# 1959 Individual Speedway World Championship

The 1959 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 14th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.
The event was sponsored by the Sunday Pictorial. New Zealand continued their recent domination as Ronnie Moore won his second title with a 15-point maximum and New Zealand won their fourth title in six years. Ove Fundin finished second and defending champion Barry Briggs, returning from retirement won the bronze medal ride off.

## First Round

Qualification results.
| Norwegian round 25 June 1958 Dælenenga idrettspark, Oslo Top 6 (+1 seeded) to Nordic qualification 1959 Pos.RiderPoints 1Aage Hansen15 2Nils Paulsen14 3Reidar Kristoffersen13 4Rolf Westerberg12 5Roger Steen11 6Sverre Harrfeldt11 7Tore Svaleng9 8Arne Kristiansen7 9Kjell Bergh5 10Haavard Gulbjornsrud5 11Oddvar Kristiansen5 12Oystein Mellerud4 13Thorbjorn Nygaard3 14Per Aulie3 15Tore Melbye2 16Egil H. Kruke1 | Finnish round 5 October 1958 Turku Hippodrome, Turku Top 8 to Nordic qualification 1959 Pos.RiderPoints 1Antti Pajari15 2Timo Laine14 3Kauko Jousanen13 4Aulis Tuominen12 5Olavi Turunen11 6Kalevi Lahtinen10 7Antero Salasto9 8Pertti Mikkola6 9Esko Koponen6 10Raimo Kivinen4 11Turkka Silvan3 12Veikko Kirjonen3 13Heikki Sorri3 14Valle Seliverstov3 15Lasse Mylari3 16Reino Niemi1 17Martti Assinen (res)1 18Pertti Petersohn (res)0 |

### Swedish round

| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Arne Carlsson | 15 |
| 2 | Björn Knutson | 13 |
| 3 | Joel Jansson | 12 |
| 4 | Rune Sörmander | 11 |
| 5 | Åke Andersson | 9 |
| 6 | Alf Jonsson | 9 |
| 7 | Thorvald Karlsson | 9 |
| 8 | Allan Nilsson | 9 |
| 9 | Göran Carlsson | 8 |
| 10 | Bengt Brannefors | 7 |
| 11 | Evert Andersson | 5 |
| 12 | Per-Tage Svensson | 5 |
| 13 | Bengt Fransson | 3 |
| 14 | Olle Segerström | 3 |
| 15 | Inge Gustavsson | 2 |
| 16 | Olle Andersson | 0 |
| 17 | Gösta Edvardsson | 0 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Ulf Ericsson | 12 |
| 2 | Birger Forsberg | 12 |
| 3 | Göran Norlén | 12 |
| 4 | Bernt Nilsson | 12 |
| 5 | Bengt Eriksson | 10 |
| 6 | Stig Pramberg | 10 |
| 7 | Olle Nygren | 9 |
| 8 | Göte Nordin | 8 |
| 9 | Kjell Wårenius | 8 |
| 10 | Curt Nyqvist | 6 |
| 11 | Kjell Lutteman | 4 |
| 12 | Bert Lindarw | 4 |
| 13 | Bertil Stridh | 3 |
| 14 | Hans Hallberg | 3 |
| 15 | Curt Eldh | 3 |
| 16 | Sune Karlsson | 1 |
| 17 | Sven-Gunnar Karlstén | 1 |

### Continental quarter-finals

| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 31 May | Municipal Stadium, Ostrów | Joachim Maj | Janusz Koscielak | Mieczysław Połukard |
| 31 May | Niederrheinstadion, Oberhausen | Björn Knutson | Florian Kapała | Konstanty Pociejkewicz |
| 31 May | Pavlovičky Stadion, Liberec | Stefan Kwoczala | Luboš Tomíček Sr. | Richard Janicek |
| 31 May | Stražišče Sports Park, Kranj | Miloslav Špinka | Marian Phillip | Karel Průša |

