | 4 |
| 13 | Sören Karlsson | 4 |
| 14 | Inge Gustavsson | 4 |
| 15 | Hans Engzell | 1 |
| 16 | Leif Söderberg | 0 |
(1 May, Gamla Galgberget Visby) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Christer Löfqvist | 15 |
| 2 | Tommy Jansson | 13 |
| 3 | Leif Enecrona | 13 |
| 4 | Rolf Johansson | 12 |
| 5 | Bengt Jansson | 12 |
| 6 | Claes Löfstrand | 8 |
| 7 | Ragnar Holm | 8 |
| 8 | Bo Magnusson | 7 |
| 9 | Käll Haage | 7 |
| 10 | Håkan Karlsson | 6 |
| 11 | Torbjörn Karlsson | 4 |
| 12 | Kenneth Selmosson | 4 |
| 13 | Kurt Sigurdh | 3 |
| 14 | Börje Klingberg | 3 |
| 15 | Reine Södergren | 1 |
| 16 | Ove Helander | 0 |

## Third round
### British/Commonwealth qualifiers

* Top 32 to British/Commonwealth semi-finals
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 20 May | The Shay, Halifax | Eric Boocock | Bob Kilby | Ray Wilson |
| 20 May | King's Lynn Stadium, King's Lynn | Terry Betts | Malcolm Simmons | Howard Cole |
| 20 May | Hyde Road, Manchester | Ivan Mauger | Chris Pusey | Jim McMillan |
| 22 May | Reading Stadium, Reading | Ronnie Moore | Dave Jessup | Mick Bell |
| 22 May | County Ground Stadium, Exeter | Howard Cole | Bob Kilby | Barry Briggs |
| 25 May | Oxford Stadium, Oxford | Terry Betts | Garry Middleton | Malcolm Simmons |
| 25 May | Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield | Arnie Haley | Ivan Mauger | Bobby Beaton |
| 25 May | Wimbledon Stadium, London | Ronnie Moore | Bob Andrews | Barry Briggs |
| 25 May | Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich | David Kennett | John Harrhy | George Hunter |
| 26 May | Hackney Wick Stadium, London | Geoff Curtis | Barry Thomas | Chris Pusey |
| 26 May | Monmore Green, Wolverhampton | Dave Gifford | Peter Collins | Norman Hunter |
| 27 May | Abbey Stadium, Swindon | Barry Briggs | Martin Ashby | Phil Crump |
| 27 May | Dudley Wood Stadium, Dudley | Bob Andrews | Arnie Haley | Bob Kilby |
| 27 May | Brandon Stadium, Coventry | Nigel Boocock | Tony Lomas | John Louis |
| 30 May | Wimborne Road, Poole | Nigel Boocock | Geoff Curtis | Howard Cole |
| 2 June | Hampden Park, Glasgow | Bobby Beaton | Jim McMillan | John Louis |
| 2 June | Somerton Park, Newport | Bruce Cribb | Tony Clarke | Mike Broadbanks |
| 6 June | Leicester Stadium, Leicester | Dave Jessup | Ivan Mauger | Malcolm Shakespeare |

