The 1979 World trials season consisted of twelve trials events. It began on 10 February, with round one in Newtownards, Ireland and ended with round twelve in Ricany, Czechoslovakia on 16 September.
Bernie Schreiber would claim his first World trials championship in 1979, the first American to win the FIM World Trials Championship.[1]
| Round | Date | Trial | Venue | Trial GP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 February |  Ireland | Newtownards | 1) Rob Shepherd 2) John Reynolds 3) Martin Lampkin | |
| 2 | 17 February |  Great Britain | Rhayader | 1) Malcolm Rathmell 2) Yrjo Vesterinen 3) Martin Lampkin | |
| 3 | 25 February |  Belgium | Bilstain | 1) Yrjo Vesterinen 2) Martin Lampkin 3) Malcolm Rathmell | |
| 4 | 4 March | Netherlands | Norg | 1) Ulf Karlson 2) Yrjo Vesterinen 3) Nigel Birkett | |
| 5 | 11 March | Spain | Matadepera | 1) Bernie Schreiber 2) Jaime Subira 3) Marlan Whaley | |
| 6 | 18 March |  France | Montbelliard | 1) Ulf Karlson 2) Bernie Schreiber 3) Charles Coutard | |
| 7 | 10 June |  Canada | Calgary | 1) Malcolm Rathmell 2) Martin Lampkin 3) Bernie Schreiber | |
| 8 | 17 June |  United States | Pueblo | 1) Bernie Schreiber 2) Rob Shepherd 3) Martin Lampkin | |
| 9 | 15 July |  Italy | Mezzo Lago | 1) Charles Coutard 2) Bernie Schreiber 3) Rob Shepherd | |
| 10 | 19 August |  Sweden | Boras | 1) Bernie Schreiber 2) Ulf Karlson 3) Antonio Gorgot | |
| 11 | 26 August |  Finland | Espoo | 1) Manuel Soler 2) Ulf Karlson 3) Yrjo Vesterinen | |
| 12 | 16 September |  Czechoslovakia | Ricany | 1) Bernie Schreiber 2) Ulf Karlson 3) Martin Lampkin |
Points were awarded to the top ten finishers. All twelve rounds counted for the World Trials class.
| Pos | Rider | Machine | IRL | GBR | BEL | NED | SPA | FRA | CAN | USA | ITA | SWE | FIN | CZE | Pts | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernie Schreiber | Bultaco | - | 7 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 115 | first American to win a trials world championship | |
| 2 | Yrjo Vesterinen | Bultaco | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 105 | 1979 Finnish champion | |
| 3 | Ulf Karlson | Montesa | 9 | - | 9 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 93 | 1979 Swedish Champion | |
| 4 | Martin Lampkin | Bultaco | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | - | 5 | - | 3 | 87 | ||
| 5 | Malcolm Rathmell | Montesa | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 | - | 7 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 4 | - | 77 | 1979 British champion | |
| 6 | Rob Shepherd | HRC Honda | 1 | - | 8 | - | 7 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 9 | - | 59 | ||
| 7 | Charles Coutard | SWM | - | 5 | 4 | 9 | - | 3 | 9 | 10 | 1 | - | - | 10 | 45 | 1979 French Champion | |
| 8 | Manuel Soler | Bultaco | 10 | - | - | - | 9 | - | - | - | 5 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 30 | ||
| 9 | Marland Whaley | Montesa | - | - | 10 | - | 3 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 9 | - | - | - | 24 | 1979 US NATC Champion[4] | |
| 10 | Jean-Marie Lejeune | Montesa | 8 | 9 | 5 | 5 | - | - | 8 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 24 | ||
| 11 | Jaime Subira | Montesa | - | 8 | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | 10 | - | 10 | 6 | 22 | ||
| 12 | Nigel Birkett | Montesa | 7 | 4 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 22 | ||
| 13 | Antonio Gorgot | Bultaco | 6 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 6 | - | 21 | 1979 Spanish Champion | |
| 14 | John Reynolds | Suzuki | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 | ||
| 15 | Eddy Lejeune | HRC Honda | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | 9 | - | 6 | - | 7 | 12 | ||
| 16 | Mick Andrews | Ossa | - | - | 7 | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | 10 | - | 8 | 11 | ||
| 17 | Timo Ryysy | SWM | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | - | 7 | ||
| 18 | Jean-Luc Colson | Montesa | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 6 | 1979 Belgian Champ | |
| 19 |  Joe Wallman | Bultaco | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | ||
| 20 | Danilo Galeazzi | SWM | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | 4 | ||
| 21 | Anttoni Vesterinen | Bultaco | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 | 3 | |||
| 21 | Jo Jose | Bultaco | - | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| 21 | Claude Goset | Montesa | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
| 24 | Ettore Baldini | Bultaco | - | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1979 Italian Champion[5] | |
| 24 | Felix Krahnstover | Montesa | - | - | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1979 German Champion[6] |