{{Short description|First official edition of the World motorcycle speedway championship}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Use British English|date=December 2023}} {{Motorsport season |title = [[Individual Speedway World Championship]] |link = Individual Speedway World Championship |year = 1936 |previous = none }} [[Image:Speedway 1936 final cover.jpg|thumb|The 1936 Speedway World Final programme.]] The '''1936 Individual Speedway World Championship''' was the first ever Speedway World Championship and was won by [[Lionel Van Praag]] of Australia. The forerunner to the World Championship was generally regarded to be the [[Star Riders' Championship]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Oakes|first=Peter|title=1981 Speedway Yearbook|year=1981|pages=20–21|publisher=Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd|isbn=0-86215-017-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2013/04/world-speedway-championships.html|title=World Championship 1936-1994 |website=Edinburgh Speedway|access-date=5 July 2021}}</ref><ref name=PO90>{{cite book |last=Oakes |first=Peter |title=Speedway Yearbook 1990 |year=1990 |page=13 |publisher=Front Page Books |isbn=0-948882-15-8}}</ref> The final was held at [[London]]'s [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] in front of 74,000. It was the first of a record 26 times that Wembley would host the World Final with the last being in [[1981 Individual Speedway World Championship|1981]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/worldchamps1936to94.pdf|title=WORLD FINALS 1936-1994|website=Speedway Researcher|access-date=5 July 2021}}</ref>
==Summary== The World Championship would consist of qualifying heats and then a Championship round, where points would be carried forward to the final to determine the winner. One of the favourites [[Jack Parker (speedway rider)|Jack Parker]] had a broken hand injury and was unable to compete in the final.<ref>{{cite news |title=World Speedway Championship |work=Coventry Evening Telegraph |date=7 September 1936 |access-date=22 April 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000337/19360907/116/0008 | via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Joe Abbott (speedway rider)|Joe Abbott]] was also unable to line up for the final due to injury, despite qualifying for the final. They were replaced by [[Arthur Atkinson (speedway rider)|Arthur Atkinson]] and [[Bill Pitcher]].<ref name=PO90/><ref>{{cite news |title=World Speedway Championship |work=Coventry Evening Telegraph |date=11 September 1936 |access-date=22 April 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000337/19360911/169/0010 | via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
Despite being unbeaten in the Final, Australian [[Bluey Wilkinson]] only finished third as the Championship was decided by bonus points accumulated in previous rounds plus the score from the final. Van Praag defeated England's [[Eric Langton]] in a runoff to be declared the inaugural Speedway World Champion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedway.org/history/|title=HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK|website=Speedway.org|access-date=5 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/worldfinalindex|title=WORLD INDIVIDUAL FINAL - RIDER INDEX|website=British Speedway|access-date=5 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/board/89/world|title=Speedway riders, history and results|website=wwosbackup|access-date=5 July 2021}}</ref>
As they lined up at the tapes for the runoff, Langton broke them which would ordinarily lead to disqualification. However, Van Praag stated he did not want to win the title by default and insisted that a race should take place. At the restart Langton made it to the first bend in front and led until the final bend on the last lap when Van Praag darted through the smallest of gaps to win by less than wheel length.<ref name="Chaplin">Chaplin, John (1990) ''Speedway Special'', {{ISBN|0-9515857-0-3}}, p. 109–114</ref>
Afterwards, controversial allegations were abound that the two riders had 'fixed' the match race, deciding between them that the first person to the first bend would win the race and the Championship and split the prize money; Langton led into the first bend but was overtaken by Van Praag.<ref name="Chaplin" /> Van Praag reportedly paid Langton £50 "conscience money" after the race for going back on the agreement.<ref name="Chaplin" />
In the Championship round the top 16 riders over 7 rounds would qualify for the World final. Ron Johnson and Bill Pitcher qualified as first reserves.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Era in Speedway |work=Daily News (London) |date=19 March 1936 |access-date=30 December 2023 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003214/19360319/296/0016 | via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
==Qualifying round== *Top 28 riders qualify for Championship round {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !width=100|Date !width=200|Venue !width=250|Winner |- | 26 May || [[West Ham Stadium]] || Jack Parker |- | 30 May || [[Hyde Road (speedway)|Hyde Road]] ||Bluey Wilkinson |- | 6 June || [[Harringay Stadium]] || Frank Charles |- | 19 June || [[Hackney Wick Stadium]] || Arthur Atkinson & Jack Ormston |- | 20 June || [[Wimbledon Stadium]] || Fred Tate |- | 25 June ||[[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] || Ron Johnson |- | 1 July ||[[New Cross Stadium]] || Joe Abbott |}
==Championship round== *The top 16 riders over the 7 qualifying rounds and 7 championship rounds would qualify for the World final. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !width=100|Date !width=200|Venue !width=250|Winner |- | 11 July || Harringay Stadium || Jack Parker |- | 14 July || West Ham Stadium || Eric Langton |- | 23 July || Wembley Stadium || Lionel Van Praag |- | 29 July || New Cross Stadium || George Newton |- | 8 August || Hyde Road || Eric Langton |- | 10 August || Wimbledon Stadium|| Lionel Van Praag |- | 14 August || Hackney Wick Stadium || Frank Charles |}