### Nordic qualifying

* Top 5 in each heat to Nordic final
(11 May, Gislaved Motorbana, Gislaved) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Bernt Persson | 15 |
| 2 | Tommy Jansson | 13 |
| 3 | Torbjörn Harrysson | 12 |
| 4 | Leif Enecrona | 12 |
| 5 | Christer Löfqvist | 11 |
| 6 | Jan Simensen | 10 |
| 7 | Odd Fossengen | 9 |
| 8 | Karl-Erik Claesson | 8 |
| 9 | Svein Kaasa | 7 |
| 10 | Jörn Mogensen | 6 |
| 11 | Claes Löfstrand | 5 |
| 12 | Tormod Langli | 4 |
| 13 | Kari Vuoristo | 3 |
| 14 | Preben Bollerup | 3 |
| 15 | Kurt Bögh | 2 |
| 16 | Hans Erik Fuglerud | 0 |
(11 May, Avestavallen, Avesta :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Hasse Holmqvist | 15 |
| 2 | Sören Sjösten | 12 |
| 3 | Tommy Johansson | 12 |
| 4 | Göte Nordin | 12 |
| 5 | Dag Lövaas | 12 |
| 6 | Bengt Larsson | 10 |
| 7 | Lars Jansson | 8 |
| 8 | Edgar Stangeland | 7 |
| 9 | Henning Hansen | 6 |
| 10 | Fred Hansen | 6 |
| 11 | Erik Tillgaard | 6 |
| 12 | Bo Wirebrand | 5 |
| 13 | Hannu Känkänen | 5 |
| 14 | Lars-Inge Hultberg | 2 |
| 15 | Niels Heraldsen | 1 |
| 16 | Knud Heia | 0 |
(12 May, Gamla Ryd Motorstadion, Linköping) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Anders Michanek | 15 |
| 2 | Reidar Eide | 14 |
| 3 | Bengt Jansson | 13 |
| 4 | Per-Olof Söderman | 11 |
| 5 | Öyvind Berg | 11 |
| 6 | Christer Sjösten | 10 |
| 7 | Bent Nörregaard-Jensen | 10 |
| 8 | Hans Johansso | 7 |
| 9 | Krause Kjaer | 6 |
| 10 | Ragnar Holm | 6 |
| 11 | Tommy Wedén | 6 |
| 12 | Nils Schelde | 4 |
| 13 | Stephan Johansson | 3 |
| 14 | Dagfinn Dahl | 3 |
| 15 | Kjell Skievelan | 1 |
| 16 | Matti Olin | 0 |

### Continental semi-finals

| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Edward Jancarz | 15 |
| 2 | Milan Špinka | 11 |
| 3 | Zenon Plech | 10 |
| 4 | Anatolij Kuzmin | 10 |
| 5 | Viktor Trofimov | 9 |
| 6 | Petr Ondrašík | 9 |
| 7 | Vladimir Baturin | 8 |
| 8 | Valerij Gordeev | 8 |
| 9 | Anatolij Mironov | 8 |
| 10 | Yury Dubinin | 8 |
| 11 | Václav Verner (res) | 8 |
| 12 | Ryszard Dziatkowiak | 7 |
| 13 | Antoni Woryna | 4 |
| 14 | Gennadij Ivanov | 3 |
| 15 | Jan Mucha | 2 |
| 16 | Stanislav Kubíček | 0 |
| 17 | Zdzislaw Dobrucki | 0 |
| 18 | Zdenek Novotny (res) | 0 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Marek Cieslak | 15 |
| 2 | Paweł Waloszek | 13 |
| 3 | Henryk Glücklich | 11 |
| 4 | Viktor Kalmykov | 11 |
| 5 | Zbigniew Friedek | 11 |
| 6 | Grigory Khlinovsky | 10 |
| 7 | Vladimir Paznikov | 8 |
| 8 | Jerzy Szczakiel | 8 |
| 9 | Andrzej Koselski (res) | 8 |
| 10 | Alexander Pavlov | 6 |
| 11 | Oleg Dziadyk | 6 |
| 12 | Jan Verner | 6 |
| 13 | Miroslav Verner | 3 |
| 14 | Janos Szöke | 2 |
| 15 | Jan Holub I | 1 |
| 16 | Benedykt Kosek (res) | 1 |
| 17 | Istvan Sziraczky | 0 |

## Fourth round
### British/Commonwealth semi-finals

| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Terry Betts | 14+3 |
| 2 | Ronnie Moore | 14+2 |
| 3 | Arnie Haley | 13 |
| 4 | Garry Middleton | 12 |
| 5 | Barry Briggs | 11 |
| 6 | John Louis | 8 |
| 7 | Trevor Hedge | 8 |
| 8 | George Hunter (res) | 8 |
| 9 | Nigel Boocock | 6 |
| 10 | Geoff Curtis | 6 |
| 11 | Chris Pusey | 6 |
| 12 | Phil Crump | 4 |
| 13 | Dave Younghusband | 4 |
| 14 | Bobby Beaton | 2 |
| 15 | Pete Smith | 2 |
| 16 | Tony Clarke | 1 |
| 17 | Howard Cole | 0 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Ivan Mauger | 15 |
| 2 | Jim McMillan | 13 |
| 3 | John Boulger | 12 |
| 4 | Martin Ashby | 10 |
| 5 | Ray Wilson | 10 |
| 6 | Eric Boocock | 10 |
| 7 | Dave Jessup | 9 |
| 8 | Peter Collins | 9 |
| 9 | Norman Hunter | 9 |
| 10 | Tony Lomas | 4 |
| 11 | Bob Kilby | 4 |
| 12 | John Harrhy | 4 |
| 13 | Bob Andrews | 4 |
| 14 | Barry Thomas | 3 |
| 15 | Mick Bell | 2 |
| 16 | Mike Broadbank | 2 |

