{{Short description|Motorcycle speedway final}} The '''Continental final''' was a [[motorcycle speedway]] final sanctioned by the [[Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme|FIM]] as the qualifying round for the [[Speedway World Championship]] between 1976 and 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speedway.org/history/|title=HISTORY SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK|website=Speedway.org|access-date=16 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Bott|first=Richard|title=The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4|year=1980|page=100|publisher=Stanley Paul & Co Ltd|isbn=0-09-141751-1}}</ref>
From 1952 to 1975 it acted as the final qualifier for the Championship round or [[Individual Speedway European Championship|European final]]. From 1976 to 1990 it was upgraded in stature and acted as a final qualifier for the World Championship final itself.<ref>{{cite book|last=Oakes|first=Peter|title=1981 Speedway Yearbook|year=1981|page=22|publisher=Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd|isbn=0-86215-017-5}}</ref> It was not held from 1991 to 1994. From 1995 to 2001 it acted as a final qualifier for the [[Speedway Grand Prix]] or Grand Prix Challenge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edinburghspeedway.blogspot.com/2014/12/from-1991-to-1994-continental-and.html|title=Continental Final|website=Edinburgh Speedway|access-date=16 July 2021}}</ref>
==Editions== {| class="wikitable" |- align=center |width=80px {{Speedway color|4}} |'''Year''' |width=150px {{Speedway color|4}} |'''Venue''' |width=210px {{Speedway color|P1}}|'''Winner''' |width=210px {{Speedway color|P2}}|'''Runner-up''' |width=210px {{Speedway color|P3}}|'''3rd place''' |- |align=center| [[1952 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1952]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Falköping]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Rune Sörmander]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Olle Nygren]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Stig Pramberg]] |- |align=center| [[1953 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1953]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Glottra Skog Arena|Kumla]] | {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Basse Hveem]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Olle Nygren]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Dan Forsberg]] |- |align=center| [[1954 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1954]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Linköping]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Ove Fundin]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Rune Sörmander]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Sune Karlsson]] |- |align=center| [[1955 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1955]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Abensberg]] | {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Fritz Dirtl]] | {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Josef Kamper]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Georg Duneborn]] |- |align=center| [[1956 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1956]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Oberhausen]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Kjell Carlsson]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Josef Seidl (speedway rider)|Josef Seidl]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Andrzej Krzesiński (speedway rider)|Andrzej Krzesiński]] |- |align=center| [[1957 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1957]] | {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Vienna]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Josef Hofmeister]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Josef Seidl (speedway rider)|Josef Seidl]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Stanisław Tkocz]] |- |align=center| [[1958 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1958]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Oberhausen]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Joel Jansson]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Josef Hofmeister]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Josef Seidl (speedway rider)|Josef Seidl]] |- |align=center| [[1959 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1959]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Munich]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Josef Hofmeister]] | {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Björn Knutson]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Mieczysław Połukard]] |- |align=center| [[1960 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1960]] | {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Vienna]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Josef Hofmeister]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Henryk Żyto]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Marian Kaiser]] |- |align=center| [[1961 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1961]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Slaný]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Florian Kapała]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Igor Plekhanov]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Stanisław Tkocz]] |- |align=center| [[1962 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1962]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Wrocław]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Marian Kaiser]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Paweł Waloszek]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Luboš Tomíček Sr.]] |- |align=center| [[1963 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1963]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Wrocław]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Stanisław Tkocz]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Boris Samorodov]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Antonín Kasper Sr.]] |- |align=center| [[1964 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1964]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Slaný]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Igor Plekhanov]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} Jaroslav Volf | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Boris Samorodov]] |- |align=center| [[1965 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1965]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Wrocław]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Andrzej Wyglenda]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Igor Plekhanov]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Andrzej Pogorzelski]] |- |align=center| [[1966 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1966]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Slaný]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Andrzej Pogorzelski]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Antoni Woryna]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Konstanty Pociejkewicz]] |- |align=center| [[1967 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1967]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Kempten]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Andrzej Wyglenda]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Jerzy Trzeszkowski]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Igor Plekhanov]] |- |align=center| [[1968 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1968]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Slaný]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Gennady Kurilenko]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Paweł Waloszek]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Vladimir Smirnov (speedway rider)|Vladimir Smirnov]] |- |align=center| [[1969 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1969]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Ufa]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Antoni Woryna]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Andrzej Wyglenda]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Edward Jancarz]] |- |align=center| [[1970 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1970]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Abensberg]] | {{flagicon|GDR}} [[Hans Jürgen Fritz]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Valeri Klementiev]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Zdenek Majstr]] |- |align=center| [[1971 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1971]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Slaný]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Henryk Glücklich]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jan Mucha (speedway rider)|Jan Mucha]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Gennady Kurilenko]] |- |align=center| [[1972 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1972]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Cherkessk]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Viktor Trofimov]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Viktor Kalmykov]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Anatoly Kuzmin (speedway rider)|Anatoly Kuzmin]] |- |align=center| [[1973 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1973]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Valery