Speedway World Championship
After the event was raced however, the SCB refused to recognise the title, and it subsequently became the 'British Individual Championship', but the season's winner held still the trophy inscribed "World Champion".
Culminating in February 1931, it was run as a series of eliminating match races between local and visiting British, USA and Australian riders.
The format usually comprised nine riders drawn from Europe and the United Kingdom (3 per race) across 13 heats, semi-finals and finals.
Details of the French staged unofficial World Championships called the Dirt Track Championnat du Monde are incomplete.
The Championship Round for British, Australian and New Zealand racers, however, was kept until 1960, after which the first World Final outside London was staged in Sweden, in 1961.
The number of British & Commonwealth participants reduced over time, with quotas from each nation/continent varying, depending upon which nation hosted the championship final.
[10] The old system with everyone racing each other was still used, however, except that the four best riders qualified for a final heat which would determine who won the individual event (and score maximum points).
This system went largely unchanged until 2004 (with the consolation final having been abolished in 2002), although the number of GP events was increased to ten in 2002 and then changed back to 9 in 2003 and 2004.
But these two stars of the Dirt Track could only manage podium places behind Brit Harry Whitfield when a 'World's Championship' was staged on their home soil in 1933.
Meanwhile, in the UK Jack Parker had replaced Aussie Vic Huxley as the 'Individual World Champion' but after the event the Speedway Control Board refused to honour the title put up by the promotion.
[1][4] Then, at the 1966 World Championship in Gothenburg Ivan Mauger, a 26-year-old New Zealander who had had a slow breakthrough in British league speedway, made his debut.
Earlier on, only Ole Olsen had won World titles, in 1971, 1975 and 1978, but a new generation was growing up, led by Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen who occupied the first two places at Gothenburg in 1984.
He was pipped to the title by two points by America's Billy Hamill in 1996, and although he continued racing until 1999 and was still winning Grands Prix, he never threatened the top.
Englishman Loram has the dubious honour of being the first (and so far only) SGP World Champion not to win a Grand Prix during his championship year, though his consistency in reaching the Semi-final at each event and being runner-up in the first 2 rounds saw him score enough points to defeat Hamill and Rickardsson.
Although Dane Nicki Pedersen and Australian Jason Crump won in 2003 and 2004 respectively, Rickardsson was hampered by injury and unlucky draws through many of the Grand Prix races and was often in contention for the title.
The 2005 Speedway Grand Prix series, however, saw Rickardsson return, taking his sixth victory to equal the record of Ivan Mauger.
In 2007, Nicki Pedersen once again regained the title he first won in 2003, with a total of 196 points, while Leigh Adams finished his nearest rival on 153.
Nicki Pedersen won the 2008 series for a third time, while Jason Crump picked up the silver medal, and Pole Tomasz Gollob finished third.
Australian Jason Doyle had led the standings for the majority of the year, succumbing to injury before the last couple of rounds, saw Hancock win his fourth World Championship.
