1980 Individual Speedway World Championship
# 1980 Individual Speedway World Championship

The 1980 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 35th edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider.

With 1979 World Champion Ivan Mauger failing to qualify for a World Final for the first time since 1966, and Ole Olsen only qualifying as a reserve, the 1980 World Final at the Ullevi Stadium in Göteborg, Sweden was seen as an open final with a number of potential winners. Michael Lee, Bruce Penhall, Dave Jessup and Billy Sanders considered the favourites with Jan Andersson (the only Swedish rider in the World Final), John Davis, Hans Nielsen, Zenon Plech, Intercontinental Final winner Chris Morton and 1976 World Champion Peter Collins all expected to challenge.

Twenty-one-year-old English ace Lee who had only finished 7th in the Intercontinental Final at White City, won his only World Championship with 14 points from his 5 rides. Dave Jessup finished second after defeating Billy Sanders in a runoff when both riders finished on 12 points to give England a 1-2 finish in a World Final.

Michael Lee became only the fifth rider from Great Britain to win Motorcycle speedway's ultimate individual prize, joining Welshman Freddie Williams (1950), and fellow Englishmen Tommy Price (1949), Peter Craven (1955 and 1962) and Peter Collins (1976) as a Speedway World Champion.

## British Qualification

| Date | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place | |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Preliminary Round ||||||
| 8 April | Milton Keynes | Mike Lanham | Rob Hollingworth | David Kennett | |
| 9 April | Nottingham | Dave Perks | Dave Morton | Paul Woods | |
| 11 April | Peterborough | Andy Hines | Nicky Allott | Nigel Flatman | |
| 11 April | Ellesmere Port | Peter Prinsloo | Derek Richardson | David Gagen | |
| 13 April | Rye House | Melvyn Taylor | Bob Garrad | Ian Clark | |
| Quarter-Final ||||||
| 27 April | Halifax | Mike Lanham | Kevin Hawkins | Dave Morton | |
| Semi-Finals ||||||
| 21 May | Poole | Peter Collins | Gordon Kennett | Kevin Jolly | |
| 22 May | Sheffield | Dave Jessup | Chris Morton | Dave Morton | |
| Final ||||||
| 4 June | Coventry | Dave Jessup | Michael Lee | Phil Collins | result |

### British Final

* June 4, 1980
* Coventry, Brandon Stadium
* First 10 to Commonwealth Final plus 1 reserve

| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Dave Jessup | (3,3,3,3,3) | 15 |
| 2 | Michael Lee | (3,3,3,3,2) | 14 |
| 3 | Phil Collins | (1,2,2,3,3) | 11 |
| 4 | Peter Collins | (3,3,0,3,1) | 10 |
| 5 | Gordon Kennett | (2,2,2,2,2) | 10 |
| 6 | John Louis | (3,1,3,1,1) | 9 |
| 7 | John Davis | (X,2,1,2,3) | 8 |
| 8 | Chris Morton | (0,1,1,2,3) | 7 |
| 9 | Melvyn Taylor | (2,1,X,2,2) | 7 |
| 10 | Reg Wilson | (2,2,1,1,0) | 6+3 |
| 11 | Bobby Beaton | (0,1,3,0,2) | 6+2 |
| 12 | Ian Cartwright | (1,0,2,1,1) | 5 |
| 13 | Dave Morton | (1,3,0,0,0) | 4 |
| 14 | Kevin Jolly | (2,0,1,0,1) | 4 |
| 15 | Peter Prinsloo | (2,1,0,1,0) | 4 |
| 16 | Mike Lanham | (0,0,0,0,0) | 0 |

## Swedish Qualification

| Date | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Semi-Finals ||||||
| 4 May | Malilla | Tommy Johansson | Tommy Nilsson | Conny Samuelsson |
| 4 May | Gislaved | Anders Michanek | Bo Wirebrand | Hasse Danielsson |
| 8 May | Linköping | Bernt Persson | Richard Hellsen | Borje Klingberg |
| Final ||||||
| 20 May | Norrköping | Jan Andersson | Richard Hellsen | Tommy Johansson |

