# 1978 British League season

The 1978 Gulf British League season was the 44th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 14th season known as the British League.

## Summary

The list of nineteen teams that competed in the league was identical to the previous season. The league was sponsored by Gulf Oil for a fourth season.
Coventry Bees won their second title and their first for ten years. Belle Vue Aces were runners-up for the fourth time in five seasons and would receive a double blow when losing in the final of the Knockout Cup. Two time world champion Ole Olsen was in sensational form for Coventry and made the difference throughout the season. Olsen would also seal his third world individual crown by the end of the season. The Coventry side consisted of an array of overseas riders including Olsen and fellow Dane Alf Busk, New Zealander Mitch Shirra, Australian Gary Guglielmi and Jiří Štancl from Czechoslovakia.

## League table

| Pos | Team | M | W | D | L | Pts |
| 1 | Coventry Bees | 36 | 27 | 0 | 9 | 54 |
| 2 | Belle Vue Aces | 36 | 26 | 0 | 10 | 52 |
| 3 | Hull Vikings | 36 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 46 |
| 4 | Wimbledon Dons | 36 | 22 | 1 | 13 | 45 |
| 5 | Cradley Heathens | 36 | 21 | 1 | 14 | 43 |
| 6 | Ipswich Witches | 36 | 21 | 1 | 14 | 43 |
| 7 | Exeter Falcons | 36 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 41 |
| 8 | Sheffield Tigers | 36 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 40 |
| 9 | Bristol Bulldogs | 36 | 19 | 0 | 17 | 38 |
| 10 | Poole Pirates | 36 | 17 | 3 | 16 | 37 |
| 11 | Leicester Lions | 36 | 17 | 0 | 19 | 34 |
| 12 | Halifax Dukes | 36 | 14 | 3 | 19 | 31 |
| 13 | King's Lynn Stars | 36 | 14 | 2 | 20 | 30 |
| 14 | Reading Racers | 36 | 13 | 3 | 20 | 29 |
| 15 | White City Rebels | 36 | 12 | 3 | 21 | 27 |
| 16 | Swindon Robins | 36 | 12 | 3 | 21 | 27 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton Wolves | 36 | 11 | 1 | 24 | 23 |
| 18 | Birmingham Brummies | 36 | 11 | 1 | 24 | 23 |
| 19 | Hackney Hawks | 36 | 10 | 1 | 25 | 21 |
M = Matches; W = Wins; D = Draws; L = Losses; Pts = Total Points

