Wolverhampton Wolves Season 1978 Compiled by Dave Allan First published March 2016 Last updated October 2016 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This file was made possible thanks to the invaluable contributions of the following: Steve Wilkes & Gary Done (Ellesmere Port & 1978 Speedway Mails) Arnie Gibbons (Reading) Stuart Staite-Aris & associates (Coventry) Mark Fellows (Wolverhampton) Mike Hunter (Edinburgh) Matt Jackson (Sheffield) Brian Collins (Internationals) Neil Fife (Newcastle) Mark Aspinell (Rye House) David Housely (Various) Gary Weldon (Boston) Keith Corns (Various) Steve Ashley (Boston & Leicester) Phil Hood (Newcastle) John (Hull) Paul Dunn (Cradley Heath) Colin Jewes & Phil Johnson (Cradley Heath) Steve Andrews (Barrow) The knowledgable members of the British Speedway Forum and the Easy, Tiger! Forum RACECARDS The following notation is in use throughout this file: R/R Rider replacement N Rider replaced by reserve TS Rider replaced by tactical substitute R Rider did not finish for reason other than fall or exclusion EF Rider suffered engine failure and failed to finish F Rider fell and did not remount FX Rider fell and was excluded from race or rerun FN Rider fell and was unable to take his place in rerun E Rider excluded for starting offence (including tape touching & breaking, delaying start, etc.) M Rider excluded under two minute rule X Rider excluded for any other reason not E or M. Reason for exclusion noted where known. NS Rider failed to start but was not excluded or replaced NTR New track record ETR Equals track record (guest) Rider is making a ‘full and proper’ guest appearance (loanee) Rider has been borrowed from home track to make up the team Some reserve replacement rides (N) may in fact have been tactical substitute (TS) rides. Due to the difficulty in ascertaining this information, only proven tactical substitute rides are recorded. Reruns are not assumed, they are only recorded where reported. 1978 Season File - Revisions in October 2016 update # Revised on Meeting Revision 1 18/10/2016 08/06/1978 Ipswich v Wolverhampton Ipswich: added #8 Nigel Flatman 2 18/10/2016 07/09/1978 Wimbledon v Wolverhampton Wimbledon: added #8 Martin Charles Wolverhampton Wolves 1978 Date Home Away Event Result Notes 17/03/1978 Wolverhampton Birmingham Sandwell Mail Trophy 38-39 18/03/1978 Cradley Heath Wolverhampton Sandwell Mail Trophy 47-31 24/03/1978 Wolverhampton Belle Vue Challenge 36-42 28/03/1978 Leicester Wolverhampton Challenge 43-35 31/03/1978 Wolverhampton Cradley Heath Sandwell Mail Trophy 39-38 03/04/1978 Birmingham Wolverhampton Sandwell Mail Trophy 38-40 07/04/1978 Wolverhampton Swindon Gulf British League 36-42 08/04/1978 Halifax Wolverhampton Gulf British League 54-24 14/04/1978 Wolverhampton Coventry Gulf British League 27-51 15/04/1978 Belle Vue Wolverhampton Gulf British League 52-26 21/04/1978 Wolverhampton Wimbledon Gulf British League 28-50 27/04/1978 Sheffield Wolverhampton Gulf British League 42-36 28/04/1978 Wolverhampton Hackney Gulf British League 41-37 03/05/1978 Poole Wolverhampton Gulf British League 43-35 05/05/1978 Wolverhampton Golden Wonder Olympique Individual Gordon Kennett 06/05/1978 Cradley Heath Wolverhampton Gulf British League 44-34 09/05/1978 Leicester Wolverhampton Gulf British League 48-30 12/05/1978 Wolverhampton Leicester Gulf British League 18-18 A Aban Ht 6 - rain 13/05/1978 Swindon Wolverhampton Gulf British League 41-37 19/05/1978 Wolverhampton VW Grand Prix/World Championship Qualifying Round Individual Gordon Kennett 26/05/1978 Bristol Wolverhampton Gulf British League 44-33 28/05/1978 Wolverhampton Bristol Gulf British League 38-39 02/06/1978 Wolverhampton Midland Select Challenge 41-36 06/06/1978 White City Wolverhampton Gulf British League 46-32 08/06/1978 Ipswich Wolverhampton Speedway Star KOC R2 L1 43-34 09/06/1978 Wolverhampton Ipswich Speedway Star KOC R2 L2 40-38 16/06/1978 Wolverhampton Belle Vue Gulf British League 38-40 23/06/1978 Wolverhampton Poole Gulf British League Rained Off 24/06/1978 Coventry Wolverhampton Gulf British League 41-37 26/06/1978 Birmingham Wolverhampton Midland Cup R1 L1 30-47 30/06/1978 Wolverhampton Birmingham Midland Cup R1 L2 38-40 02/07/1978 Stoke Stoke v Wolverhampton v Belle Vue v Sheffield Four Team 26 v 30 v 13 v 27 03/07/1978 Exeter Wolverhampton Gulf British League 47-31 07/07/1978 Wolverhampton Hull Gulf British League 39-39 12/07/1978 Coventry Wolverhampton Midland Cup SF L1 42-36 14/07/1978 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton B v Edinburgh Challenge 46-32 Wolverhampton Wolves 