## Second round
### Nordic qualification

| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Bernt Nilsson | 15 |
| 2 | Ulf Ericsson | 14 |
| 3 | Olle Nygren | 13 |
| 4 | Göran Norlén | 11 |
| 5 | Birger Forsberg | 11 |
| 6 | Kjell Lutteman | 9 |
| 7 | Kalevi Lahtinen | 8 |
| 8 | Aulis Tuominen | 8 |
| 9 | Kauko Jousanen | 8 |
| 10 | Timo Laine | 7 |
| 11 | Curt Nyqvist | 6 |
| 12 | Nils Paulsen | 4 |
| 13 | Bert Lindarw | 4 |
| 14 | Esko Koponen | 2 |
| 15 | Antero Salasto | 1 |
| 16 | Pertti Mikkola | 0 |
| 17 | Torbjörn Nygaard | 0 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Rune Sörmander | 14 |
| 2 | Arne Carlsson | 12 |
| 3 | Aage Hansen | 11 |
| 4 | Åke Andersson | 11 |
| 5 | Allan Nilsson | 10 |
| 6 | Alf Jonsson | 10 |
| 7 | Arne Pander | 9 |
| 8 | Thorvald Karlsson | 9 |
| 9 | Poul Hansen | 8 |
| 10 | Kurt W Petersen | 6 |
| 11 | Rolf Westerberg | 5 |
| 12 | Erik Kastebo | 4 |
| 13 | Roger Steen | 4 |
| 14 | Sverre Harrfeldt | 3 |
| 15 | Roger Hansen | 2 |
| 16 | Arne Kristiansen | 1 |

### Continental semi-final

| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Luboš Tomíček Sr. | 13 |
| 2 | Mieczyslaw Polukard | 13 |
| 3 | Stanislav Svoboda | 10 |
| 4 | Richard Janicek | 10 |
| 5 | Bohumír Bartoněk | 10 |
| 6 | Stefan Kwoczała | 10 |
| 7 | Jaroslav Machac | 9 |
| 8 | Frantisek Irmis | 9 |
| 9 | Joachim Maj | 7 |
| 10 | Stefan Kepa | 7 |
| 11 | Stanislaw Tkocz | 7 |
| 12 | Jan Malinowski | 6 |
| 13 | Henryk Zyto | 5 |
| 14 | Bohumil Rendek | 2 |
| 15 | Jan Koscielak | 1 |
| 16 | Bronislaw Rogal | 1 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Konstanty Pociejkewicz | 13 |
| 2 | Florian Kapala | 13 |
| 3 | Björn Knutson | 11 |
| 4 | Pawel Mirowski | 11 |
| 5 | Josef Hofmeister | 10 |
| 6 | Josef Bössner | 9 |
| 7 | Miloslav Špinka | 9 |
| 8 | Zdeněk Dominik | 7 |
| 9 | Karel Průša | 5 |
| 10 | Joel Jansson | 5 |
| 11 | Alfred Aberl | 4 |
| 12 | Jan Kolber | 4 |
| 13 | Göran Carlsson | 4 |
| 14 | Josef Kamper (res) | 4 |
| 15 | Marian Phillip | 3 |
| 16 | Josip Klemencic | 2 |
| 17 | Franz Schenk | 2 |
| 18 | Otto Holoubek (res) | 0 |

## Third round

* Ove Fundin - seeded to European Final

### British & Commonwealth Qualifying

* Top 32 riders based on points accumulated progress to British semi-final
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 29 June | Wimbledon Stadium | Ron How | George White | Ronnie Moore |
| 2 July | Oxford Stadium | Jack Geran | Neil Street | Brian Hanham |
| 4 July | Hyde Road | Ron Johnston | Ken McKinlay | Peter Craven |
| 4 July | The Firs Stadium | Mike Broadbank | Geoff Mardon | Bob Duckworth |
| 7 July | Banister Court Stadium | Brian Crutcher | Peter Moore | Ron Mountford |
| 10 July | Leicester Stadium | Ken McKinlay | Peter Craven | Ron Johnston |
| 11 July | Brandon Stadium | Brian Crutcher | Ron Mountford | Geoff Mardon |
| 11 July | Abbey Stadium | Mike Broadbank | Les McGillivray | Nigel Boocock |
| 23 July | Wimborne Road | Ronnie Moore | Ron How | Jack Unstead |