## Fixtures and results

| Home \ Away | BV | BIR | BRI | COV | CH | EX | HAC | HAL | HV | IPS | KL | LEI | PP | RR | SHE | SWI | WC | WIM | WOL |
| Belle Vue | | 49–29 | 36–42 | 42–36 | 40–38 | 52–26 | 51–27 | 48–30 | 47–31 | 38–40 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 47–31 | 46–32 | 42–36 | 47–31 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 52–26 |
| Birmingham | 37–41 | | 46–32 | 41–37 | 38–40 | 45–33 | 37–41 | 57–21 | 40–38 | 30–48 | 50–28 | 43–35 | 39–39 | 41–37 | 48–30 | 47–31 | 34–43 | 29–49 | 41–37 |
| Bristol | 52–26 | 42–36 | | 43–35 | 46–31 | 41–37 | 45–33 | 47–31 | 44–34 | 45–33 | 40–38 | 54–24 | 51–27 | 55–23 | 49–29 | 47–31 | 41–37 | 38–41 | 44–33 |
| Coventry | 43–35 | 48–30 | 39–38 | | 40–37 | 45–33 | 56–22 | 48–30 | 48–30 | 41–37 | 48–30 | 45–31 | 53–25 | 54–24 | 45–33 | 53–25 | 47–31 | 46–32 | 41–37 |
| Cradley Heath | 43–35 | 57–20 | 50–28 | 40–37 | | 51–27 | 45–33 | 48–30 | 53–25 | 41–37 | 34.5–43.5 | 50–28 | 42–36 | 40–38 | 50–28 | 52–26 | 45.5–32.5 | 43–35 | 44–34 |
| Exeter | 40–38 | 52–26 | 46–32 | 37–41 | 47–31 | | 56–22 | 61–17 | 56–22 | 45–33 | 56–21 | 52–26 | 47–31 | 53–25 | 53–25 | 53–25 | 52–26 | 49–29 | 47–31 |
| Hackney | 38–40 | 45–33 | 44–34 | 36–42 | 38–40 | 39–39 | | 47–31 | 38–40 | 35–43 | 37–41 | 40–38 | 40–38 | 35–43 | 41–37 | 51–27 | 39–36 | 38–40 | 43–35 |
| Halifax | 41.5–36.5 | 41–37 | 44–34 | 36–42 | 43–35 | 41–36 | 48–29 | | 45–33 | 39–39 | 50–28 | 51–27 | 49–27 | 58–20 | 37–41 | 50–28 | 46–32 | 37–41 | 54–24 |
| Hull | 54–24 | 57–21 | 48–30 | 55–22 | 46–32 | 44–33 | 52–26 | 41–37 | | 42–36 | 52–26 | 48–29 | 41–37 | 44–33 | 49–29 | 49–29 | 47–31 | 50–28 | 48–30 |
| Ipswich | 46–32 | 48–30 | 56–22 | 35–42 | 44–31 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 51–27 | 46–32 | | 42–36 | 50–28 | 41–37 | 39–38 | 51–27 | 50–28 | 48–30 | 43–35 | 41–37 |
| King's Lynn | 36–42 | 54–24 | 49–29 | 42–35 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 49–29 | 46–32 | 36–41 | 55–23 | | 37–41 | 39–39 | 39–39 | 36–42 | 47–31 | 52–26 | 40–38 | 44–34 |
| Leicester | 32–46 | 43–35 | 39–38 | 37–41 | 37–41 | 41–36 | 48–30 | 48–30 | 55–23 | 46–32 | 42–36 | | 43–35 | 40–38 | 51–27 | 46–32 | 42–36 | 43–35 | 48–30 |
| Poole | 35–43 | 53–25 | 46–32 | 38–40 | 44–34 | 45–33 | 49–29 | 46–32 | 48–30 | 42–36 | 43–34 | 45–33 | | 41–37 | 51–27 | 43–35 | 53–25 | 39–39 | 43–35 |
| Reading | 35–43 | 45–33 | 44–33 | 38–40 | 38–40 | 40–37 | 53–24 | 46–32 | 39–39 | 39–37 | 43–35 | 43–35 | 38–40 | | 42–36 | 39–39 | 34–43 | 40–38 | 43–35 |
| Sheffield | 40–37 | 41–37 | 42–35 | 40–38 | 43–35 | 50–28 | 53–25 | 42–36 | 44–34 | 40–38 | 46.5–31.5 | 44–34 | 43–35 | 44–34 | | 54–24 | 39–39 | 46–32 | 42–36 |
| Swindon | 37–41 | 44–34 | 41–36 | 26–52 | 40–37 | 35–43 | 42–36 | 39–39 | 34–44 | 42–36 | 47–31 | 48–30 | 42–36 | 40–38 | 39–39 | | 36–42 | 41–37 | 41–37 |
| White City | 35–43 | 45–33 | 41–37 | 43–34 | 39–39 | 36–42 | 40–38 | 39–39 | 36–42 | 31–47 | 40–37 | 29–49 | 38–40 | 42–36 | 51–27 | 42–29 | | 36–42 | 46–32 |
| Wimbledon | 38–40 | 61–17 | 39–38 | 41–37 | 44–33 | 40–37 | 53–24 | 47–30 | 44–33 | 43–35 | 42–36 | 51–27 | 42–36 | 56–22 | 52–26 | 50–28 | 47–31 | | 36–42 |
| Wolverhampton | 38–40 | 40–37 | 38–39 | 27–51 | 40–38 | 38–39 | 41–37 | 41–37 | 39–39 | 53–25 | 41–37 | 40–37 | 45–33 | 36–42 | 44–34 | 36–42 | 42–36 | 28–50 | |

## Top ten riders (league averages)

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Malcolm Simmons | Poole | 10.78 |
| 2 | Ole Olsen | Coventry | 10.71 |
| 3 | Scott Autrey | Exeter | 10.45 |
| 4 | Peter Collins | Belle Vue | 10.44 |
| 5 | Michael Lee | King's Lynn | 10.40 |
| 6 | Chris Morton | Belle Vue | 10.31 |
| 7 | Dave Jessup | Reading | 10.24 |
| 8 | Billy Sanders | Ipswich | 10.23 |
| 9 | Phil Crump | Bristol | 9.99 |
| 10 | Ivan Mauger | Hull | 9.91 |