### Swedish Final

* May 20, 1980
* Norrköping
* Winner to World Final, riders 2-5 to Nordic Final

| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | (13) Jan Andersson | 13 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | 13 | 1 |
| | (15) Richard Hellsen | 12 | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | X | 3 | | | | 12 | 2 |
| | (2) Tommy Johansson | 12 | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | 12 | 3 |
| 4 | (8) Anders Michanek | 11 | | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | 11 | 4 |
| 5 | (14) Bernt Persson | 11 | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | 11 | 5 |
| 6 | (9) Bengt Jansson | 10 | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | 10 | 6 |
| 7 | (11) Tommy Nilsson | 9 | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | 0 | | | | | | 2 | 9 | 7 |
| 8 | (16) Borje Klingberg | 7 | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | 1 | | | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | (1) Hans Danielsson | 7 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 7 | 9 |
| 10 | (10) Rolf Sundberg | 6 | | | 3 | | | X | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | 0 | | | | 6 | 10 |
| 11 | (6) Per-Ove Gundmundsson | 6 | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | 6 | 11 |
| 12 | (4) Bo Wirebrand | 5 | 3 | | | | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | X | | | | - | 5 | 12 |
| 13 | (7) Conny Samuelsson | 3 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | 3 | 13 |
| 14 | (12) Lillebror Johansson | 2 | | | 0 | | | | | 2 | | E | | | - | | | | | | - | | 2 | 14 |
| 15 | (5) Bengt Gustavsson | 1 | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 16 | (3) Jan Eriksson | 0 | E | | | | | | F | | | | F | | | | - | | | | - | | 0 | 16 |
| R1 | (R1) Karl-Erik Claesson | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | 2 | | | 1 | 1 | 4 | R1 |
| R2 | (R2) Uno Johansson | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | 1 | R2 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos |

m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify

| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
| - | - | - | - |

## New Zealand Final

* 2 February 1980
* Aucland
* First 8 to Austral-Asian Final

| Pos. | Rider | Heat Scores | Total |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Larry Ross | 3,3,2,3,3 | 14 |
| 2 | David Bargh | 3,3,3,3,2 | 14 |
| 3 | Tony Briggs | 2,3,2,2,3 | 12 |
| 4 | Graeme Stapleton | 3,2,3,2,1 | 11 |
| 5 | Mitch Shirra | 1,3,1,3,3 | 11 |
| 6 | Wayne Brown | 3,2,3,3,- | 11 |
| 7 | Mike Fullerton | 2,1,1,2,3 | 9 |
| 8 | Colin Tucker | 2,0,2,1,2 | 7 |
| 9 | Roger Wright | 1,2,3,1,0 | 7 |
| 10 | Max Brown | 0,2,2,1,1 | 6 |
| 11 | Neil Abrahams | 2,1,0,0,2 | 5 |
| 12 | Greg Joynt | 1,1,1,2,x | 5 |
| 13 | Colin Farquharson | 1,F,0,0,2 | 3 |
| 14 | Greame Beardsley | 0,F,1,-,- | 1 |
| 15 | Paul Fewings | F,1,F,-,- | 1 |
| 16 | James Moore | E,0,-,-,- | 0 |
| R1 | William Aulsfold | 0,0,1,1 | 2 |
| R2 | Roger Pauling | 0,0 | 0 |

## Intercontinental Round

| Date | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| American Final ||||||
| 16 November 1979 | Anaheim | Bruce Penhall | Scott Autrey | Dennis Sigalos |
| Austral-Asian Final ||||||
| 16 February | Christchurch | Billy Sanders | John Titman | Larry Ross |
| Danish Final ||||||
| 6 May | Fredericia | Bo Petersen | Preben Eriksen | Bent Rasmussen |
| Norwegian Final ||||||
| 18 May | Skien | Reidar Eide | Audun Ove Olsen | Rolf Gramstad |
| Nordic Final ||||||
| 15 June | Skien | Hans Nielsen | Ole Olsen | Finn Thomsen |
| Commonwealth Final ||||||
| 5 July | Wimbledon | Dave Jessup | John Louis | Ivan Mauger |
| Intercontinental Final ||||||
| 3 August | White City | Chris Morton | Bruce Penhall | Billy Sanders |

### American Final

* November 16, 1979
* Anaheim, Anaheim Stadium
* First 2 to Intercontinental Final

| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Bruce Penhall | 14 |
| 2 | Scott Autrey | 13+3 |
| 3 | Dennis Sigalos | 13+2 |
| 4 | Ron Preston | 13+1 |
| 5 | Shawn Moran | 10 |
| 6 | Gene Woods | 10 |
| 7 | John Cook | 9 |
| 8 | Mike Faria | 7 |
| 9 | Bobby Schwartz | 5 |
| 10 | Alan Christian | 5 |
| 11 | Denny Pyeatt | 5 |
| 12 | Duane Yarrow | 5 |
| 13 | Brad Oxley | 4 |
| 14 | John Santona | 4 |
| 15 | Dan McNeill | 3 |
| 16 | Kelly Moran | 1 |
| 17 | Larry Kosta | 0 |

