British rider chases South Australian Solo Title at Gillman

December 4, 2019 by Gillman Media

British rider Dan Bewley returns to Gillman Speedway on Saturday night to chase the National Karate South Australian Solo Championship.

The 20-year-old has become something of a favourite with the crowds during his month in Australia with his exciting high-speed outside passes which have also netted him some impressive results. Since arriving he has won the Jack Young Cup at Gillman, top scored in the heats of the Jason Lyons Trophy meeting in Mildura before finishing second in the final, finished third in the inaugural FIM Oceania Championship at Gillman, and third in the Mildura International Masters.

Those results will make him one of the favourites to win the SA Championship and if he does so he’ll be only the fourth British rider to win, following Scotland’s Ken McKinlay (1957), and England’s Nigel Boocock (1969) and Doug Wyer (1980).

Bewley’s main opposition should come from Victorian Champion Justin Sedgmen, Queensland’s Zane Keleher, and local riders Robert Medson, Dakota Ballantyne and Brayden McGuinness.

Sedgmen (2018) is the only former champion in the line-up and has been a finalist in his last four appearances in the championship so will be major chance of adding the SA Championship to the Victorian crown he won last month.

Keleher, from Rockhampton in Queensland, only sat on a speedway bike for the first time in August 2015 and has had limited experience, but has been a quick learner and finished second to Sedgmen in the Victorian Championship, and beat Bewley in a heat of the Oceania Championship at the last Gillman meeting, so must also be considered as a serious contender.

Local fans however will be hoping for an SA victor and Robert Medson, Dakota Ballantyne and Brayden McGuinness are all possibilities of at least making the final. Medson had a career best performance in the Oceania Championship, reaching the semi-final stage, and Ballantyne was in good form in his one race as a reserve, dicing with British Champion Charles Wright before finishing second ahead of another English rider, Kyle Bickley, and Zane Kelleher. McGuinness, on the other hand, was beset by engine problems after only just getting his bike out of customs after a winter in Denmark, but he won the Jack Young Cup at Gillman last season so he’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t make at least the semi-final.

Other riders with a semi-final chance are Queensland’s Jedd List and England’s Tom Brennan, while Ben Ernst (Germany), Kyle Bickley (England), and locals Fraser Bowes and Liam May (SA) all loom as possible spoilers, capable of taking points off some of the more fancied riders without threatening to take the title.

The meeting is the last one before Christmas, and Sidecar stars Mick Headland/Brenton Kerr and Mark Mitchell/Tony Carter will be making their first appearances of the season in the support events which will be their last chance of racing before the Eagle Fuels SA Championship on 28 December.

Photo: Justin Sedgmen (left) and Robert Medson in action at the last Gillman meeting. Photo by Judy Mackay.

Everything You Need To Know:

Meeting Date: Saturday, 7 December 2019.

Venue: Gillman Speedway Stadium, 65 Wilkins Road, Gillman – near the Port Adelaide area.

Parking and entrance: Patrons can enter via gates at the western and eastern ends of the venue. There are free off-street parking areas near both gates.

Gates open: at 5 pm. Free spectator access to the pits until closed to the public for practice and racing.

Racing starts: at 7.30 pm. Practice approximately 6.30 pm.

Riders:

National Karate South Australian 500cc Solo Championship : alphabetical order: Dakota Ballantyne (SA), Dan Bewley (England), Kyle Bickley (England), Fraser Bowes (SA), Tom Brennan (England), Ben Ernst (Germany), Patrick Hamilton (Vic), Zane Keleher (Qld), Jedd List (Qld), Liam May (SA), Brayden McGuinness (SA), Robert Medson (SA), Jack Morrison (Vic), Blake Ridley (SA), Justin Sedgmen (Vic), Roy Stout (SA). Reserves/Support races: Jake Mitchell (SA), Bastian Borke (Denmark), Teagan Pedler (SA).

Championship format: 20 heats. The top three point scorers qualify for the final, along with the winner of a last chance semi-final for the 4th to 7th highest scorers. The finishing order in the final will determine the championship placegetters.