### Nordic Final

* 31 May 1959
* Turku Speedway track, Turku
* First 9 to European Final
| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| 1 | Rune Sörmander | 14+3 |
| 2 | Aage Hansen | 14+2 |
| 3 | Arne Carlsson | 12 |
| 4 | Ole Andersson | 11 |
| 5 | Olle Nygren | 9 |
| 6 | Alf Jonsson | 9 |
| 7 | Kalevi Lahtinen | 9 |
| 8 | Ulf Ericsson | 8 |
| 9 | Thorvald Karlsson | 7 |
| 10 | Timo Laine | 6 |
| 11 | Göran Norlén | 6 |
| 12 | Birger Forsberg | 4 |
| 13 | Bernt Nilsson | 4 |
| 14 | Aulis Lehtonen | 3 |
| 15 | Antti Pajari | 2 |
| 16 | Turka Sivari | 1 |
| 17 | Kjell Lutteman | 0 |
| 18 | Aulis Tuominen | dnr |
| 19 | Allan Nillson | dnr |

### Continental Final

* 21 June 1959
* BBM Stadium, Munich
* First 6 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 |
| 1 | (14) Josef Hofmeister | 15 | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | 15 | 1 |
| 2 | (2) Björn Knutson | 13 | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | 13 | 2 |
| 3 | (13) Mieczysław Połukard | 13 | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 13 | 3 |
| 4 | (9) Florian Kapała | 11 | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | | E | | | | | 3 | | 2 | | | 11 | 4 |
| 5 | (1) Konstanty Pociejkewicz | 10 | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 10 | 5 |
| 6 | (5) Luboš Tomíček Sr. | 9 | | 3 | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 2 | 9 | 6 |
| 7 | (16) Joachim Maj | 8 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | F | | | 1 | | | 8 | 7 |
| 8 | (15) Josef Bössner | 8 | | | | 0 | | | 2 | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | (11) Jaroslav Machač | 7 | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | 7 | 9 |
| 10 | (3) Bohumír Bartoněk | 7 | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | 7 | 10 |
| 11 | (6) Pawel Mirowski | 5 | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | 5 | 11 |
| 12 | (4) Miloslav Špinka | 4 | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | 4 | 12 |
| 13 | (8) Zdeněk Dominik | 4 | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | 4 | 13 |
| 14 | (10) Richard Janicek | 4 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | 4 | 14 |
| 15 | (7) Stanislav Svoboda | 2 | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | 2 | 15 |
| 16 | (12) František Irmis | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | 0 | 16 |
| | (17) Alfred Aberl | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | |
| 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 |
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 |

## Fourth round

* Barry Briggs - seeded to World Final

### British & Commonwealth Semi finals

Top 9 riders based on points accumulated over two rides would progress to World final
| Date | Venue | Winner | 2nd | 3rd |
| 10 August | Wimbledon Stadium | Brian Crutcher | Ken McKinlay | Geoff Mardon |
| 11 August | Banister Court Stadium | Ronnie Moore | Cyril Roger | Neil Street |
| 15 August | Hyde Road | Ron How | Peter Moore | Nigel Boocock |
| 15 August | The Firs Stadium | Peter Craven | Brian Crutcher | George White |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Peter Moore | 27 |
| 2 | Peter Craven | 26 |
| 3 | Brian Crutcher | 26 |
| 4 | Ronnie Moore | 25 |
| 5 | Geoff Mardon | 24 |
| 6 | Ron How | 23 |
| 7 | George White | 23 |
| 8 | Cyril Roger | 21 |
| 9 | Aub Lawson | 20 |
| 10 | Ken McKinlay | 20 |
| 11 | Nigel Boocock | 20 |
| 12 | Neil Street | 18 |
| 13 | Arthur Wight | 16 |
| 14 | Gerry Jackson | 16 |
| 15 | Jack Geran | 15 |
| 16 | Ron Johnston | 15 |
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 17 | Bob Duckworth | 14 |
| 18 | Mike Broadbank | 13 |
| 19 | Ron Mountford | 12 |
| 20 | Ian Williams | 12 |
| 21 | Chum Taylor | 11 |
| 22 | Jack Unstead | 11 |
| 23 | Ray Cresp | 8 |
| 24 | Gordon McGregor | 8 |
| 25 | Bob Andrews | 7 |
| 26 | Charlie Barsby | 7 |
| 27 | Les McGillivray | 6 |
| 28 | Ronnie Genz | 6 |
| 30 | Les Owen | 6 |
| 31 | Alf Hagon | 5 |
| 32 | Dick Bradley | 4 |
| 33 | Cyril Maidment | 1 |