## British League Knockout Cup

The 1978 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 40th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Ipswich Witches were the winners.
First round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 29/04 | Kings Lynn | 40-38 | Hull |
| 26/04 | Hull | 39-39 | Kings Lynn |
| 10/04 | Exeter | 44-34 | Coventry |
| 08/04 | Coventry | 44-34 | Exeter |
| 17/04 | Birmingham | 37-41 | Poole |
| 12/04 | Poole | 48-30 | Birmingham |
| 15/06 | Coventry | 37.5-40.5 | Exeter |
| 01/06 | Exeter | 48-30 | Coventry |
Second round
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 19/07 | Poole | 49-29 | Swindon |
| 15/07 | Swindon | 37-41 | Poole |
| 09/06 | Hackney | 51-26 | Kings Lynn |
| 03/06 | Kings Lynn | 31-46 | Hackney |
| 06/07 | Sheffield | 45-33 | Exeter |
| | Exeter | 52-26 | Sheffield |
| 10/06 | Swindon | 36-42 | Poole |
| 21/06 | Poole | 36-42 | Swindon |
| 03/06 | Belle Vue | 44-34 | Wimbledon |
| 08/06 | Wimbledon | 41-37 | Belle Vue |
| 23/06 | Bristol | 35-43 | Leicester |
| 06/06 | Leicester | 39-39 | Bristol |
| 10/06 | Cradley Heath | 38-40 | Reading |
| 05/06 | Reading | 37-41 | Cradley Heath |
| 13/06 | White City | 52-26 | Halifax |
| 10/06 | Halifax | 43-34 | White City |
| 09/06 | Wolverhampton | 40-38 | Ipswich |
| 08/06 | Ipswich | 43-34 | Wolverhampton |
Quarter-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 09/08 | White City | 23-54 | Ipswich |
| 05/08 | Belle Vue | 44-34 | Poole |
| 04/08 | Poole | 34-43 | Belle Vue |
| 29/07 | Cradley Heath | 48-30 | Leicester |
| 27/07 | Ipswich | 52-26 | White City |
| 21/07 | Hackney | 34-44 | Exeter |
| 11/07 | Leicester | 39-39 | Cradley Heath |
| 17/07 | Exeter | 58-20 | Hackney |
Semi-finals
| Date | Team one | Score | Team two |
| 14/09 | Ipswich | 44-34 | Cradley Heath |
| 13/09 | Cradley Heath | 40-38 | Ipswich |
| 26/08 | Belle Vue | 57-21 | Exeter |
| 25/08 | Exeter | 51-27 | Belle Vue |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Ipswich were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 92-64.

## Riders' Championship

Ole Olsen won the British League Riders' Championship for the fourth time (and third in a row), it was held at Hyde Road on 21 October and sponsored by British Leyland Cars.
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Ole Olsen | 1 3 3 3 3 | 13 |
| 2 | Peter Collins | 2 2 3 3 2 | 12+3 |
| 3 | Steve Bastable | 3 2 3 3 1 | 12+2 |
| 4 | Larry Ross | 1 3 3 1 3 | 11 |
| 5 | Scott Autrey | 2 3 2 2 1 | 10 |
| 6 | Malcolm Simmons | 3 3 0 1 3 | 10 |
| 7 | Billy Sanders | 2 1 1 2 3 | 9 |
| 8 | John Titman | 3 1 2 3 0 | 9 |
| 9 | Ian Cartright | 0 2 1 2 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Phil Crump | 0 2 2 1 2 | 7 |
| 11 | Doug Wyer | 3 0 1 1 2 | 7 |
| 12 | Ivan Mauger | 2 1 0 2 EF | 5 |
| 13 | Phil Herne | 0 0 2 R 1 | 3 |
| 14 | Andy Heyes (res) | 0 1 F R 0 1 0 | 2 |
| 15 | Michael Lee | 1 R - - - | 1 |
| 16 | Hans Nielsen | FX 1 0 0 - | 1 |
| 17 | Dave Jessup | R - - - - | 0 |
* ef=engine failure, f=fell, x=excluded r-retired

