# 1973 Individual Speedway World Championship

The 1973 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 28th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.
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. On the second lap of 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. Rank outsider Szczakiel, who had finished last with no points scored in his only other World Final appearance in Sweden in 1971, rode the meeting of his life and was only beaten in his final two rides before defeating Mauger in the run-off.
The final, held at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów, Poland, is believed to have been held in front of the largest crowd in world speedway history, estimated to be around 130,000, though some reports put the size of the crowd as anywhere from 90,000 to 120,000. The previous record for a final was 95,000 during the 1938 Individual Speedway World Championship at Wembley.

## Format changes

The format of the Championship changed for the 1973 event. This time the Polish riders were allowed five places in the World Final to be held in Poland. All other nations had to go through the European Final route to provide the remaining 11 riders for the World Final.

## First round
### British/Commonwealth premilinaries

* Riders progress to British/Commonwealth qualifiers
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 29 April | Arlington Stadium, Eastbourne | Gordon Kennett | Paul Gachet | Bobby McNeil |
| 29 April | Boston Sports Stadium, Boston | Graeme Stapleton | John Dews | Russ Osborne |
| 2 May | Odsal Stadium, Bradford | Neil Street | Billy Sanders | Rick France |
| 7 May | Earle Street, Crewe | Mitch Graham | Arthur Price | Les Owen |
| 7 May | Birchfield Ladbroke Stadium, Birmingham | Jim Ryman | Bob Paulson | Ted Howgego |

## Second round

| Norwegian qualifying 10 September 1972 Gamle Stadion, Sandefjord Top 12 to Nordic qualification 1973 Pos.RiderPoints 1Ulf Lövaas14 2Dag Lövaas12 3Odd Fossengen11 4Helge Langli11 5Svein Kaasa9 6Oyvind S. Berg9 7Edgar Stangeland9 8Reidar Eide9 9Tormod Langli8 10Hans Erik Fuglerud7 11Johnny Larsen7 12Per Hetland5 13Svein Lökken3 14Kjell Gimre3 15Jan Jacobsen2 16Öyvind Rökeberg0 | Finnish qualifying (top 10) (3 rounds) First (+1 seeded riders) to Nordic qualification 1973 R1 (? '72, Kärpänen Speedway, Lahti) R2 (26 Aug '72, Kärpänen Speedway, Lahti) R3 (? '72, Eteläpuisto, Tampere) Pos.RiderPointsTotal (best 2) 1Matti Olin8+8+016 2Hannu Känkänen4+6+814 3Kalevi Lahtinen6+0+612 4Heikki Ahonen1+3+47 5Kari Vuoristo3+2+05 6Pekka Paljakka0+4+04 7Matti Touru0+0+33 8Tapio Leppasalko2+1+03 9Jouko Naskali0+0+22 10Timo Naskali0+0+11 |

### Swedish qualifying

* Top 8 in each heat to Nordic qualification
(1 May, Gamla Galgberget, Visby) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Lars Jansson | 14 |
| 2 | Bernt Persson | 12 |
| 3 | Christer Löfqvist | 10 |
| 4 | Jan Simensen | 9 |
| 5 | Sven Nilsson | 9 |
| 6 | Kenneth Selmosson | 9 |
| 7 | Bo Wirebrand | 9 |
| 8 | Karl-Erik Claesson | 9 |
| 9 | Conny Samuelsson | 8 |
| 10 | Håkan Karlsson | 7 |
| 11 | Sören Karlsson | 6 |
| 12 | Bengt Olsson | 6 |
| 13 | Anders Lövgren | 4 |
| 14 | Peter Smith | 3 |
| 15 | Lars Larsson | 3 |
| 16 | Leif Mellberg | 2 |
(1 May, Målilla (Motorbana), Målilla) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Sören Sjösten | 14 |
| 2 | Bengt Jansson | 13 |
| 3 | Anders Michanek | 11 |
| 4 | Stefan Johansson | 11 |
| 5 | Tommy Johansson | 10 |
| 6 | Leif Johansson | 10 |
| 7 | Bengt Larsson | 7 |
| 8 | Stefan Salmonsson | 7 |
| 9 | Anders Jansson | 6 |
| 10 | Sigvard Johansson | 6 |
| 11 | Roy Dantanus | 5 |
| 12 | Lars-Inge Hultberg | 5 |
| 13 | Tomas Johansson | 5 |
| 14 | Therje Henriksson | 4 |
| 15 | Steve Johansson | 4 |
| 16 | Åke Andersson | 2 |
| 17 | Bertil Andersson | 0 |
(5 May, Motorbanen Hagalund, Lindesberg) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Hasse Holmqvist | 14 |
| 2 | Tommy Jansson | 12 |
| 3 | Tomas Pettersson | 10 |
| 4 | Stephan Johansson | 10 |
| 5 | Leif Enecrona | 9 |
| 6 | Tommy Nilsson | 9 |
| 7 | Göte Nordin | 9 |
| 8 | Christer Sjösten | 8 |
| 9 | Rolf Johansson | 7 |
| 10 | Åke Dovhed | 6 |
| 11 | Käll Haage | 6 |
| 12 | Lennart Johansson | 5 |
| 13 | Willy Karlsson | 4 |
| 14 | Per-Åke Gerhardsson | 4 |
| 15 | Börje Klingberg | 3 |
| 16 | Hans Johansson | 3 |

