# 1953 Individual Speedway World Championship

The 1953 Individual Speedway World Championship was the eighth edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.
Welshman Freddie Williams became the second rider to win a second title in front of a 90,000 attendance at Wembley Stadium. Williams won 4 of his 5 races, only dropping one point in heat 13 to Jeff Lloyd. Geoff Mardon defeated Olle Nygren in the bronze medal ride off.

## Qualification

Qualification started on 1952.

### Stage 1

| Norwegian round 28 September 1952 Lerkendal Stadion, Trondheim First 3 (+1 seeded) to Nordic round 1953 Pos.RiderPoints 1Basse Hveem14+3 2Henry Andersen14+2 3Reidar Kristoffersen13 4Sverre Gjomesli11 5Werner Lorentzen10 6Thorleif Andreassen10 7Erik Storm Larsen10 8Rolf Naess6 9Oddvan Gundersgaard5 10Edvin Fredriksen5 11Erling Simonsen4 12Odd Johansen4 13Magne Flaaten3 14Gunnar Hilsen2 15Karl Andreassen1 16Olgar Torholen1 | Swedish round 20 May 1953 Eslöv Motorstadion, Eslöv First 8 to Nordic final Pos.RiderPoints 1Stig Pramberg12 2Olle Segerström11 3Olle Nygren11 4Dan Forsberg10 5Rune Sörmander10 6Sune Karlsson9 7Bert Lindarw8 8Thorsten Carlsson8 9Joel Jansson8 10Bertil Carlsson II7 11Ove Fundin6 12Ove Bodin4 13Göte Olsson4 14Bernt Nilsson4 15Sven Skoglund3 16Evert Andersson3 17Gunnar Hellqvist2 |

### Stage 2
#### Continental qualifier

* 17 May 1953
* Altes Stadion Abensberg, Abensberg
* First 6 to Continental round
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Josef Kamper | 15 |
| 2 | Kjell Carlsson | 13 |
| 3 | Fritz Dirtl | 12 |
| 4 | Sven Skoglund | 11 |
| 5 | Karl Killmeyer | 10 |
| 6 | Albin Siegl | 9 |
| 7 | Tony Kroeze | 9 |
| 8 | Josef Hofmeister | 8 |
| 9 | Wilf Plant | 5 |
| 10 | Fred Aberl | 5 |
| 11 | Gerit Jonker | 5 |
| 12 | Jack Winstanley | 5 |
| 13 | Karl Kiendl | 4 |
| 14 | Co Boef | 4 |
| 15 | Walter Dirtl | 3 |
| 16 | Leopold Killmeyer | 2 |
| 17 | Alfred Hamberger | 1 |
| 18 | Hans Müller | 0 |

#### Nordic Final

* 31 May 1953
* Dælenenga idrettspark, Oslo
* First 8 to Continental final
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Dan Forsberg | 15 |
| 2 | Basse Hveem | 14 |
| 3 | Olle Nygren | 11 |
| 4 | Olle Segerström | 10 |
| 5 | Henry Andersen | 10 |
| 6 | Rune Sörmander | 9 |
| 7 | Thorsten Carlsson | 9 |
| 8 | Stig Pramberg | 9 |
| 9 | Sune Karlsson | 7 |
| 10 | Leif Bech | 7 |
| 11 | Reidar Kristoffersen | 7 |
| 12 | Bert Lindarw | 5 |
| 13 | Thorleif Andreasen | 3 |
| 14 | Joel Jansson | 3 |
| 15 | Kaukko Jousanen | 1 |
| 16 | Simo Ylänen | 0 |
| 17 | Kiehn Berthelsen | 0 |

### Stage 3
#### Continental Final

* 21 June 1953
* Kumla Motorstadion, Kumla
* First 8 to International Round
| Pos. | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Basse Hveem | 15 |
| 2 | Olle Nygren | 13 |
| 3 | Dan Forsberg | 12 |
| 4 | Sune Karlsson | 12 |
| 5 | Rune Sörmander | 10 |
| 6 | Olle Segerström | 9 |
| 7 | Phil Clarke | 9 |
| 8 | Stig Pramberg | 8 |
| 9 | Thorsten Carlsson | 7 |
| 10 | Henry Andersen | 6 |
| 11 | Karl Killmeyer | 6 |
| 12 | Kjell Carlsson | 4 |
| 13 | Josef Kamper | 3 |
| 14 | Bob Roger | 3 |
| 15 | Fritz Dirtl | 2 |
| 16 | Sven Skoglund | 1 |
| 17 | Albin Siegl | dnr |