1978 Date Home Away Event Result Notes 14/07/1978 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton v Birmingham v Coventry v Cradley Heath Four Team (pairs) 35 v 13 v 17 v 31 21/07/1978 Wolverhampton Halifax Gulf British League 41-37 28/07/1978 Wolverhampton King's Lynn Gulf British League 41-37 31/07/1978 Birmingham Birmingham V Cradley Heath V Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L1 Rained Off 04/08/1978 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton v Birmingham v Cradley Heath Express & Star 3TT L1 35 v 27 v 46 05/08/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Wolverhampton v Birmingham Express & Star 3TT L2 Rained Off 09/08/1978 Birmingham Birmingham V Cradley Heath V Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L2 Rained Off 11/08/1978 Wolverhampton Exeter Gulf British League 38-39 16/08/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Birmingham v Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L2 Cancelled Due to British Final 18/08/1978 Wolverhampton Cradley Heath Dudley-Wolves Trophy L1 42-36 19/08/1978 Cradley Heath Wolverhampton Dudley-Wolves Trophy L2 45-33 21/08/1978 Reading Wolverhampton Gulf British League 43-35 25/08/1978 Hackney Wolverhampton Gulf British League 43-35 27/08/1978 Wolverhampton Birmingham Gulf British League 40-37 01/09/1978 Wolverhampton Sheffield Gulf British League 44-34 07/09/1978 Wimbledon Wolverhampton Gulf British League 36-42 08/09/1978 Wolverhampton White City Gulf British League 42-36 09/09/1978 Coventry Wolverhampton Challenge 43-35 13/09/1978 Hull Wolverhampton Gulf British League 48-30 15/09/1978 Wolverhampton Reading Gulf British League 36-42 21/09/1978 Ipswich Wolverhampton Gulf British League 41-37 22/09/1978 Wolverhampton Coventry Midland Cup SF L2 42-36 23/09/1978 King's Lynn Wolverhampton Gulf British League 44-34 29/09/1978 Wolverhampton Cradley Heath Gulf British League 40-38 30/09/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Wimbledon v Leicester v Wolverhampton Four Team Rained Off 04/10/1978 Coventry Wolverhampton Midland Cup SF R L1 51-27 06/10/1978 Wolverhampton Ipswich Gulf British League 53-25 06/10/1978 Wolverhampton Coventry Midland Cup SF R L2 38-40 08/10/1978 Wolverhampton Leicester Gulf British League 40-37 11/10/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Wimbledon v Leicester v Wolverhampton Four Team 39 v 20 v 16 v 21 13/10/1978 Wolverhampton Poole Gulf British League 45-33 14/10/1978 Cradley Heath Cradley Heath v Birmingham v Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L2 54 v 27 v 27 16/10/1978 Birmingham Wolverhampton Gulf British League 41-37 20/10/1978 Birmingham Birmingham v Cradley Heath v Wolverhampton Express & Star 3TT L3 35 v 46 v 26 23/10/1978 Birmingham Birmingham v Coventry v Stoke v Wolverhampton Four Team (pairs) 25 v 35 v 11 v 25 Wolverhampton Wolves v Birmingham Brummies Friday 17th March 1978 (Sandwell Mail Trophy) Wolverhampton Wolves 38 TOT BP 1. Hans Nielsen 1 EF 3 3 X 7 0 2. Knud Ellegaard 0 TS 0 N 0 0 3. Jim McMillan 2 2* 2* 3 3 12 2 4. Jerzy Kowalski 0 F TS F 0 0 5. Dave Morton 3 E 3 3 2* 11 1 6. Steve Lomas 3 1* 1 TS M 5 1 7. Brian Woodward 1 1 1 0 3 0 Birmingham Brummies 39 TOT BP 1. Ray Wilson 3 3 2 1 9 0 2. Richard Greer 2* 2* 3 1* 8 3 3. Phil Herne 3 2 1 3 9 0 4. Ari Koponen 1* 0 2 0 3 1 5. Bengt Jansson 2 1 EF 2* 5 1 6. Alan Emerson 2 1* 0 3 1 7. Finn Jensen 0 0 2* 2 1 Ht. 01: Wilson, Greer, Nielsen, Ellegaard, 63.9 1 - 5 1 - 5 Ht. 02: Lomas, Emerson, Woodward, Jensen, 65.3 4 - 2 5 - 7 Ht. 03: Morton, Jansson, Koponen, Kowalski, 64.3 3 - 3 8 - 10 Ht. 04: Herne, McMillan, Lomas, Jensen, 63.9 3 - 3 11 - 13 Ht. 05: Wilson, Greer, Lomas, Kowalski, Morton (exc, delaying start), 65.4 1 - 5 12 - 18 Ht. 06: Morton, Herne, Emerson, Nielsen (ef), 64.0 3 - 3 15 - 21 Ht. 07: Nielsen, McMillan, Jansson, Koponen, 63.8 5 - 1 20 - 22 Ht. 08: Greer, Jensen, Woodward, Ellegaard, 65.0 1 - 5 21 - 27 Ht. 09: Morton, McMillan, Herne, Emerson, 64.6 5 - 1 26 - 28 Ht. 10: Nielsen, Koponen, Woodward, Jansson (ef), Lomas (exc, 2 mins), 63.6 4 - 2 30 - 30 Ht. 11: McMillan, Wilson, Greer, Woodward, 64.0 3 - 3 33 - 33 Ht. 12: Herne, Jansson, Kowalski (fell), Nielsen (exc, silencer), 64.7 0 - 5 33 - 38 Ht. 13: McMillan, Morton, Wilson, Koponen, 64.4 5 - 1 38 - 39 Cradley Heath Heathens v Wolverhampton Wolves Saturday 18th March 1978 (Sandwell Mail Trophy) Cradley Heath Heathens 47 TOT BP 1. Bruce Cribb 3 3 3 3 12 0 2. Dave Perks 2* 0 1* 2* 5 3 3. Steve Bastable 3 3 3 3 12 0 4. Pekka Hautamaki 1* 0 0 F 1 1 5. Alan Grahame 2 3 3 1 9 0 6. Kristian Praestbro 0 2* 1 3 1 7.