### Continental qualifying

* Rider progress to Continental quarter-finals
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 29 April | Mladost Stadum, Prelog | Zdenek Majstr | Evzen Erban | Jozef Haider |
| 6 May | Motodrom Halbemond, Norden | Jan Hadek | Jiri Dominik | Henny Kroeze |

### British/Commonwealth qualifiers

* Top riders progress to British/Commonwealth semi-finals
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 12 May | King's Lynn Stadium, King's Lynn | John Louis | Terry Betts | Malcolm Simmons |
| 14 May | Reading Stadium, Reading | Martin Ashby | Mick Bell | Geoff Curtis |
| 16 May | Wimborne Road, Poole | Pete Smith | Ray Wilson | Terry Betts |
| 17 May | Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield | Jim McMillan | Arnie Haley | Doug Wyer |
| 18 May | Monmore Green, Wolverhampton | George Hunter | Ray Wilson | Gary Peterson |
| 18 May | Hackney Wick Stadium, London | Terry Betts | Bob Valentine | Barry Thomas |
| 19 May | The Shay, Halifax | John Boulger | Eric Boocock | Bill Andrew |
| 19 May | Dudley Wood Stadium, Dudley | John Louis | Bruce Cribb | Colin Gooddy |
| 19 May | Abbey Stadium, Swindon | Jim McMillan | Doug Wyer | Tony Davey |
| 19 May | Hyde Road, Manchester | Ivan Mauger | Chris Pusey | Eric Broadbelt |
| 21 May | County Ground Stadium, Exeter | Ivan Mauger | Martin Ashby | Bob Coles |
| 22 May | Leicester Stadium, Leicester | John Boulger | Ray Wilson | Bob Kilby |
| 23 May | Somerton Park, Newport | Eric Boocock | Roy Trigg | Gary Peterson |
| 24 May | Wimbledon Stadium, London | Peter Collins | Norman Hunter | Ian Turner |
| 24 May | Oxford Stadium, Oxford | Bob Kilby | Malcolm Ballard | Eric Boocock |
| 25 May | Cliftonhill, Coatbridge | Mick Bell | John Boulger | Chris Julian |
| 26 May | Brandon Stadium, Coventry | Nigel Boocock | Ray Wilson | Bob Kilby |
| 29 May | Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich | Ivan Mauger | Tony Davey | Mick Bell |

## Third round
### Continental quarter-finals

* Top 32 to Continental semi-finals
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 10 May | Svítkov Stadium, Pardubice | Vladimir Zapleshny | Jiří Štancl | Miloslav Verner |
| 20 May | Borsod Volán Stadion, Miskolc | Grigory Khlinovsky | Viktor Trofimov | Aleksandr Pavlov |
| 20 May | Breitenthal Stadium, Krumbach | Milan Špinka | Vladimir Paznikov | Jan Holub I |
| 20 May | Matija Gubec Stadium, Krško | Anatoly Kuzmin | Vladimir Gordeev | Petr Ondrašík |