#### British qualifying round

* The top riders qualify for the International round.
| Date | Venue | Winner |
| 26 May | Banister Court Stadium | Maury Mattingley |
| 26 May | Cornish Stadium | Goog Hoskin |
| 28 May | Oxford Stadium | Jim Boyd |
| 29 May | Pennycross Stadium | Harold Fairhurst |
| 30 May | Rayleigh Weir Stadium | Peter Clark |

### Stage 4
#### International round

* The top 54 riders qualify for the Championship round.
| Date | Venue | Winner |
| 6 July | Stanley Stadium | Tommy Miller |
| 6 July | Wimborne Road | Basse Hveem |
| 7 July | Yarmouth Stadium | Fred Brand |
| 8 July | White City Stadium, Glasgow | Tommy Miller |
| 10 July | Leicester Stadium | Olle Nygren |
| 10 July | The Stadium, Motherwell | Ron Mountford |
| 11 July | Brandon Stadium | Charlie New |
| 11 July | Sun Street Stadium | Brian Crutcher |
| 18 July | Old Meadowbank | Don Cuppleditch |
| 24 July | Monmore Green Stadium | Harry Bastable |

### Stage 5
#### Championship Round

* Top 16 qualify for World final, 17th-20th reserves for World final
| Date | Venue | Winner |
| 14 August | Knowle Stadium | Dick Bradley |
| 15 August | Harringay Stadium | Olle Nygren |
| 17 August | Wimbledon Stadium | Ronnie Moore |
| 18 August | West Ham Stadium | Jack Young |
| 20 August | Wembley Stadium | Jack Biggs |
| 22 August | Hyde Road Stadium | Ronnie Moore |
| 22 August | Odsal Stadium | Arthur Forrest |
| 26 August | Perry Barr Stadium | Graham Warren |
| 28 August | The Firs Stadium | Aub Lawson |

#### Scores

* Top 16 qualify for World final, 17th-20th reserves for World final
| Pos. | Rider | Total pts |
| 1 | Ronnie Moore | 29 |
| 2 | Olle Nygren | 28 |
| 3 | Jack Young | 27 |
| 4 | Arthur Forrest | 26 |
| 5 | Jack Biggs | 25 |
| 6 | Dick Bradley | 25 |
| 7 | Freddie Williams | 25 |
| 8 | Aub Lawson | 25 |
| 9 | Alan Hunt | 25 |
| 10 | Jeff Lloyd | 24 |
| 11 | Split Waterman | 24 |
| 12 | Eric Williams | 24 |
| 13 | Geoff Mardon | 24 |
| 14 | Brian Crutcher | 23 |
| 15 | Rune Sörmander | 23 |
| 16 | Graham Warren | 23 |
| 17 | Dent Oliver | 23 |
| 18 | Arthur Payne | 22 |
| 19 | Louis Lawson | 21 |
| 20 | Maury Dunn | 21 |
| 21 | Wally Green | 20 |
| 22 | Len Williams | 20 |
| 23 | Ron How | 19 |
| 24 | Ken Walsh | 19 |
| 25 | Harry Edwards | 18 |
| 26 | Howdy Byford | 18 |
| 27 | Don Cuppleditch | 17 |
| 28 | Billy Hole | 17 |
| 29 | Tommy Miller | 16 |
| 30 | Ron Johnston | 16 |
| 31 | Bill Kitchen | 16 |
| 32 | Dan Forsberg | 14 |
| 33 | Dick Seers | 14 |
| 34 | Fred Brand | 14 |
| 35 | Eric Boothroyd | 14 |
| 36 | Charlie New | 13 |
| Pos. | Rider | Total pts |
| 37 | Bob Fletcher | 13 |
| 38 | Ken Middleditch | 13 |
| 39 | Peter Moore | 12 |
| 40 | Bob Mark | 11 |
| 41 | Jack Parker | 11 |
| 42 | Ron Clarke | 11 |
| 43 | Terry Small | 11 |
| 44 | John Reason | 11 |
| 45 | Harry Bastable | 11 |
| 46 | Jim Tolley | 11 |
| 47 | Olle Segerström | 11 |
| 48 | Stig Pramberg | 11 |
| 49 | Peter Clark | 10 |
| 50 | Harry Welsh | 10 |
| 51 | Ken McKinlay | 9 |
| 52 | Fred Rogers | 9 |
| 53 | Les Hewitt | 8 |
| 54 | Sune Karlsson | 8 |
| 55 | Reg Reeves | 7 |
| 56 | Phil Clarke | 7 |
| 57 | Charlie May | 7 |
| 58 | Barry Briggs | 6 |
| 59 | Geoff Pymar | 6 |
| 60 | Peter Robinson | 6 |
| 61 | Malcolm Craven | 6 |
| 62 | Trevor Redmond | 5.5 |
| 63 | Pat Clark | 5 |
| 64 | Bill Holden | 4 |
| 65 | Alan Kidd | 3 |
| 66 | Don Potter | 3 |
| 67 | Ron Mountford | 3 |
| 68 | Basse Hveem | 3 |
| 69 | Dick Campbell | 2 |
| 70 | Bob Baker | 2 |
| 71 | Gordon McGregor | 2 |

