The 1981 Intercontinental Final was the seventh running of the

Intercontinental Final The Intercontinental Final was a Motorcycle speedway Final sanctioned by the FIM as the final qualifying round for the Speedway World Championship between 1975 and 2001. After being introduced in 1975, it replaced the European Final as the final qu ...

as part of the qualification for the 1981 Speedway World Championship. The 1981 Final was run on 5 July on a wet night at the Speedway Center (owned by triple

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

Ole Olsen) in

Vojens Vojens (german: Woyens) is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,475 (1 January 2022).Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, and was the last qualifying stage for riders from

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

, the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and from the

Commonwealth nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

for the World Final to be held at the

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

.Speedway World Championship History - 1981
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American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

star

Bruce Penhall Bruce Lee Penhall (born May 10, 1957) is an American former professional motorcycle speedway racer who later starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Heathen ...

signalled his intentions by dominating the meeting with a 15-point maximum in difficult conditions. Rising

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

Erik Gundersen Erik Gundersen (born 8 October 1959 in Esbjerg, Denmark) is a former motorcycle speedway rider in the late 1970s and 1980s. Gundersen is one of the most successful speedway riders of all time. He was the ...

(Penhall's team mate at

Cradley Heath Cradley Heath is a town in the Rowley Regis area of the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England approximately north-west of Halesowen, south of Dudley and west of central Birmingham. Cradley Heath is often confused with the ...

) and Hans Nielsen delighted the home crowd by finishing in second and third with Nielsen defeating

Kenny Carter Kenneth Malcolm Carter (28 March 1961 – 21 May 1986), was a British world class speedway rider. He rode for Newcastle Diamonds (1978), Halifax Dukes (1978–1985) and Bradford Dukes (1986). On Wednesday, 21 May 1986, he shot dead his wi ...

in a runoff for third place. Considered something of a spent force as he was nearing the end of his career, but racing on the track that he part owns (English television commentator

Dave Lanning Dave Lanning (24 March 1938 – 29 October 2016) was an English sports commentator and journalist, best known for his coverage of Professional Darts. He was brought up in Poole and educated at Poole Grammar School. Broadcasting career He was o ...

called it a swamp due to the conditions), Ole Olsen also gave the crowd in Vojens something to cheer as he scored 6 points to claim the final spot in the World Final at Wembley. In another bonus for Danish speedway, 1980 European Under-21 Champion

Tommy Knudsen Tommy Knudsen (born 9 November 1961 in Roager, Denmark) is a former Motorcycle speedway rider who won eight Speedway World Team Cups, and two Speedway World Pairs Championship, World Pairs. Career Knudsen first became kno ...

made it four Danes going to the World Final when he finished in 6th place, while another local

Preben Eriksen Preben Kollster Eriksen (born 9 August 1958) in Odense, Denmark, is a former motorcycle speedway rider from Denmark. Career Eriksen rode with the Wolverhampton Wolves and the Ipswich Witches in the British League. He won the World Team Cup with ...

claimed the World Final reserve spot. The other World Final qualifiers were

Dave Jessup David John Jessup (born 7 March 1953 in Ipswich, England) is a former speedway rider who finished runner-up the Speedway World Championship in 1980 to fellow countryman Michael Lee.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Spee ...

, Jan Andersson,

Chris Morton Christopher John Morton, MBE (born 22 July 1956) is a former motorcycle speedway rider. He rode bikes from a young age at the farm of Peter Collins' parents. Brief career summary Born in Davyhulme, Lancashire, Morton made his debut for Ellesme ...

, Larry Ross and reigning World Champion Michael Lee. The meeting was controversial. The notorious weather in Vojens struck and after the first round of heats the riders voted 14-2 not to return to the track due to the wet conditions (only track owner Olsen and Hans Nielsen wanted to continue). After a 90-minute delay the

FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...

referee threatened the riders with disqualification from the meeting if they did not continue racing. A compromise was eventually reached and the track was tested by two local junior riders, following which the meeting resumed, though the riders continued to voice their concerns led by Penhall despite he being the one rider who seemed to come to grips with the conditions, and six time

Ivan Mauger Ivan Gerald Mauger (4 October 1939 – 16 April 2018) was a New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six Speedway World Championship, World Championships (Finals), a feat equalled only with the inclusion of the Speedway GP Champi ...

. After the meeting both Penhall and Mauger publicly criticised the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

referee on British television for not listening to the riders about the condition of the track, with Mauger claiming that the referee feigned not being able to speak English when he refused to speak to the riders (Mauger contended that he had dealt with this particular referee in the past and that he did indeed speak English). *5 July *

Vojens Vojens (german: Woyens) is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 7,475 (1 January 2022).Vojens Speedway Center The Vojens Speedway Center is a Motorcycle speedway track located in Vojens, Denmark. The track has been part-owned since its opening by Denmark's first three time Speedway World Champion Ole Olsen. Track The Speedway Center is a long track whi ...

*Qualification: Top 11 plus 1 reserve to the ''World Final'' in

References

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References

See also