### British/Commonwealth semi-finals

| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Ivan Mauger | 14 |
| 2 | John Louis | 13 |
| 3 | Chris Pusey | 12 |
| 4 | Jim Mcmillan | 10 |
| 5 | Rick France | 9 |
| 6 | Peter Collins | 9 |
| 7 | Bob Valentine | 8 |
| 8 | Tony Davey | 8 |
| 9 | Garry Middleton | 8 |
| 10 | Alan Wilkinson | 7 |
| 11 | Doug Wyer | 7 |
| 12 | Arnie Haley | 6 |
| 13 | Bob Humphreys | 6 |
| 14 | Eric Broadbelt | 2 |
| 15 | Bob Kilby | 1 |
| 16 | Nigel Boocock | 0 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | John Boulger | 14 |
| 2 | Martin Ashby | 13 |
| 3 | Eric Boocock | 10 |
| 4 | Malcolm Simmons | 10 |
| 5 | Ray Wilson | 10 |
| 6 | Terry Betts | 10 |
| 7 | Mick Bell | 9 |
| 8 | Pete Smith | 9 |
| 9 | Roy Trigg | 7 |
| 10 | Gary Peterson | 5 |
| 11 | Barry Thomas | 5 |
| 12 | Malcolm Ballard | 5 |
| 13 | Geoff Maloney | 4 |
| 14 | George Hunter | 3 |
| 15 | Bruce Cribb | 3 |
| 16 | Bill Andrew | 1 |

### Nordic qualification

* Top 5 from each meeting to Nordic final
(17 May, Gubbängens IP, Stockholm) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Bengt Jansson | 15 |
| 2 | Anders Michanek | 14 |
| 3 | Göte Nordin | 13 |
| 4 | Dag Lövaas | 12 |
| 5 | Lars Jansson | 11 |
| 6 | Karl-Erik Claesson | 9 |
| 7 | Kenneth Selmosson | 8 |
| 8 | Sören Sjösten | 8 |
| 9 | Arne Andreasen | 7 |
| 10 | Erik Tillgaard | 6 |
| 11 | Sven Nilsson | 4 |
| 12 | Hans Fuglerud | 4 |
| 13 | Svein Lökken | 4 |
| 14 | Jörn Mogensen | 3 |
| 15 | Rolf Johansson (res) | 1 |
| 16 | Heikki Ahonen | 1 |
| 17 | Öystein Mellerud | 0 |
(27 May, Grenland Arena, Skien) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Bernt Persson | 15 |
| 2 | Tommy Jansson | 13 |
| 3 | Odd Fossengen | 12 |
| 4 | Öyvind Berg | 12 |
| 5 | Tommy Johansson | 11 |
| 6 | Leif Enecrona | 11 |
| 7 | Tomas Pettersson | 8 |
| 8 | Krause Kjaer | 8 |
| 9 | Bengt Larsson | 7 |
| 10 | Ulf Lövaas | 7 |
| 11 | Helge Langli | 5 |
| 12 | Preben Bollerup | 4 |
| 13 | Stefan Johansson | 3 |
| 14 | Stefan Salmonsson | 3 |
(27 May, Selskov Stadium, Hillerod) :
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Ole Olsen | 15 |
| 2 | Christer Löfqvist | 14 |
| 3 | Jan Simensen | 13 |
| 4 | Hasse Holmqvist | 11 |
| 5 | Christer Sjösten | 11 |
| 6 | Edgar Stangeland | 11 |
| 7 | Bo Wirebrand | 7 |
| 8 | Jan Terje Gravningen | 7 |
| 9 | Stephan Johansson | 7 |
| 10 | Kurt Bögh | 6 |
| 11 | Tommy Nilsson | 6 |
| 12 | Bent Nörregaard-Jensen | 4 |
| 13 | Leif Johansson | 3 |
| 14 | Tormod Langli | 2 |
| 15 | Per Herland | 1 |
| 16 | Matti Olin | 1 |