## World final

* 17 September 1953
* London, Wembley Stadium
| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| 1 | Freddie Williams | (3,3,3,2,3) | 14 |
| 2 | Split Waterman | (3,3,3,3,1) | 13 |
| 3 | Geoff Mardon | (3,2,3,1,3) | 12+3 |
| 4 | Olle Nygren | (2,3,2,3,2) | 12+2 |
| 5 | Jack Young | (3,2,3,2,F) | 10 |
| 6 | Ronnie Moore | (F,1,2,3,3) | 9 |
| 7 | Jeff Lloyd | (2,2,F,3,1) | 8 |
| 8 | Arthur Forrest | (2,2,0,0,3) | 7 |
| 9 | Aub Lawson | (1,3,2,1,0) | 7 |
| 10 | Brian Crutcher | (1,1,1,2,1) | 6 |
| 11 | Rune Sörmander | (0,0,1,2,2) | 5 |
| 12 | Graham Warren | (0,0,2,1,2) | 5 |
| 13 | Eric Williams | (1,1,1,1,F) | 4 |
| 14 | Alan Hunt | (0,0,1,0,2) | 3 |
| 15 | Dick Bradley | (2,F,0,0,0) | 2 |
| 16 | Jack Biggs | (1,1,0,0,-) | 2 |
| R1 | Dent Oliver | (1) | 1 |
| R2 | Arthur Payne | did not ride | - |

### Classification

| 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 | (1) Freddie Williams | 14 | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 14 | 1 |
| 2 | (10) Split Waterman | 13 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | 13 | 2 |
| 3 | (14) Geoff Mardon | 12+3 | | | | 3 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | | | | 3 | 12 | 3 |
| 4 | (15) Olle Nygren | 12+2 | | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | 3 | 2 | | | | 12 | 4 |
| 5 | (5) Jack Young | 10 | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | | | - | 10 | 5 |
| 6 | (13) Ronnie Moore | 9 | | | | - | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 7 | 6 |
| 7 | (12) Jeff Lloyd | 9 | | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | - | | | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | 2 | 7 |
| 8 | (7) Arthur Forrest | 7 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 0 | 0 | | | | | 3 | | | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | (8) Aub Lawson | 7 | | 1 | | | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | 7 | 9 |
| 10 | (2) Brian Crutcher | 6 | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | 6 | 10 |
| 11 | (4) Rune Sörmander | 5 | 0 | | | | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| 12 | (6) Graham Warren | 5 | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | 5 | 12 |
| 13 | (16) Eric Williams | 4 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | 1 | | | - | | | 4 | 13 |
| 14 | (9) Alan Hunt | 3 | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | 3 | 14 |
| 15 | (3) Dick Bradley | 2 | 2 | | | | | | - | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | 2 | 15 |
| 16 | (11) Jack Biggs | 2 | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | | | | | - | 2 | 16 |
| 17 | (17) Dent Oliver | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| 18 | (18) Arthur Payne | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | 18 |
| 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 |