The 1965 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 20th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.
Björn Knutson won the world title scoring 14 points out of a possible 15 in the final at Wembley with Russian Igor Plekhanov defeating four times champion Ove Fundin in the silver medal run-off.
First round Qualification results.
Norwegian qualifying 25 October 1964 Kadettangen, Sandvika Top 5 (+2 seeded) to Nordic qualification 1965 Pos. Rider Points1 Sverre Harrfeldt 152 Nils Paulsen133 Per Jakob Aulie134 Knut Syrrist125 Henry Harrfeldt106 Bjarne Sorenby97 Thorbjorn Aulie78 Thorbjorn Nygaard 79 Ivar A. Hoffgaard710 Johnny Faafeng 611 Oyvind S. Berg 512 Reidar Eide513 Svein Johansen 314 Olav Aaen 315 Kjell H. Helgsen216 Hans Age Trovik117 Svein Svensrud1 Finnish qualifying 28 August 1964 Kärpänen Speedway, Lahti Top 3 (+2 seeded) to Nordic qualification 1965 Pos. Rider Points1 Kalevi Lahtinen 152 Timo Laine 143 Matti Olin 134 Esko Koponen 125 Olavi Turunen 106 Antero Salasto 97 Veikko Metsahuone88 Timo Sinkkonen 89 Heikki Kaprali 610 Jouko Naskali 6 11 Juhani Taipale 512 Reijo Tolviander (res)413 Erkki Hannula 314 Reima Lohkovuori 3 15 Toimi Skytta (res)316 Veikko Vesa 2 17 Martti Myllynausta 018 Jarmo Bahne 0
Swedish qualifying Top 16 to Nordic qualifying DateVenueWinner2nd3rd25 April Vetlanda Motorstadion, Vetlanda Bo Josefsson Leif Enecrona Rune Sörmander28 April Ryavallen, Borås Ove Fundin Per Olof Söderman Björn Knutson1 May Gamla Speedway Track, Visby Bengt Jansson Bo Josefsson Hasse Holmqvist Pos. Rider Points1 Bo Josefsson 28 2 Bengt Jansson 26 3 Björn Knutson 234 Ove Fundin 235 Per-Olof Söderman236 Sören Sjösten 227 Bo Magnusson198 Hasse Holmqvist 19 9 Leif Enecrona 1910 Rune Sörmander 1811 Göte Nordin1812 Gunnar Malmqvist1613 Leif Larsson 1414 Bengt Svensson 14Pos. Rider Points15 Bengt Brannefors 1416 Runo Wedin 1317 Curt Eldh 918 Sven Sigurd 919 Kurt Westlund 920 Hans Utterström 621 Inge Gustafsson522 Arne Hansson 423 Nils Ringström 324 Karl-Erik Andersson 325 Leif Söderberg 126 Per-Tage Svensson 027 Lars Jansson 0
Continental qualifying Top 32 to Continental semi-finals DateVenueWinner2nd3rd 9 May Liebenauer Stadium, Graz Andrzej Wyglenda Jaroslav Volf Antoni Woryna 9 May Ilirija Sports Park, Ljubljana Gennady Kurilenko Jan Mucha Andrzej Pogorzelski 9 May Borsod Volán Stadion, Miskolc Luboš Tomíček Sr. Yuri Chekranov Pawel Waloszek 9 May Gunter Harder Stadion, Neubrandenburg Zbigniew Podlecki Boris Samorodov Rudolf Havelka
British & Commonwealth preliminary round Top 11 riders to qualifying round DateVenueWinner2nd3rd 13 May Cleveland Park, Middlesbrough Goog Allan Russ Dent Harry Bastable 15 May Rayleigh Weir Stadium, Rayleigh Tommy Sweetman Ken Adams Des Lukehurst 22 May Foxhall Stadium, Ipswich Tommy Sweetman Howdy Byford Ken Adams 26 May Central Park, Cowdenbeath Russ Dent Bruce Ovenden Graham Coombes 6 June King's Lynn Stadium, King's Lynn Harry Bastable Pete Smith Maurie McDermott
Second round Nordic qualification 11 May Geiteryggen Speedwaybane, Skien Top 8 to Nordic final Pos. Rider Points1 Björn Knutson 152 Sverre Harrfeldt 143 Leif Enecrona 134 Ove Fundin 125 Bengt Brannefors 96 Gunnar Malmqvist 97 Bo Magnusson 98 Henry Harrfeldt 79 Thorbjörn Nygaard 710 Curt Eldh 711 Nils Paulsen 512 Runo Wedin 413 Ivar Hoffgard 314 Olavi Turunen 315 Timo Laine 216 Heikki Kaprali 027 May Selskov Stadium, Hillerød Top 8 to Nordic final Pos. Rider Points1 Leif Larsson 142 Per-Olof Söderman 133 Hasse Holmqvist 124 Sören Sjösten 125 Kalevi Lahtinen116 Bengt Jansson 117 Bo Josefsson 108 Sven Sigurd 99 Hans G. Kristensen 610 Bengt Svensson 611 Ove Pedersen 412 Erik Kastebo 413 Matti Olin314 Per Jakob Aulie 215 Jens Ring (res) 216 Knut Syrrist 117 Bent Jensen 018 Göte Nordin dns