## Fourth round
### Continental semi-finals

| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Grigory Khlinovsky | 13 |
| 2 | Valerij Gordeev | 13 |
| 3 | Václav Verner | 12 |
| 4 | Milan Špinka | 12 |
| 5 | Vladimir Paznikov | 12 |
| 6 | Viktor Trofimov | 7 |
| 7 | Alexander Pavlov | 7 |
| 8 | Josef Angermüller | 7 |
| 9 | Oleg Dziadyk | 7 |
| 10 | Jan Klokocka | 7 |
| 11 | Manfred Poschenreider | 6 |
| 12 | Jan Holub I | 6 |
| 13 | Georgij Ivanov | 4 |
| 14 | Miroslav Rosulek | 3 |
| 15 | Vladimir Tchistiakov (res) | 1 |
| 16 | Yury Dubinin | 0 |
| 17 | Petr Safarik | 0 |
| 18 | Otto Barth (res) | 0 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Vladimir Gordeev | 15 |
| 2 | Jiří Štancl | 13 |
| 3 | Anatolij Kuzmin | 12 |
| 4 | Vladimir Zaplechny | 11 |
| 5 | Zdeněk Majstr | 11 |
| 6 | Karel Vobornik | 10 |
| 7 | Miroslav Verner | 10 |
| 8 | Petr Ondrašík | 8 |
| 9 | Petr Kucera | 6 |
| 10 | Nikolai Aksjonov | 5 |
| 11 | Gregorij Markatanov | 4 |
| 12 | Henny Kroeze | 4 |
| 13 | Nikolaj Kornev | 4 |
| 14 | Gerhard Uhlenbrock | 3 |
| 15 | Josef Bössner | 2 |
| 16 | Pal Pereny | 1 |

### British/Commonwealth Final

* 21 June 1973
* Owlerton Stadium, Sheffield
* First 8 to British-Nordic 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 |
| | (15) Ray Wilson | 15 | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | 15 | 1 | |
| | (10) Bob Valentine | 12 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| | (13) Peter Collins | 12 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | 12 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | (3) John Boulger | 12 | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | 12 | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | (2) Ivan Mauger | 10 | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | T | | | 10 | 5 | |
| 6 | (7) Eric Boocock | 9 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 0 | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | (8) Tony Davey | 9 | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | 9 | 7 | |
| 8 | (16) Rick France | 9 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | 9 | 8 | |
| 9 | (6) John Louis | 7 | | F | | | | 0 | | | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | | | 1 | | 7 | 9 | |
| 10 | (4) Martin Ashby | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | 6 | 10 | |
| 11 | (5) Garry Middleton | 5 | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 3 | 5 | 11 | |
| 12 | (14) Peter Smith | 5 | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | 5 | 12 | |
| 13 | (9) Terry Betts | 4 | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | | F | | | | | F | | 1 | | | 4 | 13 | |
| 14 | (11) Mick Bell | 4 | | | 2 | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | | | | | 2 | 4 | 14 | |
| 15 | (1) Malcolm Simmons | 2 | 0 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (12) Jim McMillan | 2 | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | 2 | | | | | | 0 | | 2 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Chris Pusey | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
| 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 |

### Nordic Final

* 6 June 1973
* Norrköping Motorstadion, Norrköping
* First 8 to British-Nordic 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) Ole Olsen | 15 | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | 15 | 1 | |
| | (5) Bengt Jansson | 14 | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | 14 | 2 | |
| | (7) Anders Michanek | 13 | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | 13 | 3 | |
| 4 | (8) Bernt Persson | 12 | | 0 | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | 12 | 4 | |
| 5 | (3) Tommy Jansson | 10 | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | 10 | 5 | |
| 6 | (4) Jan Simensen | 9 | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | (13) Reidar Eide | 9 | | | | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | 9 | 7 | |
| 8 | (11) Göte Nordin | 8 | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | 8 | 8 | 3 |
| 9 | (1) Christer Löfqvist | 8 | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 8 | 9 | F |
| 10 | (9) Lars Jansson | 5 | | | 2 | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | 5 | 10 | |
| 11 | (12) Christer Sjösten | 4 | | | F | | | | | E | | 2 | | | 2 | | | | | | 0 | | 4 | 11 | |
| 12 | (10) Øyvind S. Berg | 4 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | 4 | 12 | |
| 13 | (2) Dag Lovaas | 3 | F | | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | 3 | 13 | |
| 14 | (15) Hasse Holmqvist | 3 | | | | 2 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | 0 | | | | 3 | 14 | |
| 15 | (16) Tommy Johansson | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | E | E | | | | | | - | | | - | | | 1 | 15 | |
| 16 | (14) Odd Fossengen | 0 | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Leif Enecrona | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | 1 | R1 |
| 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 |

