{{Short description|Motorcycle speedway world championship season}} {{Use British English|date=January 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Motorsport season |title = [[Individual Speedway World Championship]] |link = Individual Speedway World Championship |year = 1973 }}

The '''1973 Individual Speedway World Championship''' was the 28th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.<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=9 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/worldchamps1936to94.pdf|title=WORLD FINALS 1936-1994|website=Speedway Researcher|access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedway.org/history/|title=HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK|website=Speedway.org|access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wwosbackup.proboards.com/board/89/world|title=Speedway riders, history and results|website=wwosbackup|access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/worldfinalindex|title=WORLD INDIVIDUAL FINAL - RIDER INDEX|website=British Speedway|access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref>

The 1973 World Final was won by Polish rider [[Jerzy Szczakiel]] following a run-off in with defending champion [[Ivan Mauger]] after both riders had finished on 13 points. On the second lap of the run-off, Mauger fell in turn 3 after trying a risky passing move leaving Szczakiel to win easily. Another Polish rider, [[Zenon Plech]] finished third. Rank outsider Szczakiel, who had finished last with no points scored in his only other World Final appearance in Sweden in [[1971 Individual Speedway World Championship|1971]], rode the meeting of his life and was only beaten in his final two rides before defeating Mauger in the run-off.<ref>{{cite news |title=Unknown Pole wins crown from Mauger |work=Newcastle Evening Chronicle |date=3 September 1973 |access-date=6 April 2024|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000726/19730903/190/0023| via = [[British Newspaper Archive]]|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The final, held at the [[Silesian Stadium]] in [[Chorzów]], Poland, is believed to have been held in front of the largest crowd in world speedway history, estimated to be around 130,000, though some reports put the size of the crowd as anywhere from 90,000 to 120,000.<ref>[http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/misc%20page%202.htm Katowice 1973]</ref> The previous record for a final was 95,000 during the [[1938 Individual Speedway World Championship]] at Wembley.

==Format changes== The format of the Championship changed for the 1973 event. This time the Polish riders were allowed five places in the World Final to be held in Poland. All other nations had to go through the European Final route to provide the remaining 11 riders for the World Final.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dlprezes.pl.tl/World-Speedway-Championship-_-1973.htm |title=1973 World Championship |website=Metal Speedway |access-date=20 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speedway.org/history/73.htm#1973 |title=1973 World Championship | website=Speedway.org |access-date=20 January 2024}}</ref>

==First round== ===British/Commonwealth preliminaries=== *Riders progress to British/Commonwealth qualifiers {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !width=100|Date !width=280|Venue !width=180|Winner !width=180|2nd !width=180|3rd |- |align=center| 29 April||[[Arlington Stadium, Hailsham|Arlington Stadium]], [[Eastbourne]] ||[[Gordon Kennett]] ||[[Paul Gachet (speedway rider)|Paul Gachet]] ||[[Bobby McNeil (speedway rider)|Bobby McNeil]] |- |align=center| 29 April||[[Boston Sports Stadium]], [[Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston]] || [[Graeme Stapleton]] || [[John Dews]] || [[Russ Osborne]] |- |align=center| 2 May||[[Odsal Stadium]], [[Bradford]] || [[Neil Street]] || [[Billy Sanders]] || [[Rick France]] |- |align=center| 7 May||[[Earle Street]], [[Crewe]] || [[Mitch Graham (speedway rider)|Mitch Graham]] ||[[Arthur Price (speedway rider)|Arthur Price]] ||[[Les Owen (speedway rider)|Les Owen]] |- |align=center| 7 May||[[Birchfield Ladbroke Stadium]], [[Birmingham]] ||[[Jim Ryman]] ||[[Bob Paulson (speedway rider)|Bob Paulson]] || [[Ted Howgego]] |}

==Second round== {| width=100% |width=50% valign=top| === Norwegian qualifying === *10 September 1972 *{{flagicon|NOR}} [[Gamle Stadion Sandefjord|Gamle Stadion]], [[Sandefjord]] *Top 12 to Nordic qualification 1973 {| class=wikitable !width=25px|Pos. ||width=200px|Rider ||width=40px|Points |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |1 ||align=left| [[Ulf Lövaas]] ||14 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |2 ||align=left| [[Dag Lövaas]] ||12 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |3 ||align=left|[[Odd Fossengen]] ||11 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |4 ||align=left|[[Helge Langli]] ||11 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |5 ||align=left| [[Svein Kaasa]] ||9 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |6 ||align=left| [[Oyvind S. Berg]] ||9 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |7 ||align=left|[[Edgar Stangeland]] ||9 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |8 ||align=left| [[Reidar Eide]] ||9 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |9 ||align=left| [[Tormod Langli]] ||8 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |10 ||align=left|Hans Erik Fuglerud ||7 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |11 ||align=left| Johnny Larsen ||7 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |12 ||align=left|Per Hetland ||5 |-align=center {{speedway color|7}} |13 ||align=left| Svein Lökken ||3 |-align=center |14 ||align=left|[[Kjell Gimre]] ||3 |-align=center |15 ||align=left|Jan Jacobsen ||2 |-align=center |16 ||align=left|Öyvind Rökeberg ||0 |} |width=50% valign=top|