### European Final

* 17 July 1959
* Ullevi, Gothenburg
* First 6 to World final plus 1 reserve
| Pos. | Rider | Total | |
| 1 | (12) Ove Fundin | 14 | 3,2,3,3,3 |
| 2 | (4) Josef Hofmeister | 13 | 2,3,2,3,3 |
| 3 | (3) Mieczysław Połukard | 12 | 3,3,2,2,2 |
| 4 | (16) Rune Sörmander | 11 | 2,1,3,3,2 |
| 5 | (13) Olle Nygren | 10 | 3,2,3,2,0 |
| 6 | (8) Arne Carlsson | 9 | 3,0,3,3,t |
| 7 | (9) Florian Kapała | 9 | 2,3,1,0,3 |
| 8 | (15) Björn Knutson | 7 | 0,1,1,2,3 |
| 9 | (14) Aage Hansen | 7 | 1,3,0,2,1 |
| 10 | (11) Konstanty Pociejkewicz | 6 | 1,2,2,1,0 |
| 11 | (5) Luboš Tomíček Sr. | 6 | f,1,2,1,2 |
| 12 | (6) Alf Jonsson | 5 | f,2,1,1,1 |
| 13 | (10) Kalevi Lahtinen | 4 | 0,1,1,0,2 |
| 14 | (7) Miloslav Špinka | 3 | 2,0,0,1,0 |
| 15 | (1) Åke Andersson | 2 | 1,0,0,0,1 |
| 16 | (2) Bohumír Bartoněk | 1 | 0,0,0,0,1 |
| R1 | (17) Ulf Ericsson | - | dnr |
| R2 | (18) Thorvald Karlsson | - | dnr |

## World Final

* 19 September 1959
* Wembley Stadium, London
| 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 |
| | (13) Ronnie Moore | 15 | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 15 | 1 |
| | (14) Ove Fundin | 13 | | | | 2 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | 13 | 2 |
| | (10) Barry Briggs | 11+3 | | | 3 | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | 11 | 3 |
| 4 | (16) Olle Nygren | 11+2 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | 11 | 4 |
| 5 | (6) Aub Lawson | 11+1 | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | 11 | 5 |
| 6 | (3) Brian Crutcher | 10 | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | 10 | 6 |
| 7 | (11) Arne Carlsson | 8 | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | 8 | 7 |
| 8 | (7) Peter Craven | 7 | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | (2) George White | 7 | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | 7 | 9 |
| 10 | (4) Geoff Mardon | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | | E | 6 | 10 |
| 11 | (5) Rune Sörmander | 6 | | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 2 | 6 | 11 |
| 12 | (1) Mieczysław Połukard | 5 | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 5 | 12 |
| 13 | (9) Josef Hofmeister | 4 | | | 0 | | E | | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | F | | | 4 | 13 |
| 14 | (8) Ron How | 3 | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | E | | | E | | | 1 | | | | 3 | 14 |
| 15 | (12) Peter Moore | 3 | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | 3 | 15 |
| 16 | (15) Cyril Roger | 0 | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | 0 | | | | 0 | 16 |
| R1 | (R1) Ken McKinlay | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
| R2 | (R2) Florian Kapała | 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 |
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 |