Gordeev]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Grigory Khlinovsky]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Vladimir Zapleshny]] |- |align=center| [[1974 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1974]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Tolyatti]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Vladimir Gordeev]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Mikhail Starostin]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Zenon Plech]] |- |align=center| [[1975 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1975]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Edward Jancarz]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Valery Gordeev]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Viktor Kalmykov]] |- |align=center| [[1976 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1976]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Egon Müller]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jiří Štancl]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Valery Gordeev]] |- |align=center| [[1977 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1977]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Tolyatti]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jan Verner]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Egon Müller]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jiří Štancl]] |- |align=center| [[1978 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1978]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Prague]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Hans Wassermann]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jiří Štancl]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Marek Cieślak]] |- |align=center| [[1979 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1979]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Pöcking]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Christoph Betzl]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Mikhail Starostin]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Zdeněk Kudrna]] |- |align=center| [[1980 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1980]] | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Lonigo]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Zenon Plech]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jiří Štancl]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Aleš Dryml Sr.]] |- |align=center| [[1981 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1981]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Prague]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Egon Müller]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Aleš Dryml Sr.]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Edward Jancarz]] |- |align=center| [[1982 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1982]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Leszno]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jiří Štancl]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Edward Jancarz]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Václav Verner]] |- |align=center| [[1983 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1983]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Rybnik]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Zenon Plech]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Egon Müller]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jiří Štancl]] |- |align=center| [[1984 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1984]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Rivne|Rovno]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Egon Müller]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Karl Maier (speedway rider)|Karl Maier]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Jiří Štancl]] |- |align=center| [[1985 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1985]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Pöcking]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Egon Müller]] | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Armando Castagna]] | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Zoltán Adorján]] |- |align=center| [[1986 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1986]] | {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Wiener Neustadt]] | {{flagicon|USSR}} [[Viktor Kuznetsov (speedway rider)|Viktor Kuznetsov]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Antonín Kasper Jr.]] | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Armando Castagna]] |- |align=center| [[1987 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1987]] | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Lonigo]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Gerd Riss]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Roman Jankowski]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Antonín Kasper Jr.]] |- |align=center| [[1988 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1988]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Leszno]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Zenon Kasprzak]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002471/19880903/215/0026 |title=Nielsen to win Hans down |website=Reading Evening Post |date=3 September 1988 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=10 September 2024}}</ref> | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Antal Kocso]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Roman Jankowski]] |- |align=center| [[1989 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1989]] | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Debrecen]] | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Zoltán Adorján]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Oakes |first=Peter |title=Speedway Yearbook 1990 |year=1990 |page=12 |publisher=Front Page Books |isbn=0-948882-15-8}}</ref> | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Karl Maier (speedway rider)|Karl Maier]] | {{flagicon|TCH}} [[Roman Matoušek]] |- |align=center| [[1990 Individual Speedway World Championship#Continental Final|1990]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Norden, Lower Saxony|Norden]] | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Gerd Riss]] | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Zoltán Adorján]] | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Armando Castagna]] |- |align=center| 1991–1994 | colspan=4|not held |- |align=center| [[1996 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification#Continental Final|1995]] | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Miskolc]] | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Zoltán Adorján]] | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Stefano Alfonso]] | {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Antonín Kasper Jr.]] |- |align=center| [[1997 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification#Continental Final|1996]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJcFrQfJLCw |title=27.07.1996.Speedway Continental final - Abensberg (GER) |website=You Tube |access-date=20 January 2023}}</ref> | {{flagicon|GER}} [[Abensberg]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Tomasz Gollob]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Sławomir Drabik]] | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Zoltán Adorján]] |- |align=center| [[1998 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification#Continental Final|1997]] | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Lonigo]] | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Armando Castagna]] | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Zoltán Adorján]] | {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Tomáš Topinka]] |- |align=center| [[1999 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification#Continental Final|1998]] | {{flagicon|HUN}} [[Debrecen]] | {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Antonín Kasper Jr.]] | {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Marián Jirout]] | {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Roman Povazhny]] |- |align=center| [[2000 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification#Continental Final|1999]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Wrocław]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Rafał Dobrucki]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Piotr Protasiewicz]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Sławomir Drabik]] |- |align=center| [[2001 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification#Continental Final|2000]] | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Lonigo]] | {{flagicon|SVN}} [[Matej Ferjan]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Piotr Protasiewicz]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Piotr Świst]] |- |align=center| [[2002 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification#Continental Final|2001]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Gdańsk]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Sebastian Ułamek]] | {{flagicon|CZE}} [[Bohumil Brhel]] | {{flagicon|POL}} [[Wiesław Jaguś]] |}
==See also== * [[Speedway World Championship]] * [[Speedway Grand Prix]] * [[Motorcycle speedway]]
{{International speedway}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1953]]