=== Finnish qualifying (top 10) === *{{flagicon|FIN}} (3 rounds) First (+1 seeded riders) to Nordic qualification 1973 *R1 (? '72, [[Kärpänen Speedway]], [[Lahti]]) *R2 (26 Aug '72, [[Kärpänen Speedway]], [[Lahti]]) *R3 (? '72, [[Eteläpuisto]], [[Tampere]]) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !width=25px|Pos. ||width=200px|Rider ||width=80px|Points ||width=40px|Total (best 2) |- {{speedway color|7}} |1 ||align=left| Matti Olin || 8+8+0||16 |- |2 ||align=left|Hannu Känkänen || 4+6+8||14 |- |3 ||align=left|Kalevi Lahtinen || 6+0+6||12 |- |4 ||align=left| Heikki Ahonen || 1+3+4||7 |- |5 ||align=left|Kari Vuoristo || 3+2+0||5 |- |6 ||align=left| Pekka Paljakka || 0+4+0||4 |- |7 ||align=left|Matti Touru || 0+0+3||3 |- |8 ||align=left|Tapio Leppasalko || 2+1+0||3 |- |9 ||align=left| Jouko Naskali || 0+0+2||2 |- |10 ||align=left|Timo Naskali || 0+0+1||1 |} |}

===Swedish qualifying=== *Top 8 in each heat to Nordic qualification {{col-begin}} {{col-3}} {| class="wikitable" |- !colspan="6"|(1 May, [[Visby#Sports|Gamla Galgberget]], [[Visby]]) |- !width=20|Pos !width=180|Rider !width=40|Points |- {{speedway color|7}} |1 || style="text-align:left;" | Lars Jansson ||14 |- {{speedway color|7}} |2 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Bernt Persson]] ||12 |- {{speedway color|7}} |3 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Christer Löfqvist]] ||10 |- {{speedway color|7}} |4 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Jan Simensen]] ||9 |- {{speedway color|7}} |5 || style="text-align:left;" | Sven Nilsson ||9 |- {{speedway color|7}} |6 || style="text-align:left;" |Kenneth Selmosson ||9 |- {{speedway color|7}} |7 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Bo Wirebrand]] ||9 |- {{speedway color|7}} |8 || style="text-align:left;" | Karl-Erik Claesson ||9 |- |9 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Conny Samuelsson]] ||8 |- |10 || style="text-align:left;" | Håkan Karlsson ||7 |- |11 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Sören Karlsson]] ||6 |- |12 || style="text-align:left;" | Bengt Olsson ||6 |- |13 || style="text-align:left;" | Anders Lövgren ||4 |- |14 || style="text-align:left;" | Peter Smith ||3 |- |15 || style="text-align:left;" | Lars Larsson ||3 |- |16 || style="text-align:left;" | Leif Mellberg||2 |} {{col-3}} {| class="wikitable" |- !colspan="6"|(1 May, [[Målilla#Speedway|Målilla (Motorbana)]], [[Målilla]]) |- !width=20|Pos !width=180|Rider !width=40|Points |- {{speedway color|7}} |1 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Sören Sjösten]] ||14 |- {{speedway color|7}} |2 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Bengt Jansson]] ||13 |- {{speedway color|7}} |3 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Anders Michanek]] ||11 |- {{speedway color|7}} |4 || style="text-align:left;" | Stefan Johansson ||11 |- {{speedway color|7}} |5 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Tommy Johansson (speedway rider)|Tommy Johansson]] ||10 |- {{speedway color|7}} |6 || style="text-align:left;" | Leif Johansson ||10 |- {{speedway color|7}} |7 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Bengt Larsson (speedway rider)|Bengt Larsson]] ||7 |-{{speedway color|7}} |8 || style="text-align:left;" | Stefan Salmonsson ||7 |- |9 || style="text-align:left;" | Anders Jansson ||6 |- |10 || style="text-align:left;" | Sigvard Johansson ||6 |- |11 || style="text-align:left;" | Roy Dantanus ||5 |- |12 || style="text-align:left;" | Lars-Inge Hultberg ||5 |- |13 || style="text-align:left;" | Tomas Johansson ||5 |- |14 || style="text-align:left;" | Therje Henriksson ||4 |- |15 || style="text-align:left;" | Steve Johansson ||4 |- |16 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Åke Andersson (speedway rider)|Åke Andersson]] ||2 |- |17|| style="text-align:left;" | Bertil Andersson ||0 |} {{col-3}} {| class="wikitable" |- !colspan="6"|(5 May, [[Lindesberg#Sport|Motorbanen Hagalund]], [[Lindesberg]]) |- !width=20|Pos !width=180|Rider !width=40|Points |- {{speedway color|7}} |1 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Hasse Holmqvist]] ||14 |- {{speedway color|7}} |2 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Tommy Jansson]] ||12 |- {{speedway color|7}} |3 || style="text-align:left;" | Tomas Pettersson ||10 |- {{speedway color|7}} |4 || style="text-align:left;" | Stephan Johansson ||10 |- {{speedway color|7}} |5 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Leif Enecrona]] ||9 |- {{speedway color|7}} |6 || style="text-align:left;" |[[Tommy Nilsson (speedway rider)|Tommy Nilsson]] ||9 |- {{speedway color|7}} |7 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Göte Nordin]] ||9 |- {{speedway color|7}} |8 || style="text-align:left;" | [[Christer Sjösten]] ||8 |- |9 || style="text-align:left;" | Rolf Johansson ||7 |- |10 || style="text-align:left;" | Åke Dovhed ||6 |- |11 || style="text-align:left;" | Käll Haage ||6 |- |12 || style="text-align:left;" | Lennart Johansson ||5 |- |13 || style="text-align:left;" | Willy Karlsson ||4 |- |14 || style="text-align:left;" | Per-Åke Gerhardsson ||4 |- |15 || style="text-align:left;" |[[Börje Klingberg]] ||3 |- |16 || style="text-align:left;" | Hans Johansson ||3 |} {{col-end}}