### Austral-Asian Final

* February 2, 1980
* Christchurch, Ruapuna Speedway
* First 5 to Commonwealth Final plus 1 reserve
* Ivan Mauger seeded to Commonwealth final

| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | (10) Billy Sanders | 15 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | 15 | 1 | |
| | (1) John Titman | 13 | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 13 | 2 | |
| | (16) Larry Ross | 12 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | 1 | | | 12 | 3 | |
| 4 | (2) Mitch Shirra | 12 | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | 12 | 4 | |
| 5 | (4) Phil Crump | 11 | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | 11 | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | (7) Tony Briggs | 11 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | 11 | 6 | 2 |
| 7 | (6) Mike Farrell | 10 | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | 3 | | 10 | 7 | |
| 8 | (14) Phil Herne | 8 | | | | 2 | | 0 | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | 8 | 8 | |
| 9 | (3) Steve Koppe | 7 | 0 | | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | 7 | 9 | |
| 10 | (11) Glyn Taylor | 5 | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | | | 2 | | | | | | 0 | 5 | 10 | |
| 11 | (5) Gleen McDonald | 5 | | 0 | | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | 5 | 11 | |
| 12 | (15) Graeme Stapleton | 3 | | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | 1 | | | | 3 | 12 | |
| 13 | (13) Keith Wright | 2 | | | | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | 2 | 13 | |
| 14 | (9) David Bargh | 2 | | | 1 | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | 2 | 14 | |
| 15 | (8) Mike Fullerton | 2 | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (12) Wayne Brown | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | 1 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Roger Wright | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
| R2 | (R2) Max Brown | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R2 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |

m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify

| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
| - | - | - | - |

### Danish Final

* May 4, 1980
* Fredericia
* First 3 to Nordic final (Olsen, Nielsen & Thomsen seeded through)

| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Bo Petersen | 15 |
| 2 | Preben Eriksen | 13 |
| 3 | Bent Rasmussen | 12+3 |
| 4 | Finn Rune Jensen | 12+2 |
| 5 | Finn Thomsen | 10 |
| 6 | Mike Lohmann | 8 |
| 7 | Alf Busk | 8 |
| 8 | Jens Henry Nielsen | 7 |
| 9 | Lars Vinding | 6 |
| 10 | Arne Cruse | 6 |
| 11 | Gunnar Hansen | 6 |
| 12 | Finn Lundahl | 5 |
| 13 | Steen Mastrup | 5 |
| 14 | Hans Ove Cristiansen | 3 |
| 15 | Svend Lund | 3 |
| 16 | Gunnar Svendsen | 1 |

### Norwegian Final

* May 18, 1980
* Skien
* First 3 to Nordic final

| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Reidar Eide | 14 |
| 2 | Audun Ove Olsen | 13 |
| 3 | Rolf Gramstad | 12+3 |
| 4 | Dag Haaland | 12+2 |
| 5 | Trond Helge Skretting | 10 |
| 6 | Terje Tollefsen | 8 |
| 7 | Sigvart Pedersen | 7 |
| 8 | Kjell Gimre | 7 |
| 9 | Jon Hovind | 6 |
| 10 | Roy Otto | 6 |
| 11 | Jorn Haugvaldstad | 6 |
| 12 | Toralf Holen | 6 |
| 13 | Asgeir Bjerga | 4 |
| 14 | Geir Aasland | 4 |
| 15 | Rolf Havirstad | 2 |
| 16 | Dagvinn Jorgensen | 2 |

### Nordic Final

* June 15, 1980
* Skien
* First 5 to Intercontinental Final

| Pos. | Rider | Total |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Hans Nielsen | 15 |
| 2 | Ole Olsen | 14 |
| 3 | Finn Thomsen | 13 |
| 4 | Bent Rasmussen | 12 |
| 5 | Kai Niemi | 10 |
| 6 | Ila Teromaa | 8 |
| 7 | Bo Petersen | 8 |
| 8 | Hans Danielsson | 7 |
| 9 | Tommy Johansson | 7 |
| 10 | Preben Eriksen | 6 |
| 11 | Rolf Gramstad | 5 |
| 12 | Bernt Persson | 5 |
| 13 | Veijo Tyoriniemi | 4 |
| 14 | Audun Ove Olsen | 2 |
| 15 | Reidar Eide | 1 |
| 16 | Bengt Jansson | 0 |