## Fifth round
### British/Commonwealth/Nordic Final

* 1 August 1973
* Brandon Stadium, Coventry
* First 8 to European 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 |
| | (13) Anders Michanek | 14 | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 14 | 1 | |
| | (8) Ole Olsen | 11 | | T | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | 11 | 2 | |
| | (4) Ivan Mauger | 11 | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | 11 | 3 | |
| 4 | (2) Tommy Jansson | 10 | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | 10 | 4 | |
| 5 | (7) John Boulger | 10 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 1 | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | 10 | 5 | |
| 6 | (11) Peter Collins | 9 | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | (16) Ray Wilson | 9 | | | | E | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 9 | 7 | |
| 8 | (15) Bernt Persson | 9 | | | | 2 | | | E | | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | 9 | 8 | |
| 9 | (1) Bob Valentine | 8 | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 8 | 9 | |
| 10 | (6) Reidar Eide | 5 | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | | | 0 | | 5 | 10 | |
| 11 | (14) Göte Nordin | 5 | | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 2 | | 1 | | | | | | | 0 | 5 | 11 | |
| 12 | (10) Bengt Jansson | 3 | | | 2 | | | F | | | | | | F | | | 1 | | E | | | | 3 | 12 | |
| 13 | (9) Jan Simensen | 2 | | | 1 | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | 2 | 13 | |
| 14 | (12) Tony Davey | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | 1 | 14 | |
| 15 | (3) Eric Boocock | 0 | 0 | | | | | | T | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | 0 | 15 | |
| DQ | (5) John Louis | 10 | | 3 | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | 10 | DQ | |
| R1 | (R1) Garry Middleton | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | T | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | 2 | R1 |
| 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 |

### Continental Final

* 23 June 1973
* Leningrad Speedway Stadium, Leningrad
* First 8 to European 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 |
| | (15) Valery Gordeev | 13 | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | 3 | | | | 13 | 1 | |
| | (4) Grigory Khlinovsky | 12 | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | 12 | 2 | |
| | (16) Vladimir Zapleshny | 12 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 12 | 3 | |
| 4 | (6) Vladimir Gordeev | 11.5 | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | 1/2 | | | | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | 11.5 | 4 | |
| 5 | (1) Viktor Trofimov | 11.5 | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 1/2 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 11.5 | 5 | |
| 6 | (12) Aleksandr Pavlov | 11 | | | 3 | | | | | 0 | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | 11 | 6 | |
| 7 | (8) Anatoly Kuzmin | 10 | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 1 | | | | 10 | 7 | |
| 8 | (11) Vladimir Paznikov | 10 | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | 10 | 8 | |
| 9 | (9) Jiri Stancl | 8 | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | 8 | 9 | |
| 10 | (3) Petr Ondrašík | 5 | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | 5 | 10 | |
| 11 | (14) Milan Špinka | 5 | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | X | | | | | | | 1 | 5 | 11 | |
| 12 | (13) Václav Verner | 4 | | | | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 4 | 12 | |
| 13 | (5) Miloslav Verner | 3 | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | 3 | 13 | |
| 14 | (7) Josef Angermüller | 3 | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | 3 | 14 | |
| 15 | (10) Karol Vobornik | 1 | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | 1 | 15 | |
| 16 | (2) Petr Kučera | 0 | 0 | | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | 0 | 16 | |
| 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 |

## Sixth round
### Polish qualifiers

* The top five finishers in the Golden Helmet, during the 1973 Polish speedway season gained nominations for the World final.