===Continental qualifying=== *Rider progress to Continental quarter-finals {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !width=100|Date !width=280|Venue !width=180|Winner !width=180|2nd !width=180|3rd |- |align=center| 29 April |{{flagicon|YUG}} [[Mladost Stadium (Prelog)|Mladost Stadum]], [[Prelog, Croatia|Prelog]] ||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Zdenek Majstr]] ||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Evzen Erban]] ||{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Jozef Haider]] |- |align=center| 6 May |{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Motodrom Halbemond]], [[Norden, Lower Saxony|Norden]] ||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Jan Hadek]] ||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Jiri Dominik]] ||{{flagicon|NED}} [[Henny Kroeze]] |}

===British/Commonwealth qualifiers=== *Top riders progress to British/Commonwealth semi-finals {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !width=100|Date !width=280|Venue !width=180|Winner !width=180|2nd !width=180|3rd |- |align=center| 12 May||[[King's Lynn Stadium]], [[King's Lynn]] || [[John Louis (speedway rider)|John Louis]] || [[Terry Betts]] || [[Malcolm Simmons (speedway racer)|Malcolm Simmons]] |- |align=center| 14 May|| [[Reading Stadium (Oxford Road)|Reading Stadium]], [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] ||[[Martin Ashby]] || [[Mick Bell]] ||[[Geoff Curtis]] |- |align=center| 16 May||[[Wimborne Road]], [[Poole]] ||[[Pete Smith (speedway rider born 1942)|Pete Smith]] ||[[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]] || [[Terry Betts]] |- |align=center| 17 May||[[Owlerton Stadium]], [[Sheffield]] || [[Jim McMillan (speedway rider)|Jim McMillan]] ||[[Arnie Haley]] ||[[Doug Wyer]] |- |align=center| 18 May||[[Monmore Green Stadium|Monmore Green]], [[Wolverhampton]] || [[George Hunter (speedway rider)|George Hunter]] || [[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]] || [[Gary Peterson (speedway rider)|Gary Peterson]] |- |align=center| 18 May||[[Hackney Wick Stadium]], London || [[Terry Betts]] || [[Bob Valentine (speedway rider)|Bob Valentine]] || [[Barry Thomas (speedway rider)|Barry Thomas]] |- |align=center| 19 May||[[The Shay]], [[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]] || [[John Boulger]] || [[Eric Boocock]] || [[Bill Andrew]] |- |align=center| 19 May||[[Dudley Wood Stadium]], [[Dudley]] || [[John Louis (speedway rider)|John Louis]] || [[Bruce Cribb]] || [[Colin Gooddy]] |- |align=center| 19 May||[[Abbey Stadium (Swindon)|Abbey Stadium]], [[Swindon]] || [[Jim McMillan (speedway rider)|Jim McMillan]] || [[Doug Wyer]] || [[Tony Davey]] |- |align=center| 19 May||[[Hyde Road (speedway)|Hyde Road]], Manchester || [[Ivan Mauger]] ||[[Chris Pusey (speedway rider)|Chris Pusey]] || [[Eric Broadbelt]] |- |align=center| 21 May||[[County Ground Stadium]], [[Exeter]] ||[[Ivan Mauger]] || [[Martin Ashby]] || [[Bob Coles]] |- |align=center| 22 May||[[Leicester Stadium]], [[Leicester]] || [[John Boulger]] ||[[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]] || [[Bob Kilby]] |- |align=center| 23 May||[[Somerton Park]], [[Newport, Wales|Newport]] || [[Eric Boocock]] || [[Roy Trigg]] ||[[Gary Peterson (speedway rider)|Gary Peterson]] |- |align=center| 24 May||[[Wimbledon Stadium]], London || [[Peter Collins (speedway rider)|Peter Collins]] || [[Norman Hunter (speedway rider)|Norman Hunter]] || [[Ian Turner (speedway rider)|Ian Turner]] |- |align=center| 24 May||[[Oxford Stadium]], [[Oxford]] || [[Bob Kilby]] || [[Malcolm Ballard]] || [[Eric Boocock]] |- |align=center| 25 May||[[Cliftonhill]], [[Coatbridge]] || [[Mick Bell]] || [[John Boulger]] || [[Chris Julian (speedway rider)|Chris Julian]] |- |align=center| 26 May||[[Brandon Stadium]], [[Coventry]] ||[[Nigel Boocock]] || [[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]] || [[Bob Kilby]] |- |align=center| 29 May||[[Foxhall Stadium]], [[Ipswich]] ||[[Ivan Mauger]] || [[Tony Davey]] || [[Mick Bell]] |}

