The 1978 Gulf British League season was the 44th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 14th season known as the British League.

Summary

The list of nineteen teams that competed in the league was identical to the previous season. The league was sponsored by Gulf Oil for a fourth season. Coventry Bees won their second title and their first for ten years. Belle Vue Aces were runners-up for the fourth time in five seasons and would receive a double blow when losing in the final of the Knockout Cup. Two time world champion Ole Olsen was in sensational form for Coventry and made the difference throughout the season. Olsen would also seal his third world individual crown by the end of the season. The Coventry side consisted of an array of overseas riders including Olsen and fellow Dane Alf Busk, New Zealander Mitch Shirra, Australian Gary Guglielmi and Jiří Štancl from Czechoslovakia.

League table

Top Ten Riders (League Averages)

British League Knockout Cup

The 1978 Speedway Star British League Knockout Cup was the 40th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier one teams. Ipswich Witches were the winners. First round Second round Quarter-finals Semi-finals

Final

First leg Second leg Ipswich were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 92-64.

Riders' Championship

Ole Olsen won the British League Riders' Championship for the fourth time (and third in a row), it was held at Hyde Road on 21 October and sponsored by British Leyland Cars.

Pairs

The British League Pairs Championship sponsored by Gauloises, was held at Foxhall Stadium on 12 October and was jointly won by Cradley Heath Heathens and Coventry Bees. The meeting was abandoned after 14 heats due to fog but the result stood.

Leading final averages

Midland Cup

Coventry won the Midland Cup for the third consecutive year. The competition consisted of six teams. First round Semi final round

Final

First leg Second leg Coventry won on aggregate 93–63

London Cup

Wimbledon won the London Cup but White City did not compete and therefore the competition consisted of just two teams. Results

Riders & final averages

Belle Vue Birmingham Bristol Coventry Cradley Heath Exeter Hackney Halifax Hull Ipswich King's Lynn Leicester Poole Reading Sheffield Swindon White City Wimbledon Wolverhampton