Wimbledon Internationale

Last updated

Wimbledon Internationale
Category motorcycle speedway
CountryUnited Kingdom
Inaugural season1961
Folded1982

The Wimbledon Internationale sponsored by Embassy was an individual motorcycle speedway event that was hosted annually at Wimbledon Stadium in London, England. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The event was first run during July 1961, as compensation to the British public for losing the rights to host the Speedway World Championship every year. The first final of the event was awarded to Harringay Stadium [3] by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme but passed to Wimbledon permanently from 1962. The event was significant because it attracted entries from most of the world's leading riders. In 1961, there were ten qualifying events. [4]

It was discontinued after the 1981 edition.

Past winners

YearFirstSecondThird
1961 Flag of Sweden.svg Ove Fundin Flag of New Zealand.svg Ronnie Moore Flag of England.svg Peter Craven
1962 Flag of Sweden.svg Ove Fundin [5] Flag of New Zealand.svg Barry Briggs Flag of England.svg Peter Craven
1963 Flag of Sweden.svg Ove Fundin Flag of Sweden.svg Björn Knutson Flag of Norway.svg Sverre Harrfeldt
1964 Flag of New Zealand.svg Barry Briggs Flag of Scotland.svg Ken McKinlay Flag of Sweden.svg Ove Fundin
1965 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Charlie Monk Flag of Sweden.svg Björn Knutson Flag of Sweden.svg Göte Nordin
1966 Flag of Sweden.svg Göte Nordin Flag of New Zealand.svg Barry Briggs Flag of Sweden.svg Ove Fundin
1967 Flag of Sweden.svg Göte Nordin Flag of Sweden.svg Torbjörn Harrysson Flag of New Zealand.svg Ivan Mauger
1968 Flag of England.svg Nigel Boocock Flag of Sweden.svg Bengt Jansson Flag of New Zealand.svg Barry Briggs
1969 Flag of England.svg Trevor Hedge Flag of New Zealand.svg Ivan Mauger Flag of New Zealand.svg Barry Briggs
1970 Flag of New Zealand.svg Ivan Mauger Flag of England.svg Trevor Hedge Flag of New Zealand.svg Ronnie Moore
1971 Flag of New Zealand.svg Ivan Mauger Flag of Australia (converted).svg Garry Middleton Flag of New Zealand.svg Ronnie Moore
1972 Flag of New Zealand.svg Ivan Mauger Flag of New Zealand.svg Ronnie Moore Flag of Sweden.svg Bengt Jansson
1973 Flag of Denmark.svg Ole Olsen Flag of Sweden.svg Anders Michanek Flag of Sweden.svg Tommy Jansson
1974 Flag of England.svg Peter Collins Flag of England.svg Ray Wilson Flag of Denmark.svg Ole Olsen
1975 Flag of Denmark.svg Ole Olsen Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phil Crump Flag of England.svg Ray Wilson
1976 Flag of England.svg Malcolm Simmons Flag of England.svg Chris Morton Flag of England.svg Michael Lee
1977 Flag of Poland.svg Edward Jancarz Flag of New Zealand.svg Larry Ross Flag of Australia (converted).svg Phil Crump
1978 Flag of England.svg Peter Collins Flag of England.svg Malcolm Simmons Flag of England.svg John Davis
1979 Flag of England.svg Michael Lee Flag of England.svg John Davis Flag of Poland.svg Edward Jancarz
1980 Flag of England.svg Dave Jessup Flag of the United States.svg Bruce Penhall Flag of Denmark.svg Hans Nielsen
1981 Flag of Denmark.svg Hans Nielsen Flag of England.svg Kenny Carter Flag of Sweden.svg Jan Andersson

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References

  1. "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  2. Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 134. ISBN   0-904584-45-3.
  3. "Bees' Pair Disappoint in Harringay Final" . Coventry Evening Telegraph. 3 July 1961. Retrieved 29 September 2024 via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Internationale" . Coventry Evening Telegraph. 10 June 1961. Retrieved 20 December 2023 via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "Fundin zips to victory" . Streatham News. 15 June 1962. Retrieved 20 December 2023 via British Newspaper Archive.