==Third round== ===Continental quarter-finals=== *Top 32 to Continental semi-finals {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !width=100|Date !width=280|Venue !width=180|Winner !width=180|2nd !width=180|3rd |- |align=center| 10 May||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Svítkov Stadium]], [[Pardubice]] ||{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Vladimir Zapleshny]] ||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Jiří Štancl]] ||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Miloslav Verner]] |- |align=center| 20 May||{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Borsod Volán Stadion]], [[Miskolc]] ||{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Grigory Khlinovsky]] ||{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Viktor Trofimov]] ||{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Aleksandr Pavlov (speedway rider)|Aleksandr Pavlov]] |- |align=center| 20 May||{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Breitenthal Speedway Stadium|Breitenthal Stadium]], [[Krumbach, Bavaria|Krumbach]] ||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Milan Špinka]] ||{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Vladimir Paznikov]] ||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Jan Holub I]] |- |align=center| 20 May||{{flagicon|YUG}} [[Matija Gubec Stadium]], [[Krško]] ||{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Anatoly Kuzmin (speedway rider)|Anatoly Kuzmin]] ||{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Vladimir Gordeev]] ||{{flagicon|CSK}} [[Petr Ondrašík]] |}

===British/Commonwealth semi-finals=== {| width=100% |width=50% valign=top| *5 June *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Leicester Stadium]], [[Leicester]] *Top 8 to British/Commonwealth final

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !width=25px|Pos. ||width=200px|Rider ||width=40px|Points |-{{speedway color|7}} |1 ||align=left|{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Ivan Mauger]] ||14 |-{{speedway color|7}} |2 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Louis (speedway rider)|John Louis]] ||13 |-{{speedway color|7}} |3 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Chris Pusey (speedway rider)|Chris Pusey]] ||12 |-{{speedway color|7}} |4 ||align=left|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[Jim McMillan (speedway rider)|Jim Mcmillan]]||10 |-{{speedway color|7}} |5 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Rick France]]||9 |-{{speedway color|7}} |6 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Collins (speedway rider)|Peter Collins]]||9 |-{{speedway color|7}} |7 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Bob Valentine (speedway rider)|Bob Valentine]]||8 |-{{speedway color|7}} |8||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tony Davey]]||8 |- |9 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Garry Middleton]]||8 |- |10 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Alan Wilkinson (speedway rider)|Alan Wilkinson]]||7 |- |11 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Doug Wyer]]|| 7 |- |12 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Arnie Haley]]||6 |- |13 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Bob Humphreys (speedway rider)|Bob Humphreys]]||6 |- |14 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Eric Broadbelt]]||2 |- |15 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bob Kilby]]||1 |- |16 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Nigel Boocock]]|| 0 |} |width=50% valign=top| *7 June *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Wimbledon Stadium]], London *Top 8 to British final {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !width=25px|Pos. ||width=200px|Rider ||width=40px|Points |-{{speedway color|7}} |1 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUS}} [[John Boulger]] ||14 |-{{speedway color|7}} |2 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Martin Ashby]]||13 |-{{speedway color|7}} |3 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Eric Boocock]]||10 |-{{speedway color|7}} |4 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Malcolm Simmons (speedway rider)|Malcolm Simmons]]||10 |-{{speedway color|7}} |5 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]]||10 |-{{speedway color|7}} |6 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Terry Betts]]||10 |-{{speedway color|7}} |7 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Mick Bell]]||9 |-{{speedway color|7}} |8||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Pete Smith (speedway rider, born 1942)|Pete Smith]]||9 |- |9 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Roy Trigg]]||7 |- |10 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gary Peterson (speedway rider)|Gary Peterson]]||5 |- |11 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Barry Thomas (speedway rider)|Barry Thomas]]|| 5 |- |12 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Malcolm Ballard]]||5 |- |13 ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Geoff Maloney]]||4 |- |14 ||align=left|{{flagicon|SCO}} [[George Hunter (speedway rider)|George Hunter]]||3 |- |15 ||align=left|{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Bruce Cribb]]||3 |- |16 ||align=left|{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Bill Andrew]]||1 |} |}