Sidecars : Chris Bichard/Michael Bell, Nathan Fleet/Ayrton Canning, Mick Headland/Brenton Kerr, Dean Hobbs/Glen Zaworski, Kym Menadue/Eric Melton, Mark Mitchell/Tony Carter, Brian Silvy/Cameron White, Rick Stephens/Nick O'Brien.

Solos 125cc Juniors : Travis Clarke, Jake Fleet, Jordan Hargreaves, Ashley Jansen-Batchelor, Nicholas Possingham, Harry Sadler.

Pre-meeting Juniors (6pm) : Pee Wees : William Nicol, Ayla Severe, Piper Severe, Riley Stout, Stephen Bass. 50cc : Darcy Bennett, Jack Silvy. 125cc Novices : Kobi Canning, Hayden Kuchel.

Admission: Adults $25, Age Pension & Student Concession $20, Children aged 12-15 $5, Under 12 free, Family $55, Programme $5. Parking free. Grandstand free.

Concession is limited to holders of the Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card and Student Concession card holders only. Eftpos is only available at the eastern gate. The western (main) gate is cash only.

Seating: Grandstand seating is free for this meeting but is limited to 216 people. There are large grassed viewing mounds and terracing suitable for deck chairs.

Food and drink: Full bar and catering available. Food includes hot chips, hamburgers, chicken burgers, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, Chiko Rolls, dim sims, hot dogs, doughnuts, coffee, cold drinks, sweets. “Gillman has far and away the best speedway tucker” [Peter White’s Speedway World] Eftpos available at the main canteen.

Please note a condition of our liquor licence is no byo alcohol or glass can be brought into the venue.

Pets: No pets, other than guide dogs, are allowed into the venue.

Souvenirs: There is a well-stocked souvenir shop. Eftpos is not available in the souvenir shop.

Weather Forecast: Maximum 27, minimum 11. Mostly sunny. Forecast as at 3 December. [www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/Adelaide]

Directions:

The best way to get to Gillman Speedway is off Hanson Road.

If you are coming from the eastern and southern suburbs, get on to Hanson road off Torrens Road or Grand Junction Road, travel north on Hanson road over the train line then take the first road on the left, which is Wilkins road.

From the northern suburbs, travel down the new Port Adelaide expressway and take the Hanson Road exit. Once on Hanson Road, take the first exit on your right, this is Wilkins road.

From the western suburbs, Wilkins Road is the continuation of Bedford Street, north of Eastern Parade.

For interstate visitors flying into Adelaide and getting a hire car, Gillman is about 20kms, and 30 minutes’ drive (depending on traffic lights) from the airport.

The easiest and most direct way from the airport, if not going to your accommodation first is:

On leaving the airport, turn left onto Sir Donald Bradman Drive. Continue along Sir Donald Bradman Drive until you reach the end of the airport grounds and turn right onto Tapleys Hill Road. Keep going on Tapleys Hill Road until you can’t go any further. That’s Port Road. Turn left onto Port Road (you can only turn left). Continue down Port Road for about 1 km to the first intersection which is Grand Junction road and turn right. Go 700 metres along Grand Junction Road, over a bridge over a railway line. Stay in the left lane because at the bottom of the bridge you turn left into Gray Terrace. Go to the end of Gray Terrace and turn right onto Bedford Street. Keep going on that road until you get to the speedway. About 2km.

Accommodation: There is plenty of accommodation in Adelaide and suburbs, within 20-30 minutes of the Speedway, ranging from five star hotels to caravan parks and backpacker hostels. Speedway supporter discount available at the Mansfield Park Hotel, 426 Grand Junction Road, Mansfield Park (3 km from the track). Call 08 8445 3300 or use the link https://hotels.cloudbeds.com/reservation/VgHXNT#promo=GillmanSpeedway

Contact for this meeting: Ivan Golding 0417 138 378 or email contact@gillmanspeedway.com