Lionel van Praag wins first speedway world championship . Lionel van Praag , the Australian international and Wembley captain became the first world ' s speedway champion at Wembley Stadium , London . At the end of 20 heats Van Praag and Eric Langton of Belle Vue , Manchester , tied with 26 points . Van Praag defeated Langton in the decider . Bluey Wilkinson of West Ham was third . Photo shows : Sir Malcolm Campbell presenting the world trophy to Lionel van Praag . On the left is Eric Langton , runner up. 11 September 1936 *** Local Caption ***