### Nordic Final

* 1 June 1972
* Norrköping Motorstadion
* First 8 to European Final plus 1 reserve
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Bengt Jansson | 3,2,3,3,3 | 14 |
| 2 | Anders Michanek | 3,3,3,1,3 | 13 |
| 3 | Ole Olsen | 3,2,2,3,2 | 12 |
| 4 | Bernt Persson | 1,2,3,2,3 | 11 |
| 5 | Hasse Holmqvist | 2,3,2,2,2 | 11 |
| 6 | Christer Löfqvist | 3,3,3,0,1 | 10 |
| 7 | Jan Simensen | 2,0,2,3,3 | 10 |
| 8 | Reidar Eide | 1,3,1,2,2 | 9 |
| 9 | Tommy Jansson | 2,1,2,3,E | 8 |
| 10 | Dag Lovaas | 1,1,1,2,0 | 5 |
| 11 | Tommy Johansson | 0,1,0,1,2 | 4 |
| 12 | Øyvind S. Berg | 1,0,0,1,1 | 3 |
| 13 | Göte Nordin | 0,2,1,0,- | 3 |
| 14 | Leif Enecrona | 0,0,1,1,1 | 3 |
| 15 | Per Olof Söderman | 2,0,0,0,0 | 2 |
| 16 | Sören Sjösten | 0,1,0,0,- | 1 |
| R1 | Christer Sjösten | E | 0 |
| R2 | Runo Wedin | 0 | 0 |

### Continental Final

* 25 June 1972
* Dombay Motodrom, Cherkessk
* First 8 to European Final plus 1 reserve
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Viktor Trofimov | 2,3,3,3,3 | 14 |
| 2 | Viktor Kalmykov | 3,3,3,2,2 | 13 |
| 3 | Anatoly Kuzmin | 2,2,2,3,3 | 12 |
| 4 | Valery Gordeev | 3,1,1,3,3 | 11 |
| 5 | Milan Špinka | 1,3,3,2,1 | 10 |
| 6 | Grigory Khlinovsky | 3,2,F,1,3 | 9 |
| 7 | Paweł Waloszek | 0,3,2,2,2 | 9 |
| 8 | Aleksandr Pavlov | 2,2,2,1,2 | 9 |
| 9 | Zenon Plech | F,2,2,3,F | 7 |
| 10 | Anatoly Mironov | 1,1,1,2,1 | 6 |
| 11 | Zygfryd Friedek | X,1,1,1,2 | 5 |
| 12 | Petr Ondrašík | 3,X,0,0,1 | 4 |
| 13 | Vasily Baturin | F,X,3,X,0 | 3 |
| 14 | Marek Cieślak | 0,1,1,1,0 | 3 |
| 15 | Henryk Glucklich | 2,E,X,0,X | 2 |
| 16 | Edward Jancarz | 1,X,E,E,1 | 2 |
| R1 | Gennady Kurilenko | 1,0,0,X | 1 |
| R2 | Vladimir Kubanov | 0,0,0 | 0 |

