Soviet Union national speedway team
| Soviet Union | |
|---|---|
| File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg | |
| SWC Wins | 0 Best result World Cup silver medal (1964, 1966, 1971, 1972, 1975) |
The Soviet Union national speedway team were one of the leading nations who competed in international team motorcycle speedway.
History
The Soviet Union speedway team (which consisted predominantly of Russian riders but also Ukrainian, Latvian and Belarus riders) first competed in the 1961 edition of the Speedway World Team Cup, where they finished second in the East European round.[1] Throughout the history of World Team Cup, the team were regular World Cup contenders from 1961 until their final World Cup in 1983.[2] They reached the final on 12 occasions, winning the silver medal five times, in 1964, 1966, 1971, 1972, 1975 and the bronze medals three times, in 1967, 1969 and 1973.[3][4] The team also reached the final of the Speedway World Pairs Championship in 1973 and 1974. Following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, the riders then competed for their new speedway nations of the Russia, Ukraine and Latvia.
Major world finals
World team Cup
| Year | Venue | Standings (Pts) | Riders | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | West Germany Abensberg Abensberg Speedwaystadion |
1. Sweden Sweden (34) 2. Soviet Union Soviet Union (25) 3. United Kingdom Great Britain (21) 4. Poland Poland (16) |
Igor Plekhanov | 8 |
| Gennady Kurilenko | 8 | |||
| Yuri Chekranov | 6 | |||
| Boris Samorodov | 3 | |||
| 1965 | West Germany Kempten Kempten Speedway |
1. Poland Poland (38) 2. Sweden Sweden (34) 3. United Kingdom Great Britain (18) 4. Soviet Union Soviet Union (7) |
Gennady Kurilenko | 2 |
| Yuri Chekranov | 2 | |||
| Vladimir Sokolov | 2 | |||
| Igor Plekhanov | 1 | |||
| Viktor Trofimov | 0 | |||
| 1966 | Poland Wrocław Stadion Olimpijski |
1. Poland Poland (40) 2. Soviet Union Soviet Union (26) 3. Sweden Sweden (22) 4. United Kingdom Great Britain (8) |
Boris Samorodov | 10 |
| Igor Plekhanov | 6 | |||
| Viktor Trofimov | 6 | |||
| Farid Szajnurov | 4 | |||
| 1967 | Sweden Malmö Malmö Stadion |
1. Sweden Sweden (32) 2. Poland Poland (26) 3. United Kingdom Great Britain (19) 4. Soviet Union Soviet Union (19) |
Igor Plekhanov | 9 |
| Viktor Trofimov | 4 | |||
| Boris Samorodov | 3 | |||
| Gabdrakhman Kadyrov | 2 | |||
| Farid Szajnurov | 1 | |||
| 1969 | Poland Rybnik Rybnik Municipal Stadium |
1. Poland Poland (31) 2. United Kingdom Great Britain (23) 3. Soviet Union Soviet Union (23) 4. Sweden Sweden (12) |
Vladimir Smirnov | 9 |
| Gennady Kurilenko | 8 | |||
| Valeri Klementiev | 5 | |||
| Yury Dubinin | 1 | |||
| Viktor Trofimov | 0 | |||
| 1971 | Poland Wrocław Stadion Olimpijski |
1. United Kingdom Great Britain (37) 2. Soviet Union Soviet Union (22) 3. Poland Poland (19) 4. Sweden Sweden (18) |
Grigory Khlinovsky | 8 |
| Vladimir Smirnov | 7 | |||
| Vladimir Gordeev | 4 | |||
| Anatoly Kuzmin | 3 | |||
| 1972 | West Germany Olching Olching Speedwaybahn |
1. United Kingdom Great Britain (36) 2. Soviet Union Soviet Union (21) 3. Poland Poland (21) 4. Sweden Sweden (18) |
Anatoly Kuzmin | 6 |
| Viktor Trofimov | 5 | |||
| Viktor Kalmykov | 5 | |||
| Grigory Khlinovsky | 5 | |||
| 1973 | England London Wembley |
1. United Kingdom Great Britain (37) 2. Sweden Sweden (31) 3. Soviet Union Soviet Union (20) 4. Poland Poland (8) |
Valery Gordeev | 7 |
| Vladimir Paznikov | 5 | |||
| Grigory Khlinovsky | 4 | |||
| Aleksandr Pavlov | 2 | |||
| Viktor Trofimov | 2 | |||
| 1974 | Poland Chorzów Silesian Stadium |
1. England England (42) 2. Sweden Sweden (31) 3. Poland Poland (13) 4. Soviet Union Soviet Union (10) |
Mikhail Krasnov | 5 |
| Valery Gordeev | 4 | |||
| Viktor Kalmykov | 1 | |||
| Anatoly Kuzmin | 0 | |||
| 1975 | West Germany Norden Motodrom Halbemond |
1. England England (41) 2. Soviet Union Soviet Union (29) 3. Sweden Sweden (16) 4. Poland Poland (9) |
Valery Gordeev | 8 |
| Grigory Khlinovsky | 8 | |||
| Viktor Trofimov | 8 | |||
| Vladimir Gordeev | 5 | |||
| 1976 | England London White City Stadium |
1. Australia Australia (31) 2. Poland Poland (28) 3. Sweden Sweden (26) 4. Soviet Union Soviet Union (11) |
Valery Gordeev | 5 |
| Grigory Khlinovsky | 2 | |||
| Vladimir Gordeev | 2 | |||
| Vladimir Paznikov | 2 | |||
| Viktor Trofimov | 0 | |||
| 1981 | West Germany Olching Olching Speedwaybahn |
1. Denmark Denmark (36) 2. England England (29) 3. West Germany West Germany (28) 4. Soviet Union Soviet Union (3) |
Viktor Kuznetsov | 2 |
| Nikolay Kornev | 1 | |||
| Anatoly Maksimov | 0 | |||
| Mikhail Starostin | 0 | |||
| Valery Gordeev | 0 |
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World Pairs finals
International caps
Since the advent of the Speedway Grand Prix era, international caps earned by riders is largely restricted to international competitions, whereas previously test matches between two teams were a regular occurrence.[5]
Key
- Russian unless stated
- (E) - Estonian
- (G) - Georgian
- (L) - Latvian
- (U) - Ukrainian
References
- ↑ "1961 WORLD TEAM CUP". International Speedway. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ↑ Rogers, Martin (1978). The Illustrated History of Speedway. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 0-904584-45-3.
- ↑ Bott, Richard (1980). The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. p. 99. ISBN 0-09-141751-1.
- ↑ Oakes, Peter (1981). 1981 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-86215-017-5.
- ↑ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