Continental semi-finals 23 May Abensberger Stadion, Abensberg Top 8 to Continental final
Pos. Rider Points1 Pawel Waloszek132 Igor Plekhanov133 Andrzej Wyglenda124 Jaroslav Volf115 Luboš Tomíček Sr. 116 Antoni Woryna107 Valentin Moiseev98 Stanislav Kubicek79 Jurij Chekranov10 Vladimir Sokolov 11 František Ledecký 12 Jerzy Trzeszkowski 13 Gabdrakhman Kadyrov14 Miloslav Šmíd 15 Pal Perenyi23 May Army Sports Club Stadium, Lviv Top 8 to Continental final Pos. Rider Points1 Pavel Mareš152 Jan Mucha113 Zbigniew Podlecki114 Florian Kapala105 Marian Rose106 Joachim Maj107 Gennadij Kurilenko108 Andrzej Pogorzelski99 Antonín Kasper Sr.810 Boris Samorodov 6 11 Antonín Šváb Sr. 612 Jurij Olenev 513 Rudolf Havelka414 Lew Krajev 315 Konstantij Krishtal016 Viktor Trofimov 0
British & Commonwealth qualifying round Top 32 to British semi-finals DateVenueWinner2nd3rd 12 JuneBrandon Stadium, Coventry Nigel Boocock Jack Kitchen Rick France 12 JuneAbbey Stadium, Swindon Barry Briggs Mike Broadbanks Martin Ashby 12 JuneHyde Road, Manchester Cyril Maidment Gordon McGregor Dick Fisher 14 JuneCounty Ground Stadium, Exeter Barry Briggs Trevor Hedge Geoff Mudge 14 JuneBrough Park, Newcastle Charlie Monk Brian Brett Ivan Mauger 15 JuneWest Ham Stadium, London Roy Trigg Norman Hunter Ken McKinlay 16 JuneLong Eaton Stadium, Long EatonBarry Briggs Jim Lightfoot Jack Kitchen 17 JuneOwlerton Stadium, Sheffield Nigel Boocock Clive Featherby Billy Bales 17 JuneOxford Stadium, Oxford Jimmy Gooch Ron How Colin Pratt 18 JuneSomerton Park, Newport Peter Vandenberg Reg Luckhurst Cyril Maidment 18 JuneWhite City, Glasgow Charlie Monk Bluey Scott Ivan Mauger 18 JuneHackney Wick Stadium, London Ron How Roy Trigg Colin Pratt 18 JuneMonmore Green, Wolverhampton Trevor Hedge Peter Jarman Nigel Boocock 19 JuneWimbledon Stadium, London Trevor Hedge Bob Andrews Jack Biggs 19 JuneThe Shay, Halifax Jimmy Gooch Ronnie Genz Eric Boocock 19 JuneDudley Wood Stadium, Dudley Charlie Monk Jim Airey John Hart 19 JulyOld Meadowbank, Edinburgh Maury Mattingley Gordon Guasco Brian Craven 23 JulyWimborne Road, Poole Ronnie Genz Geoff Mudge Roy Trigg
Third round British & Commonwealth semi finals 28 July Wimborne Road, Poole Top 8 to British final
Pos. Rider Points1 Nigel Boocock 132 Barry Briggs113 Jimmy Gooch 114 Ken McKinlay115 Ronnie Genz106 Reg Luckhurst107 Mike Broadbanks108 Gordon Guasco99 Norman Hunter910 Geoff Mudge 711 Jack Kitchen 612 Jim Airey 613 Colin Pratt314 Clive Featherby215 Bluey Scott116 Gordon McGregor 130 July White City, Glasgow Top 8 to British final Pos. Rider Points1 Charlie Monk 142 Trevor Hedge 143 Brian Brett 134 Ivan Mauger 115 Colin Gooddy 106 Bill Andrew97 Bob Andrews 88 Peter Vandenberg 89 Cyril Maidment 710 Dave Younghusband 711 Roy Trigg 712 Eric Boocock 413 Jim Lightfoot 314 Alan Cowland 315 Rick France 216 Billy Bales 017 Martin Ashby 0
Nordic Final 28 June 1965 Geiteryggen Speedwaybane, Skien First 8 to European Final
Pos. Rider Heat Scores Total1 Soren Sjosten 142 Ove Fundin 123 Leif Enecrona 114 Björn Knutson 115 Bengt Jansson 116 Gunnar Malmqvist 117 Sverre Harrfeldt 108 Leif Larsson 99 Per Olof Söderman 710 Bo Magnusson 511 Kalevi Lahtinen 412 Henry Harrfeldt 413 Bo Josefsson 314 Sven Sigurd 215 Bengt Brannefors 016 Hasse Holmqvist 0
Continental Final 13 June 1965 Olympic Stadium, Wrocław First 8 to European Final plus 1 reserve
Fourth round British & Commonwealth Final 31 August 1965 West Ham Stadium, London first 8 to World Final plus 1 reserve
European Final 26 June 1965 Slaný Speedway Stadium, Slaný First 8 to World Final plus 1 reserve
World Final 18 September 1965 Wembley Stadium, LondonBamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing.
References