### Commonwealth Final

* June 29, 1980
* London, Wimbledon Stadium
* First 9 to Intercontinental Final plus 1 reserve

| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | (2) Dave Jessup | 14 | 3 | | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | 14 | 1 | |
| | (14) John Louis | 13 | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | 13 | 2 | |
| | (3) Ivan Mauger | 12 | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | 12 | 3 | |
| 4 | (8) John Davis | 11 | | 1 | | | | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | | 11 | 4 | |
| 5 | (9) Billy Sanders | 10 | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | | 0 | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | | 10 | 5 | |
| 6 | (4) Chris Morton | 11 | 0 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | 11 | 6 | |
| 7 | (5) Michael Lee | 9 | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | 9 | 7 | |
| 8 | (7) Mitch Shirra | 9 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | 9 | 8 | |
| 9 | (10) Peter Collins | 7 | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | 1 | | | | 7 | 9 | |
| 10 | (15) Gordon Kennett | 6 | | | | 3 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | 1 | 0 | | | | 6 | 10 | 3 |
| 11 | (1) Larry Ross | 6 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 6 | 11 | E |
| 12 | (12) Phil Collins | 5 | | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 2 | | 5 | 12 | |
| 13 | (6) John Titman | 4 | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | | | | | 0 | | | E | | 4 | 13 | |
| 14 | (11) Melvyn Taylor | 3 | | | F | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | 3 | 14 | |
| 15 | (13) Phil Crump | 2 | | | | 1 | 0 | | | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | 2 | 15 | |
| 16 | (16) Reg Wilson | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | 0 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Phil Herne | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
| R2 | (R2) Bobby Beaton | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R2 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |

m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify

| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
| - | - | - | - |

### Intercontinental Final

* August 3, 1980
* London, White City Stadium
* First 10 to World Final plus 1 reserve

| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | (1) Chris Morton | 12 | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | | | | 12 | 1 | 3 |
| | (5) Bruce Penhall | 12 | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 2 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| | (15) Billy Sanders | 11 | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | 3 | | | | | | 2 | 2 | | | | 11 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | (3) Kai Niemi | 11 | 3 | | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | 11 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | (16) Finn Thomsen | 10 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | 1 | | | | | | 2 | | | 3 | | | 10 | 5 |
| 6 | (8) Dave Jessup | 9 | | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | E | | | 3 | | | 1 | | | | 9 | 6 |
| 7 | (13) Michael Lee | 9 | | | | 3 | 0 | | | | | | | 3 | | 1 | | | | | 2 | | 9 | 7 |
| 8 | (9) John Davis | 9 | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | 9 | 8 |
| 9 | (4) Hans Nielsen | 8 | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | | | | X | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | (2) Peter Collins | 7 | 0 | | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 0 | | | 7 | 10 |
| 11 | (7) Ole Olsen | 6 | | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 2 | 1 | | | | | 1 | | | 6 | 11 |
| 12 | (11) Scott Autrey | 6 | | | 3 | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | 6 | 12 |
| 13 | (14) Ivan Mauger | 5 | | | | 0 | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | | | 0 | 5 | 13 |
| 14 | (12) John Louis | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | 3 | 14 |
| 15 | (6) Mitch Shirra | 1 | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | | | | | 0 | | | 0 | | 1 | 15 |
| 16 | (10) Bent Leif Rasmussen | 0 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | | | X | | | E | | - | | | | 0 | 16 |
| R1 | (R1) Gordon Kennett | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | R1 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos |

m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify

| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
| - | - | - | - |

## Continental Round

| Date | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Preliminary Round ||||||
| 19 April | Landshut | Egon Muller | Waldemar Bacik | Edward Jancarz |
| 20 April | Bydgoszcz | Zdeněk Kudrna | Jerzy Rembas | Marek Ziarnik |
| 20 April | Treviso | Milan Špinka | Václav Verner | Herbert Szerecz |
| 20 April | Žarnovica | Petr Ondrašík | Jan Hadek | Petr Kučera |
| Quarter-Finals ||||||
| 3 May | Slany | Mikhail Starostin | Jiří Štancl | Jan Verner |
| 4 May | Prelog | Henny Kroeze | Václav Verner | Milan Špinka |
| 4 May | Wiener Neustadt | Zdeněk Kudrna | Jerzy Rembas | Piotr Pyszny |
| Semi-Finals ||||||
| 25 May | Norden | Jiří Štancl | Edward Jancarz | Petr Ondrašík |
| 27 May | Targovishte | Zdeněk Kudrna | Václav Verner | Aleš Dryml Sr. |
| Final ||||||
| 27 July | Lonigo | Zenon Plech | Jiří Štancl | Aleš Dryml Sr. |