## Fifth round
### British/Commonwealth Final

* 2 August 1972
* Brandon Stadium, Coventry
* First 5 to World Final
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| | (6) Ivan Mauger | 14 | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | | 2 | | | 3 | | 14 | 1 | |
| | (12) Nigel Boocock | 12 | | | 3 | | | | | 2 | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | 12 | 2 | |
| | (4) Barry Briggs | 11 | 1 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | 11 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | (8) John Louis | 11 | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | 11 | 4 | E |
| 5 | (9) Eric Boocock | 10 | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | 2 | | | 10 | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | (2) Jim McMillan | 10 | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 0 | | | | 3 | | | 10 | 6 | 2 |
| 7 | (15) Terry Betts | 9 | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | 3 | | | | 9 | 7 | |
| 8 | (10) Ray Wilson | 7 | | | T | | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | 7 | 8 | |
| 9 | (11) Dave Jessup | 7 | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | T | | | | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | 7 | 9 | |
| 10 | (13) John Boulger | 7 | | | | 0 | 3 | | | | | | | 2 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | 7 | 10 | |
| 11 | (3) Martin Ashby | 6 | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | 6 | 11 | |
| 12 | (16) Arnold Haley | 5 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | 1 | | | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 5 | 12 | |
| 13 | (5) Garry Middleton | 4 | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 2 | 4 | 13 | |
| 14 | (1) Peter Collins | 3 | 0 | | | | E | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 3 | 14 | |
| 15 | (7) Trevor Hedge | 2 | | 0 | | | | | E | | | | | 0 | 2 | | | | | 0 | | | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (14) Ronnie Moore | 2 | | | | 2 | | E | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | | 0 | 2 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Pete Bailey | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
| R2 | (R2) Norman Hunter | 0 | | | | | | | | | F | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R2 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
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 |

### European Final

* 3 September 1972
* Olympic Stadium, Wrocław
* First 11 to World Final plus 1 reserve
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| | (12) Paweł Waloszek | 13 | | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | 13 | 1 | |
| | (8) Ole Olsen | 11 | | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | 11 | 2 | |
| | (13) Anders Michanek | 11 | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | 1 | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | 11 | 3 | |
| 4 | (16) Aleksandr Pavlov | 10 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 10 | 4 | |
| 5 | (4) Anatoly Kuzmin | 10 | 2 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 0 | 10 | 5 | |
| 6 | (3) Grigory Khlinovsky | 9 | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | (10) Christer Löfqvist | 8 | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | 1 | | | | 8 | 7 | |
| 8 | (11) Viktor Trofimov | 8 | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | 8 | 8 | |
| 9 | (2) Bernt Persson | 7 | 1 | | | | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | 7 | 9 | |
| 10 | (6) Valery Gordeev | 7 | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | E | | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | 7 | 10 | |
| 11 | (14) Viktor Kalmykov | 7 | | | | 2 | | F | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | | | 2 | 7 | 11 | |
| 12 | (5) Jan Simensen | 6 | | F | | | 2 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | 6 | 12 | |
| 13 | (15) Milan Špinka | 5 | | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | | | 0 | 2 | | | | 5 | 13 | |
| 14 | (9) Bengt Jansson | 3 | | | 0 | | E | | | | | | 0 | | | | | 2 | | 1 | | | 3 | 14 | |
| 15 | (1) Hasse Holmqvist | 2 | F | | | | E | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (7) Reidar Eide | 0 | | E | | | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | 0 | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Tommy Jansson | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
| R2 | (R2) Zenon Plech | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R2 | |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
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 |

## World Final

* 16 September 1972
* Wembley Stadium, London
* Referee: Georg Traunspurger
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| | (6) Ivan Mauger | 13 | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | 13 | 1 | 3 |
| | (13) Bernt Persson | 13 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 2 | | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| | (16) Ole Olsen | 12 | | | | F | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 12 | 3 | |
| 4 | (15) Christer Löfqvist | 11 | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | | | 0 | 3 | | | | 11 | 4 | |
| 5 | (14) John Louis | 11 | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | 11 | 5 | |
| 6 | (7) Aleksandr Pavlov | 8 | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 0 | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | 8 | 6 | |
| 7 | (4) Anders Michanek | 8 | X | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | 8 | 7 | |
| 8 | (3) Paweł Waloszek | 6 | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | 6 | 8 | |
| 9 | (8) Viktor Trofimov | 6 | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | | 6 | 9 | |
| 10 | (12) Nigel Boocock | 6 | | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | | 6 | 10 | |
| 11 | (10) Viktor Kalmykov | 6 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | 1 | | | | 6 | 11 | |
| 12 | (11) Anatoly Kuzmin | 4 | | | 3 | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | 4 | 12 | |
| 13 | (1) Grigory Khlinovsky | 4 | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 4 | 13 | |
| 14 | (5) Barry Briggs | 3 | | 3 | | | F | | | | | - | | | | | - | | | | | - | 3 | 14 | |
| 15 | (2) Eric Boocock | 2 | X | | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (9) Valery Gordeev | 2 | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | 2 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Jan Simensen | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | | | | 2 | R1 | |
| R2 | (R2) Jim McMillan | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 2 | R2 | |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
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 |