===Nordic qualification=== *Top 5 from each meeting to Nordic final {{col-begin}} {{col-3}} {| class="wikitable" |- !colspan="6"|(17 May, {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Gubbängens IP]], [[Stockholm]]) |- !width=20|Pos !width=180|Rider !width=40|Points |- {{speedway color|7}} |1 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Bengt Jansson]] ||15 |- {{speedway color|7}} |2 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Anders Michanek]]||14 |- {{speedway color|7}} |3 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Göte Nordin]]||13 |- {{speedway color|7}} |4 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} [[Dag Lövaas]]||12 |- {{speedway color|7}} |5 || style="text-align:left;" | {{flagicon|SWE}} Lars Jansson||11 |- |6 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} Karl-Erik Claesson||9 |- |7 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} Kenneth Selmosson||8 |- |8 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Sören Sjösten]]||8 |- |9 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|DEN}} Arne Andreasen||7 |- |10 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|DEN}} Erik Tillgaard||6 |- |11 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} Sven Nilsson||4 |- |12 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} Hans Fuglerud||4 |- |13 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} Svein Lökken||4 |- |14 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|DEN}} Jörn Mogensen||3 |- |15 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} Rolf Johansson (res)||1 |- |16 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|FIN}} Heikki Ahonen||1 |- |17 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} Öystein Mellerud||0 |} {{col-3}} {| class="wikitable" |- !colspan="6"|(27 May, {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Grenland Speedway Arena|Grenland Arena]], [[Skien Municipality|Skien]]) |- !width=20|Pos !width=180|Rider !width=40|Points |- {{speedway color|7}} |1 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Bernt Persson]] || 15 |- {{speedway color|7}} |2 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Tommy Jansson]] || 13 |- {{speedway color|7}} |3 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} [[Odd Fossengen]] || 12 |- {{speedway color|7}} |4 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} Öyvind Berg || 12 |- {{speedway color|7}} |5 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Tommy Johansson (speedway rider)|Tommy Johansson]] || 11 |- |6 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Leif Enecrona]] || 11 |- |7 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} Tomas Pettersson ||8 |- |8 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|DEN}} Krause Kjaer || 8 |- |9 || style="text-align:left;" | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Bengt Larsson (speedway rider)|Bengt Larsson]] || 7 |- |10 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} Ulf Lövaas || 7 |- |11 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} Helge Langli || 5 |- |12 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|DEN}} Preben Bollerup || 4 |- |13 || style="text-align:left;" | {{flagicon|SWE}} Stefan Johansson || 3 |- |14 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} Stefan Salmonsson || 3 |} {{col-3}} {| class="wikitable" |- !colspan="6"|(27 May, {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Selskov Stadium]], [[Hillerod]]) |- !width=20|Pos !width=180|Rider !width=40|Points |- {{speedway color|7}} |1 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Ole Olsen (speedway rider)|Ole Olsen]] ||15 |- {{speedway color|7}} |2 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Christer Löfqvist]] ||14 |- {{speedway color|7}} |3 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Jan Simensen]] ||13 |- {{speedway color|7}} |4 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Hasse Holmqvist]] || 11 |- {{speedway color|7}} |5 || style="text-align:left;" | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Christer Sjösten]] || 11 |- |6 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} [[Edgar Stangeland]]|| 11 |- |7 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Bo Wirebrand]] || 7 |- |8 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} [[Jan Terje Gravningen]] || 7 |- |9 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} Stephan Johansson || 7 |- |10 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Kurt Bögh]] || 6 |- |11 || style="text-align:left;" | {{flagicon|SWE}} Tommy Nilsson || 6 |- |12 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Bent Nörregaard-Jensen]] || 4 |- |13 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|SWE}} Leif Johansson ||3 |- |14 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} [[Tormod Langli]] || 2 |- |15 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|NOR}} Per Herland || 1 |- |16 || style="text-align:left;" |{{flagicon|FIN}} Matti Olin || 1 |} {{col-end}}