### Continental Final

* July 27, 1980
* Lonigo, Pista Speedway
* First 5 to World Final plus 1 reserve

| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | (16) Zenon Plech | 14 | | | | 3 | | | | 3 | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 14 | 1 | 3 |
| | (13) Jiří Štancl | 14 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| | (7) Aleš Dryml Sr. | 12 | | 1 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 2 | 3 | | | | | 3 | | | 12 | 3 | |
| 4 | (1) Egon Müller | 11 | 3 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | | | | 3 | | | | 11 | 4 | |
| 5 | (5) Petr Ondrašík | 11 | | 2 | | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | 11 | 5 |
| 6 | (6) Václav Verner | 9 | | 3 | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | 9 | 6 |
| 7 | (4) Mikhail Starostin | 7 | 2 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | F | | | | 3 | | | | E | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | (8) Jerzy Rembas | 7 | | X | | | | | | 1 | | | 3 | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | (14) Georg Hack | 7 | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | | | 2 | | F | | | | | | | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| 10 | (11) Milan Špinka | 6 | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | 0 | | | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | 6 | 10 |
| 11 | (10) Zdeněk Kudrna | 6 | | | X | | | 3 | | | | | | 1 | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | 6 | 11 |
| 12 | (2) Andrzej Huszcza | 6 | F | | | | | E | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | 6 | 12 |
| 13 | (3) Andy Cusworth | 3 | 1 | | | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | | 1 | | 3 | 13 |
| 14 | (12) Wojciech Żabiałowicz | 2 | | | 1 | | | | | 0 | | 0 | | | 1 | | | | | | F | | 2 | 14 |
| 15 | (15) Nikolay Kornev | 2 | | | | 0 | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | E | F | | | | 2 | 15 |
| 16 | (9) Edward Jancarz | 0 | | | F | | - | | | | | | - | | | | | - | | | | | 0 | 16 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos |

m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify

| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
| - | - | - | - |

## World Final

* 5 September 1980
* Göteborg, Ullevi
* Referee: Torrie Kittlesen
* Attendance: 35,000 (approx)

| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | (9) Michael Lee | 14 | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | 14 | 1 | |
| | (10) Dave Jessup | 12 | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| | (13) Billy Sanders | 12 | | | | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | 3 | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | 12 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | (5) Jan Andersson | 11 | | 3 | | | 0 | | | | | 2 | | | | | 3 | | | | | 3 | 11 | 4 | |
| 5 | (1) Bruce Penhall | 9 | 3 | | | | 2 | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 2 | | | | 9 | 5 | |
| 6 | (2) John Davis | 9 | 2 | | | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | | | 2 | | | 9 | 6 | |
| 7 | (11) Peter Collins | 8 | | | 1 | | | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | | | | 0 | 8 | 7 | |
| 8 | (12) Kai Niemi | 8 | | | 0 | | | | | 1 | | 3 | | | 2 | | | | | | 2 | | 8 | 8 | |
| 9 | (7) Chris Morton | 8 | | 2 | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | 3 | | | | | 1 | | | 8 | 9 | |
| 10 | (14) Finn Thomsen | 7 | | | | 2 | | 3 | | | | | 1 | | 0 | | | | | | | 1 | 7 | 10 | |
| 11 | (4) Hans Nielsen | 7 | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | 0 | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | 7 | 11 | |
| 12 | (8) Aleš Dryml Sr. | 5 | | 0 | | | | | | 3 | | | 2 | | | 0 | | | 0 | | | | 5 | 12 | |
| 13 | (15) Jiří Štancl | 5 | | | | 1 | | | 2 | | | 0 | | | | | | 1 | 1 | | | | 5 | 13 | |
| 14 | (6) Egon Muller | 4 | | 1 | | | | 0 | | | 2 | | | | | | | E | | | 1 | | 4 | 14 | |
| 15 | (16) Zenon Plech | 1 | | | | E | | | | 0 | 0 | | | | | | 1 | | | 0 | | | 1 | 15 | |
| 16 | (3) Petr Ondrašík | 0 | 0 | | | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | | | 0 | | 0 | 16 | |
| R1 | (R1) Ole Olsen | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R1 |
| R2 | (R2) Václav Verner | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R2 |
| R3 | (R3) Hans Danielsson | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 | R3 |
| Placing | Rider | Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts | Pos | 21 |

m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fell • ns - non-starter • nc - non-classify

| gate A - inside | gate B | gate C | gate D - outside |
| - | - | - | - |