## Pairs

The British League Pairs Championship sponsored by Gauloises, was held at Foxhall Stadium on 12 October and was jointly won by Cradley Heath Heathens and Coventry Bees. The meeting was abandoned after 14 heats due to fog but the result stood.
| Pos | Team | Pts | Riders |
| 1 | Cradley Heath | 18 | Steve Bastable 10, Bruce Penhall 8 |
| 1 | Coventry | 18 | Ole Olsen 10, Mitch Shirra 8 |
| 3 | Belle Vue | 12 | Peter Collins 10, Chris Morton 2 |
| 4 | Ipswich | 11 | Billy Sanders 8, Tony Davey 3 |
| 5 | Exeter | 10 | Scott Autrey 5, Reidar Eide 5 |
| 6 | Reading | 8 | Dave Jessup 5, John Davis 3 |
| 7 | King's Lynn | 7 | Terry Betts 4, Michael Lee 3 |

## Leading final averages

| | Rider | Team | C.M.A. |
| 1 | Malcolm Simmons | Poole | 10.77 |
| 2 | Ole Olsen | Coventry | 10.56 |
| 3 | Peter Collins | Belle Vue | 10.41 |
| 4 | Scott Autrey | Exeter | 10.40 |
| 5 | Michael Lee | King's Lynn | 10.23 |
| 6 | Dave Jessup | Reading | 10.20 |
| 7 | Chris Morton | Belle Vue | 10.11 |
| 8 | Billy Sanders | Ipswich | 9.94 |
| 9 | Phil Crump | Bristol | 9.92 |
| 10 | Ivan Mauger | Hull | 9.77 |

## Midland Cup

Coventry won the Midland Cup for the third consecutive year. The competition consisted of six teams.
First round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Swindon | Leicester | 16–26, 27–51 |
| Wolverhampton | Birmimgham | 38–40, 47–30 |
Semi final round
| Team one | Team two | Score |
| Cradley | Leicester | 44–34, 26–52 |
| Wolverhampton | Coventry | 36–42, 36–42 |

### Final

First leg
Second leg
Coventry won on aggregate 93–63

## London Cup

Wimbledon won the London Cup but White City did not compete and therefore the competition consisted of just two teams.
Results
| Team | Score | Team |
| Hackney | 39–38 | Wimbledon |
| Wimbledon | 55–23 | Hackney |