'''Qualifying points''' (top 16 qualify, 2 reserves) {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} {| class=wikitable !width=25px| Pos. !width=200px| Rider !width=40px| Qual Points !width=50px| c/f |-align=center |1 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Eric Langton]] ||66 ||13 |-align=center |2 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Frank Charles (speedway rider)|Frank Charles]] ||59||12 |-align=center |3 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[George Newton (speedway rider)|George Newton]] ||59||12 |-align=center |4 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jack Parker (speedway rider)|Jack Parker]]||59||12 |-align=center |5 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Lionel Van Praag]] ||58||12 |-align=center |6 ||align=left|{{flagicon|DNK}} [[Morian Hansen]] ||48||10 |-align=center |7 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bob Harrison (speedway rider)|Bob Harrison]]||48||10 |-align=center |8 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Vic Huxley]] ||48||10 |-align=center |9 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Bluey Wilkinson]] ||48||10 |-align=center |10 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Dicky Case]] ||47||9 |-align=center |11 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jack Ormston]] ||47||9 |-align=center |12 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jack Milne (speedway rider)|Jack Milne]] ||45||9 |-align=center |13 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Cordy Milne]] ||43||9 |-align=center |14 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ginger Lees]] ||37||7 |-align=center |15 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Wal Phillips]] ||37||7 |-align=center |16 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Joe Abbott (speedway rider)|Joe Abbott]] ||36||7 |} {{col-2}} {| class=wikitable !width=25px| Pos. !width=200px| Rider !width=40px| Qual Points !width=50px| c/f |-align=center {{speedway color|6}} |17 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Ron Johnson (speedway rider)|Ron Johnson]] ||34||7 |-align=center {{speedway color|6}} |18 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bill Pitcher]] ||32||6 |-align=center |19 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Arthur Atkinson (speedway rider)|Arthur Atkinson]] ||31 ||6 |-align=center |20 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bill Kitchen (speedway rider)|Bill Kitchen]] (res) ||29||n/a |-align=center |21 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Norman Parker (speedway rider)|Norman Parker]] ||28||6 |-align=center |22 ||align=left|{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Baltzer Hansen]] ||27|| |-align=center |23 ||align=left|{{flagicon|CAN|1921}} [[Eric Chitty]] ||24|| |-align=center |24 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bill Clibbett]] ||24|| |-align=center |25 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Broncho Dixon]] ||22|| |-align=center |26 ||align=left|{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Wally Kilmister]] ||22|| |-align=center |27 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mick Murphy (speedway rider)|Mick Murphy]]||21|| |-align=center |28 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Wally Lloyd]] (res) ||17|| |-align=center |29 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gus Kuhn]] ||15|| |-align=center |30 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Rol Stobbart]] ||16|| |-align=center |31 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gordon Byers]] (res) ||9|| |} {{col-end}}
==World final== *10 September 1936 *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], London
{| class=wikitable !width=25px| Pos. !width=200px| Rider !width=40px| c/f !width=40px| Final Points !width=70px| Final Heats !width=50px| Total Points |-align=center {{speedway color|p1}} |1 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Lionel Van Praag]] ||12 ||14 ||(3,3,3,2,3) ||26+3 |-align=center {{speedway color|p2}} |2 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Eric Langton]] ||13 ||13 ||(3,3,3,2,2) ||26+2 |-align=center {{speedway color|p3}} |3 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Bluey Wilkinson]] ||10 ||15 ||(3,3,3,3,3) ||25 |-align=center |4 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Cordy Milne]] ||9 ||11 ||(2,2,1,3,3) ||20 |-align=center |5 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Frank Charles (speedway rider)|Frank Charles]] ||12 ||8 ||(3,3,0,2,0) ||20 |-align=center |6 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Dicky Case]] ||9 ||8 ||(2,0,3,1,2) ||17 |-align=center |7 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jack Ormston]] ||9 ||8 ||(1,1,2,3,1) ||17 |-align=center |8 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Vic Huxley]] ||10 ||7 ||(1,2,0,2,2) ||17 |-align=center |9 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[George Newton (speedway rider)|George Newton]] ||12 ||4 ||(0,0,3,1,0) ||16 |-align=center |10 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} [[Jack Milne (speedway rider)|Jack Milne]] ||9 ||6 ||(1,2,1,0,2) ||15 |-align=center |11 ||align=left|{{flagicon|DNK}} [[Morian Hansen]] ||10 ||5 ||(2,1,2,0,0) ||15 |-align=center |12 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bob Harrison (speedway rider)|Bob Harrison]] ||10 ||5 ||(0,0,2,0,3) ||15 |-align=center |13 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Wal Phillips]] ||7 ||5 ||(1,1,0,2,1) ||12 |-align=center |14 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jack Parker (speedway rider)|Jack Parker]] ||12 || -|| -||12 |-align=center |15 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ginger Lees]] ||7 ||4 ||(2,0,1,0,1) ||11 |-align=center |16 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Arthur Atkinson (speedway rider)|Arthur Atkinson]] ||6 ||3 ||(0,2,1,0,0) ||9 |-align=center |17 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bill Pitcher]]||6 ||2 ||(0,1,X/-,0,1) ||8 |-align=center |18 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Norman Parker (speedway rider)|Norman Parker]] (res) ||6 ||1 ||(1) ||7 |-align=center |19 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Joe Abbott (speedway rider)|Joe Abbott]] ||7||-||-||7
|}
==Podium== # [[Image:Gold medal blank.svg|16px|Gold]] {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Lionel Van Praag]] # [[Image:Silver medal blank.svg|16px|Silver]] {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Eric Langton]] # [[Image:Bronze medal blank.svg|16px|Bronze]] {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Bluey Wilkinson]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Speedway Grand Prix seasons}}
[[Category:Individual Speedway World Championship|1936]] [[Category:1936 in speedway|Individual World Championship]] [[Category:1936 in British motorsport|Individual Speedway World Championship]] [[Category:1936 in sport in London|Individual Speedway World Championship]] [[Category:Speedway competitions in the United Kingdom]]