### European Final

* 19 August 1973
* Abensberger Stadion, Abensberg
* 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 |
| | (7) Anders Michanek | 15 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | 15 | 1 | |
| | (5) Ivan Mauger | 14 | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | 14 | 2 | |
| | (13) Vladimir Paznikov | 12 | | | | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 12 | 3 | |
| 4 | (4) Bernt Persson | 10 | 0 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | 10 | 4 | |
| 5 | (9) Vladimir Zapleshny | 9 | | | 3 | | 0 | | | | | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | 2 | | | 9 | 5 | |
| 6 | (16) Peter Collins | 9 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | E | | | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | (14) Valery Gordeev | 8 | | | | F | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | 8 | 7 | |
| 8 | (11) Ole Olsen | 8 | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | | - | 8 | 8 | |
| 9 | (1) Grigory Khlinovsky | 7 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 7 | 9 | |
| 10 | (3) John Boulger | 7 | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | 7 | 10 | |
| 11 | (2) Ray Wilson | 6 | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | F | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | 6 | 11 | |
| 12 | (6) Bengt Jansson | 6 | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | 6 | 12 | |
| 13 | (15) Aleksandr Pavlov | 4 | | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | 2 | | | | | | 0 | 1 | | | | 4 | 13 | |
| 14 | (8) Jiri Stancl | 2 | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | 2 | | | | 2 | 14 | |
| 15 | (12) Viktor Trofimov | 2 | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (10) Anatoly Kuzmin | 1 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | 1 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Otto Barth | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | 0 | R1 |
| 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
### Final Controversy

The Final was surrounded by controversy, with decisions made by Georg Traunspurger, the referee assigned to the meeting by the FIM, seeming to favour the Polish riders. One of his decisions was to have 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 four Polish riders in the race. In the race, second placed Edward Jancarz, who led for the first three laps, seemed to let Zenon Plech take the lead in the final turn, allowing Plech, who had more points at that stage of the meeting, to collect another three points for the win.
His most controversial decision was to exclude Soviet rider Grigory Khlinovsky from heat 19. Khlinovsky had attempted to pass on the inside of Zenon Plech for the lead going into the back straight of the last lap. As he was passed by the Russian, Plech lost control of his bike and fell. Despite protests from riders and the Soviet officials Khlinovsky was excluded and England's Peter Collins, who was in 3rd place at the time of the crash, was awarded the heat win, Plech, who didn't actually finish the race, was awarded 2nd. The result of the two points he gained for second place allowed Plech to finish a clear third in the championship. Had Khlinovsky been the winner of the heat, he would have ended on 13 points, which would have put him in the run-off for the title with Szczakiel and Mauger.
British television commentator Dave Lanning called the ruling "The craziest piece of speedway regulations in the history of World Championship racing", before adding that "It seems to me that the authorities here in Katowice are making up the rules to suit themselves to get their boys a world title."

### Final result

* 2 September 1973
* Silesian Stadium, Chorzów
* 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 |
| | (16) Jerzy Szczakiel | 13 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | 13 | 1 | 3 |
| | (8) Ivan Mauger | 13 | | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | 13 | 2 | F |
| | (6) Zenon Plech | 12 | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | 12 | 3 | |
| 4 | (7) Ole Olsen | 11 | | 1 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | 11 | 4 | |
| 5 | (3) Grigory Khlinovsky | 10 | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | X | | 10 | 5 | |
| 6 | (2) Vladimir Paznikov | 8 | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | 8 | 6 | |
| 7 | (4) Paweł Waloszek | 8 | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | 8 | 7 | |
| 8 | (12) Valery Gordeev | 7 | | | 2 | | | | | 0 | | 1 | | | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | 7 | 8 | |
| 9 | (11) Jan Mucha | 7 | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | 7 | 9 | |
| 10 | (1) Anders Michanek | 6 | 0 | | | | 3 | | | | X | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 6 | 10 | |
| 11 | (9) Edward Jancarz | 6 | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | | | | | 2 | | 0 | | | 6 | 11 | |
| 12 | (13) Peter Collins | 6 | | | | 1 | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | | 0 | | | | | 3 | | 6 | 12 | |
| 13 | (14) John Boulger | 6 | | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | | | | | 1 | 6 | 13 | |
| 14 | (5) Ray Wilson | 5 | | F | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 0 | | | | | F | 5 | 14 | |
| 15 | (10) Vladimir Zapleshny | 2 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (15) Bernt Persson | 0 | | | | F | | | 0 | | | R | | | | | | - | - | | | | 0 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Andrzej Wyglenda | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | R1 | |
| R2 | (R2) Tommy Jansson | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 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 |