## Riders & final averages

Belle Vue
* Peter Collins 10.41
* Chris Morton 10.11
* Les Collins 8.00
* Alan Wilkinson 7.73
* Steve Finch 4.90
* Jim Brett 4.52
* Chris Turner 4.45
* Rob Maxfield 4.36
* Derek Richardson 4.30
* Keith Bloxsome 1.14
Birmingham
* Phil Herne 8.56
* Ray Wilson 8.30
* Ted Howgego 6.80
* Richard Greer 6.66
* Ari Koponen 5.05
* Bengt Jansson 4.94
* Alan Emerson 4.31
* Finn Jensen 4.17
Bristol
* Phil Crump 9.92
* Steve Gresham 9.15
* Tormod Langli 7.29
* Nigel Boocock 5.90
* Bruce Cribb 5.32
* Henny Kroeze 5.12
* Henk Steman 4.69
* Sören Sjösten 4.49
* Tony Garard 3.65
* Paul Tyrer 3.48
Coventry
* Ole Olsen 10.56
* Mitch Shirra 9.49
* Alan Molyneux 7.85
* Alf Busk 6.23
* Jiří Štancl 6.07
* Gary Guglielmi 5.60
* Mick Bell 4.94
* Frank Smith 4.24
* Dave Mortiboys 2.86
Cradley Heath
* Steve Bastable 9.51
* Bruce Penhall 9.26
* Alan Grahame 8.21
* Kristian Praestbro 6.56
* Bruce Cribb 6.22
* Phil Collins 5.44
* Dave Perks 5.23
* Pekka Hautamaki 5.22
* Dave Shields 5.05
* Arthur Price 3.68
Exeter
* Scott Autrey 10.40
* Reidar Eide 8.44
* Václav Verner 8.35
* Peter Prinsloo 7.01
* Mike Farrell 6.75
* Steve Koppe 6.09
* Les Rumsey 6.06
* Jan Verner 5.86
Hackney
* Finn Thomsen 7.70
* Keith White 6.70
* Barry Thomas 6.54
* Vic Harding 6.28
* Bo Petersen 6.14
* Bobby McNeil 5.27
* Ted Hubbard 5.24
* Malcolm Shakespeare 4.00
* Bent Rasmussen 3.65
* Billy Spiers 1.60
Halifax
* Ian Cartwright 8.35
* Mike Lohmann 8.06
* Mitch Graham 7.45
* Mick McKeon 6.19
* Eric Broadbelt 5.98
* Chris Pusey 5.83
* Kenny Carter 5.40
* Klaus Lohmann 4.81
Hull
* Ivan Mauger 9.77
* Joe Owen 9.06
* Bobby Beaton 7.26
* Kelly Moran 7.01
* Tom Owen 6.74
* Graham Drury 6.63
* Frank Auffret 6.49
* Phil Kynman 5.04
* Rod Hunter 2.33
Ipswich
* Billy Sanders 9.94
* Tony Davey 9.60
* John Louis 9.03
* Kevin Jolly 6.82
* Colin Cook 4.79
* Ted Howgego 4.40
* Mike Lanham 3.94
* Tim Hunt 3.09
King's Lynn
* Michael Lee 10.23
* Terry Betts 8.10
* Ian Turner 7.01
* Richard Hellsen 5.93
* David Gagen 5.79
* Carl Glover 4.44
* Pete Smith 4.35
* Billy Spiers 3.57
* Frits Koppe 3.37
* Bent Rasmussen 3.30
* Derek Harrison 2.09
Leicester
* John Titman 8.94
* Ila Teromaa 8.70
* John Boulger 8.41
* Tom Godal 4.94
* Jerzy Rembas 4.84
* John McNeill 4.47
* Colin Meredith 4.33
* Neil Leeks 3.06
* Chris Sully 2.12
* Lars Ericsson 2.00
Poole
* Malcolm Simmons 10.77
* Neil Middleditch 7.67
* Christer Sjösten 7.25
* Mike Curoso 6.46
* Danny Kennedy 6.03
* Martin Yeates 6.00
* Kelvin Mullarkey 5.62
* Andrzej Tkocz 4.51
* Colin Gooddy 3.36
Reading
* Dave Jessup 10.20
* John Davis 8.93
* Hans Wassermann 5.91
* Bernie Leigh 5.90
* Melvyn Taylor 4.53
* Roger Abel 4.00
* Bob Humphreys 3.69
* Henryk Glücklich 2.94
* Kevin Bowen 2.56
Sheffield
* Doug Wyer 9.35
* Reg Wilson 8.59
* Bernt Persson 6.93
* Nicky Allott 6.65
* Craig Pendlebury 6.45
* Bosse Wirebrand 3.35
* Tony Boyle 3.20
* Billy Burton 2.94
* Phil White 2.53
Swindon
* Bob Kilby 8.44
* Jan Andersson 8.05
* Martin Ashby 7.68
* Geoff Bouchard 6.55
* David Ashby 4.39
* Rolf Gramstad 4.00
* Robert Henry 3.17
* Jerzy Trzeszkowski 2.42
* Malcolm Holloway 2.29
* Steen Mastrup 1.88
* Richard Evans 1.60
* Leonard Raba 0.00
White City
* Gordon Kennett 9.52
* Kai Niemi 7.17
* Steve Weatherley 6.67
* Dave Kennett 5.48
* Marek Cieślak 5.16
* Andrzej Jurczynski 5.05
* Trevor Geer 4.95
* Paul Gachet 4.66
Wimbledon
* Larry Ross 9.29
* Edward Jancarz 8.61
* Roger Johns 7.82
* Mick Hines 7.26
* Stefan Salomonsso 6.67
* Rudy Muts 6.53
* Colin Richardson 6.46
* Graeme Stapleton 3.56
Wolverhampton
* Hans Nielsen 8.85
* Jimmy McMillan 8.58
* Dave Morton 8.58
* Edgar Stangeland 4.37
* Brian Woodward 3.87
* Hasse Danielsson 3.70
* Knud Ellegaard 3.62
* Steve Lomas 2.56