==Fourth round== ===Continental semi-finals=== {| width=100% |width=50% valign=top| *2 June *{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Rodenbach, Hesse#Sport|Rodenbach Motodrom]], [[Rodenbach, Hesse|Rodenbach]] *Top 8 to Continental final {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !width=25px|Pos. ||width=200px|Rider ||width=40px|Points |-{{speedway color|7}} |1 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Grigory Khlinovsky]] ||13 |-{{speedway color|7}} |2 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Valerij Gordeev]] ||13 |-{{speedway color|7}} |3 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Václav Verner]] ||12 |-{{speedway color|7}} |4 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Milan Špinka]] ||12 |-{{speedway color|7}} |5 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Vladimir Paznikov]] ||12 |-{{speedway color|7}} |6 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Viktor Trofimov]] ||7 |-{{speedway color|7}} |7 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Aleksandr Pavlov (speedway rider)|Alexander Pavlov]] ||7 |-{{speedway color|7}} |8||align=left|{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Josef Angermüller]] ||7 |- |9 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} Oleg Dziadyk ||7 |- |10 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jan Klokocka]] ||7 |- |11 ||align=left|{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Manfred Poschenreider]] ||6 |- |12 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jan Holub I]] ||6 |- |13 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} Georgij Ivanov ||4 |- |14 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} Miroslav Rosulek ||3 |- |15 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} Vladimir Tchistiakov (res)||1 |- |16 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Yury Dubinin (speedway rider)|Yury Dubinin]] ||0 |- |17 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} Petr Safarik ||0 |- |18 ||align=left|{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Otto Barth (speedway rider)|Otto Barth]] (res)||0 |} |width=50% valign=top| *2 June *{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Slaný Speedway Stadium]], [[Slaný]] *Top 8 to Continental final {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" !width=25px|Pos. ||width=200px|Rider ||width=40px|Points |-{{speedway color|7}} |1 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Vladimir Gordeev]] ||15 |-{{speedway color|7}} |2 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jiří Štancl]] ||13 |-{{speedway color|7}} |3 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Anatolij Kuzmin]] ||12 |-{{speedway color|7}} |4 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Vladimir Zaplechny]] ||11 |-{{speedway color|7}} |5 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Zdeněk Majstr]] ||11 |-{{speedway color|7}} |6 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Karel Vobornik]] ||10 |-{{speedway color|7}} |7 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Miroslav Verner]] ||10 |-{{speedway color|7}} |8||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Petr Ondrašík]] ||8 |- |9 ||align=left|{{flagicon|TCH}} [[Petr Kucera]] ||6 |- |10 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} Nikolai Aksjonov ||5 |- |11 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} Gregorij Markatanov ||4 |- |12 ||align=left|{{flagicon|NED}} [[Henny Kroeze]] ||4 |- |13 ||align=left|{{flagicon|USSR}} [[Nikolaj Kornev]] ||4 |- |14 ||align=left|{{flagicon|GDR}} [[Gerhard Uhlenbrock]] ||3 |- |15 ||align=left|{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Josef Bössner]] ||2 |- |16 ||align=left|{{flagicon|HUN}} [[Pal Pereny]] ||1 |} |}

===British/Commonwealth Final=== *21 June 1973 *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Owlerton Stadium]], [[Sheffield]] * First 8 to British-Nordic Final {{Speedway event 20heats|x|RIDERS= {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P1|15|ENG|[[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]]| |3|3|3|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P2|10|AUS|[[Bob Valentine (speedway rider)|Bob Valentine]]| |3|3|2|2|2| |x|3 }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P3|13|ENG|[[Peter Collins (speedway rider)|Peter Collins]]| |2|3|3|2|2| |x|2 }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|4|3|AUS|[[John Boulger]]| |2|1|3|3|3| |x|1 }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|5|2|NZL|[[Ivan Mauger]]| |3|1|3|3|| |x| |18i=T }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|6|7|ENG|[[Eric Boocock]]| |2|2|0|3|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|7|8|ENG|[[Tony Davey]]| |3|2|2|1|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|8|16|ENG|[[Rick France]]| |1|2|2|1|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|9|6|ENG|[[John Louis (speedway rider)|John Louis]]| ||0|3|3|1| |x| |2i=F }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|10|4|ENG|[[Martin Ashby]]| |1|3|1|1|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|11|5|AUS|[[Garry Middleton]]| |1|0|1|0|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|12|14|ENG|[[Pete Smith (speedway rider born 1942)|Peter Smith]]| |0|2|1|1|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|13|9|ENG|[[Terry Betts]]| |1|2|||1| |x| |11i=F |16i=F }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|14|11|ENG|[[Mick Bell]]| |2|0|0|0|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|15|1|ENG|[[Malcolm Simmons (speedway racer)|Malcolm Simmons]]| |0|1|1|0|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|16|12|SCO|[[Jim McMillan (speedway rider)|Jim McMillan]]| |0|0|0|2|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/reserve|R1|R1|ENG|[[Chris Pusey (speedway rider)|Chris Pusey]]| }} }}

===Nordic Final=== *6 June 1973 *{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Norrköping Motorstadion]], [[Norrköping]] * First 8 to British-Nordic Final {{Speedway event 20heats|x|RIDERS= {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P1|6|DEN|[[Ole Olsen (speedway rider)|Ole Olsen]]| |3|3|3|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P2|5|SWE|[[Bengt Jansson]]| |2|3|3|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P3|7|SWE|[[Anders Michanek]]| |1|3|3|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|4|8|SWE|[[Bernt Persson]]| |0|3|3|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|5|3|SWE|[[Tommy Jansson]]| |3|1|2|2|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|6|4|SWE|[[Jan Simensen]]| |1|2|2|2|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|7|13|NOR|[[Reidar Eide]]| |3|2|1|2|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|8|11|SWE|[[Göte Nordin]]| |3|2|1|1|1| |x|3 }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|9|1|SWE|[[Christer Löfqvist]]| |2|1|2|1|2| |x|F }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|10|9|SWE|[[Lars Jansson (speedway rider)|Lars Jansson]]| |2|0|1|0|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|11|12|SWE|[[Christer Sjösten]]| |||2|2|0| |x| |3i=F |8i=E }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|12|10|NOR|[[Øyvind S. Berg]]| |1|1|0|1|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|13|2|NOR|[[Dag Lovaas]]| ||2|1|0|0| |x| |1i=F }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|14|15|SWE|[[Hasse Holmqvist]]| |2|0|0|1|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|15|16|SWE|[[Tommy Johansson (speedway rider)|Tommy Johansson]]| |1||||| |x| |8i=E |9i=E |15i=- |18i=- }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|16|14|NOR|[[Odd Fossengen]]| |0|0|0|0|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/reserve|R1|R1|SWE|[[Leif Enecrona]]| 15h=r |15p=0 |18h=y |18p=1}} }}

