1981 Individual Speedway World Championship

The 1981 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 36th edition of the official Motorcycle speedway World Championship to determine the world champion rider.

It was also the last of a record 26 times that London's world famous Wembley Stadium hosted the World Final. It also marked the final time that the stadium would be used for any speedway. In future years when the final was held in England, it would be held at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford until the advent of the Speedway Grand Prix series in 1995. The 1981 Final was held before a reported crowd of 92,500, just shy of the Wembley record of 95,000 set at the 1938 World Final.

Bruce Penhall became the first American to win the World Championship since Jack Milne in 1937. As a past World Championship winner at Wembley, the 74-year-old Milne was a special guest at the event and saw Penhall end America's 44 year Individual World Championship drought. Though he remained undefeated until his last ride when he only needed to finish 3rd to win the Championship (he finished that race in second behind his rival Kenny Carter), Penhall was forced to work hard for his maiden World Championship. In both Heat 7 and Heat 14 he was second for over 3½ laps behind Ole Olsen and Tommy Knudsen respectively before passing both in the run to the line. Olsen would defeat Knudsen in a runoff for second and third places after both finished on 12 points. The triple World Champion gaining some revenge on his younger countryman after Knudsen had defeated Olsen in the first heat of the meeting.

In Heat 6, Erik Gundersen set a new four lap record of 66.8 seconds for the track and as this was the final speedway meeting at Wembley it will forever be the track record.

Continental preliminary round

 * Riders progress to Continental quarter-finals

Australian Final

 * 21 February 1981
 * 🇦🇺 Exhibition Ground, Brisbane
 * First 8 to Australasian Final

New Zealand Final

 * 6 February 1981
 * 🇳🇿 Meeanee Speedway, Napier
 * First 8 to Australasian Final

Swedish qualification

 * Top 8 in each heat to Swedish final

Continental quarter-finals
Top 32 to Continental semi-finals

Australasian Final

 * 28 February 1981
 * 🇦🇺 Liverpool City Raceway, Sydney
 * First 4 to Overseas final plus 1 reserve

American Final

 * 30 May 1981
 * 🇺🇸 Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles
 * First 4 to Overseas final

British Final

 * 3 June 1981
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Brandon Stadium, Coventry
 * First 8 to Overseas final plus 1 reserve

Norwegian Final

 * 26 April 1981
 * 🇳🇴 Elgane Speedway, Varhaug
 * First 2 to Nordic final

Danish Final

 * 10 May 1981
 * Fjelsted Speedway Stadium, Harndrup
 * First 6 to Nordic final

Finland Final

 * 🇫🇮 Pippo Speedway, Lahti
 * 7 September 1980, top 2 (+1 seeded rider) to 1981 Nordic final

Swedish Final

 * 17 May 1981
 * 🇸🇪 Gislaved Motorbana, Gislaved
 * First 4 to Nordic final, Jan Andersson seeded to Nordic final

Overseas Final

 * 12 July 1981
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 White City Stadium, London
 * First 10 to Intercontinental final plus 1 reserve

Nordic Final

 * 2 June 1981
 * 🇸🇪 Norrköping Motorstadion, Norrköping
 * First 6 to Intercontinental final plus 1 reserve

Continental Final

 * 25 July 1981
 * Marketa Stadium, Prague
 * First 5 to World final plus 1 reserve

Intercontinental Final

 * 25 July 1981
 * Vojens Speedway Center, Vojens
 * First 11 to World final plus 1 reserve

World Final

 * 5 September 1981
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Wembley Stadium, London.
 * Referee: (🇦🇺) Sam Bass
 * Attendance: 92,500