==Fifth round== ===British/Commonwealth/Nordic Final=== *1 August 1973 *{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Brandon Stadium]], [[Coventry]] * First 8 to European Final {{Speedway event 20heats|x|RIDERS= {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P1|13|SWE|[[Anders Michanek]]| |3|3|2|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P2|8|DEN|[[Ole Olsen (speedway rider)|Ole Olsen]]| ||3|3|2|3| |x| |2i=T }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P3|4|NZL|[[Ivan Mauger]]| |1|2|3|3|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|4|2|SWE|[[Tommy Jansson]]| |2|3|2|1|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|5|7|AUS|[[John Boulger]]| |2|3|1|3|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|6|11|ENG|[[Peter Collins (speedway rider)|Peter Collins]]| |3|2|3|0|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|7|16|ENG|[[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]]| ||1|2|3|3| |x| |4i=E }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|8|15|SWE|[[Bernt Persson]]| |2||3|2|2| |x| |7i=E }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|9|1|AUS|[[Bob Valentine (speedway rider)|Bob Valentine]]| |3|2|0|2|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|10|6|NOR|[[Reidar Eide]]| |1|2|1|1|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|11|14|SWE|[[Göte Nordin]]| |1|1|2|1|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|12|10|SWE|[[Bengt Jansson]]| |2|||1|| |x| |6i=F |12i=F |17i=E }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|13|9|SWE|[[Jan Simensen]]| |1|0|1|0|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|14|12|ENG|[[Tony Davey]]| |0|0|0|0|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|15|3|ENG|[[Eric Boocock]]| |0||||| |x| |7i=T |11i=- |15i=- |19i=- }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|DQ|5|ENG|[[John Louis (speedway rider)|John Louis]]| |3|1|1|2|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/reserve|R1|R1|AUS|[[Garry Middleton]]| 11h=w |11i=T |15h=b |15p=0 |19h=r |19p=2}} }}

===Continental Final=== * 23 June 1973 * {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Leningrad Speedway Stadium]], [[Leningrad]] * First 8 to European Final plus 1 reserve {{Speedway event 20heats|x|RIDERS= {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P1|15|USSR|[[Valery Gordeev]]| |3|3|2|2|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P2|4|USSR|[[Grigory Khlinovsky]]| |2|3|3|1|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P3|16|USSR|[[Vladimir Zapleshny]]| |2|2|2|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|4|6|USSR|[[Vladimir Gordeev]]| |3|3|1/2|3|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|5|1|USSR|[[Viktor Trofimov]]| |3|3|1/2|3|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|6|12|USSR|[[Aleksandr Pavlov (speedway rider)|Aleksandr Pavlov]]| |3|0|3|2|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|7|8|USSR|[[Anatoly Kuzmin (speedway rider)|Anatoly Kuzmin]]| |2|1|3|3|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|8|11|USSR|[[Vladimir Paznikov]]| |1|2|3|2|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|9|9|CSK|[[Jiri Stancl]]| |2|2|2|0|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|10|3|CSK|[[Petr Ondrašík]]| |1|1|0|2|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|11|14|CSK|[[Milan Špinka]]| |1|2|1||1| |x| |13i=X }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|12|13|CSK|[[Václav Verner]]| |0|1|2|1|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|13|5|CSK|[[Miloslav Verner]]| |1|0|1|1|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|14|7|FRG|[[Josef Angermüller]]| |0|0|1|1|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|15|10|CSK|[[Karol Vobornik]]| |0|1|0|0|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|16|2|CSK|[[Petr Kučera]]| |0|0|0|0|0| |x| }} }}

==Sixth round== ===Polish qualifiers=== * The top five finishers in the [[Golden Helmet (Poland)|Golden Helmet]], during the [[1973 Polish speedway season]] gained nominations for the World final.

===European Final=== * 19 August 1973 * {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Abensberger Stadion]], [[Abensberg]] * First 11 to World Final plus 1 reserve

{{Speedway event 20heats|x|RIDERS= {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P1|7|SWE|[[Anders Michanek]]| |3|3|3|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P2|5|NZL|[[Ivan Mauger]]| |2|3|3|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P3|13|USSR|[[Vladimir Paznikov]]| |3|2|1|3|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|4|4|SWE|[[Bernt Persson]]| |0|3|2|3|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|5|9|USSR|[[Vladimir Zapleshny]]| |3|0|2|2|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|6|16|ENG|[[Peter Collins (speedway rider)|Peter Collins]]| |2|2|3|2|| |x| |18i=E }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|7|14|USSR|[[Valery Gordeev]]| ||3|3|1|1| |x| |4i=F }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|8|11|DEN|[[Ole Olsen (speedway rider)|Ole Olsen]]| |2|2|2|2|| |x| |20i=- }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|9|1|USSR|[[Grigory Khlinovsky]]| |1|1|0|2|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|10|3|AUS|[[John Boulger]]| |3|1|1|1|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|11|2|ENG|[[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]]| |2|2||1|1| |x| |10i=F }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|12|6|SWE|[[Bengt Jansson]]| |1|1|1|1|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|13|15|USSR|[[Aleksandr Pavlov (speedway rider)|Aleksandr Pavlov]]| |1|0|2|0|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|14|8|CSK|[[Jiri Stancl]]| |0|0|0|0|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|15|12|USSR|[[Viktor Trofimov]]| |0|1|1|0|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|16|10|USSR|[[Anatoly Kuzmin (speedway rider)|Anatoly Kuzmin]]| |1|0|0|0|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/reserve|R1|R1|DDR|[[Otto Barth (speedway rider)|Otto Barth]]| |20h=w |20p=0 }} }}

==World Final==

===Final Controversy=== The Final was surrounded by controversy, with decisions made by Georg Traunspurger, the referee assigned to the meeting by the [[Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme|FIM]], seeming to favour the Polish riders. One of his decisions was to have 2nd reserve [[Andrzej Wyglenda]] of Poland race in Heat 16 in front of 1st reserve [[Tommy Jansson]] of Sweden (after [[Bernt Persson]] of Sweden was unable to ride), making it four Polish riders in the race. In the race, second placed [[Edward Jancarz]], who led for the first three laps, seemed to let Zenon Plech take the lead in the final turn, allowing Plech, who had more points at that stage of the meeting, to collect another three points for the win.

His most controversial decision was to exclude Soviet rider [[Grigory Khlinovsky]] from heat 19. Khlinovsky had attempted to pass on the inside of Zenon Plech for the lead going into the back straight of the last lap. As he was passed by the Russian, Plech lost control of his bike and fell. Despite protests from riders and the Soviet officials Khlinovsky was excluded and England's [[Peter Collins (speedway rider)|Peter Collins]], who was in 3rd place at the time of the crash, was awarded the heat win, Plech, who didn't actually finish the race, was awarded 2nd. The result of the two points he gained for second place allowed Plech to finish a clear third in the championship. Had Khlinovsky been the winner of the heat, he would have ended on 13 points, which would have put him in the run-off for the title with Szczakiel and Mauger.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1eOmHuX2Lk&NR=1 YouTube<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

British television commentator [[Dave Lanning]] called the ruling ''"The craziest piece of speedway regulations in the history of World Championship racing"'', before adding that ''"It seems to me that the authorities here in Katowice are making up the rules to suit themselves to get their boys a world title."''

===Final result=== *2 September 1973 *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Silesian Stadium]], [[Chorzów]]<ref>Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7524-2402-5}}</ref> *Referee: {{flagicon|FRG}} Georg Traunspurger

{{Speedway event 20heats|x|RIDERS= {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P1|16|POL|[[Jerzy Szczakiel]]| |3|3|3|2|2| |x|3 }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P2|8|NZL|[[Ivan Mauger]]| |3|1|3|3|3| |x|F }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|P3|6|POL|[[Zenon Plech]]| |2|3|2|3|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|4|7|DEN|[[Ole Olsen (speedway rider)|Ole Olsen]]| |1|2|3|2|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|5|3|USSR|[[Grigory Khlinovsky]]| |2|3|2|3|| |x| |19i=X }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|6|2|USSR|[[Vladimir Paznikov]]| |3|1|2|1|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|7|4|POL|[[Paweł Waloszek]]| |1|2|1|1|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|8|12|USSR|[[Valery Gordeev]]| |2|0|1|3|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|9|11|POL|[[Jan Mucha (speedway rider)|Jan Mucha]]| |1|1|1|2|2| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|10|1|SWE|[[Anders Michanek]]| |0|3||1|2| |x| |9i=X }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|11|9|POL|[[Edward Jancarz]]| |3|1|0|2|0| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|12|13|ENG|[[Peter Collins (speedway rider)|Peter Collins]]| |1|0|2|0|3| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|13|14|AUS|[[John Boulger]]| |2|2|1|0|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|14|5|ENG|[[Ray Wilson (speedway rider)|Ray Wilson]]| ||2|3|0|| |x| |2i=F |20i=F }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|15|10|USSR|[[Vladimir Zapleshny]]| |0|0|0|1|1| |x| }} {{Speedway event 20heats/rider|16|15|SWE|[[Bernt Persson]]| ||0|||| |x| |4i=F |10i=R |16i=- |17i=- }} {{Speedway event 20heats/reserve|R1|R1|POL|[[Andrzej Wyglenda]]| |16h=y |16p=0 |21h=x }} {{Speedway event 20heats/reserve|R2|R2|SWE|[[Tommy Jansson]]| |17h=w |17p=0 |21h=x }} }}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Speedway Grand Prix seasons}}

[[Category:1973 in speedway|World Individual]] [[Category:1973 in Polish speedway|World]] [[Category:1973 controversies]] [[Category:Speedway competitions in Poland]] [[Category:Individual Speedway World Championship|1973]]