Classic Speedway Championships at Gillman this Saturday night

October 20, 2021 by Gillman Media

Speedway returns to Adelaide this weekend with the annual Gillman Speedway Classic Championships on Saturday night.

The Classic meeting gives fans the chance to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the bikes of yesteryear before the modern-day summer season starts (on 13 November), and admission prices are an affordable $20 for adults and $15 for age pensioners and student concession. Children under 16, grandstand seating and parking are all free.

Racing starts at 7pm but the gates will open at 4pm so spectators have plenty of time to have a close look at the bikes before the pits are closed to the public.

Like last year, the meeting has unfortunately been affected by the ongoing Covid dramas, in particular the border closures, which have prevented any interstate nominations except for Kevin Webb from WA, but there will still be a 29-event programme, which should produce some close racing, particularly in the Sidecar classes.

The Japanese Sidecar class has seen a number of multiple winners over the years, and last year Steven Lewis and Shane Rudloff had a chance to join a list of three-time winners, but came up one place short, finishing runners-up to Aaron and Jaron Silvy.

Lewis and Rudloff are back to try for their third win again this year but Aaron and Jaron are also back to defend their title. Aaron’s brother Brian, with passenger Damian Egan, has also entered, and the championship placings may well come down to the last heat when those three, and another one of the contenders, Wayne Lethbridge and Grantley Simounds, all meet.

In the Sidecar Post Classic class Dean Hobbs (with Daniel Low as passenger this year) will be defending his title, with former Gillman Champion on the modern bikes, Tim Bichard (passenger Steve Graetz), likely to be his main challenger, with Chris Rae/Benny Goodridge, Chris Bichard/Kane Golding and David Lindsay/Nick Johns vying for the other place on the podium. Results indicate this class has been the most competitive by virtue of few multiple winners and if Hobbs can retain his title he’ll be the first three-time winner.

The Evolution Sidecar, on the other hand, has been dominated by Riddells Creek’s (Vic) Paul Donnelly, who has finished third, second twice, and first three times since the inception in 2014, but unfortunately the border closures have prevented him from competing since 2019. In his absence there will be only one former winner, Keith Bichard, but it is hard to predict this years’ winner with Brian Silvy/Aaron Silvy, Stephen Fowler/Ben Goodridge, Wayne Lethbridge/Grantley Simounds, and Bichard/Barry Golding all capable of taking the title.

The main Solo class this year will be the 2 Valve class for riders aged 40 or over, where Darryl Christopher will be attempting to defend the title against Steven Graetz, Kevin Webb and Trevor Henderson. Christopher (2020), Graetz (19) and Webb (17, 18) have shared the title between them for the last four years and all three will be determined to win this year.

With the lack of interstate entries, the other two Solo classes have had to be combined to allow four-rider races, with Teagan Pedler and Anthony Davey contesting the Evolution Upright 4 valve title, and former North Arm riders Steven Graetz and Shaun Sampson contesting the non-championship Laydown, rider 40 and over, class.

Everything You Need To Know:

Meeting Date: Saturday, 23 October 2021.

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 4 pm.

Covid requirements: COVID Plan in place. Everyone must sign-in to the contact tracing system at the entry gates. Social distancing inside the venue - 3 people per 4 square metres if seated; 1 person per 2 square metres if standing or mixed seated and standing. Masks required when getting food, drink or souvenirs, and if going into the pits. Hand sanitiser placed at the gate, toilets and all sales areas. COVID Marshals will be in place.

Racing starts: at 7 pm. Free spectator access to the pits for a close look at the bikes until approximately 6.30 pm.

Championship formats: All championships decided over four heat rides for each rider, with the points scored determining the championship placegetters.

Awards: Sashes for the placegetters in the final for each championship class. Presentations in the pits after the meeting.

Classes and Nominations:

Solo 2 valve (Riders aged 40 or over; Jeff Fisher Perpetual Trophy): Darryl Christopher (Jawa), Steven Graetz, Trevor Henderson (ESO), Kevin Webb (ESO)

Solo Evolution Upright 4 valve: Anthony Davey (Weslake), Teagan Pedler (GM); incorporated with Solo Laydown (Riders aged 40 or over): Steven Graetz (GM), Shaun Sampson (GM).

Sidecar Japanese: Peter Engels/tba (Suzuki 500), Pieter Hoogland/Michael Bell (Yamaha XS650), Wayne Lethbridge/Grantley Simounds (Yamaha XS650), Steven Lewis/Shane Rudloff (Suzuki GT750), Aaron Silvy/Jaron Silvy (Honda 750), Brian Silvy/Damian Egan (Suzuki 500), Rocky Warren/Adam Lange (Yamaha XS650)

Sidecar British/American/European (incorporated with Japanese class): Clinton Crabb/Dave Kernohan (Triumph 750)

Sidecar Post Classic (Brian Schultz Perpetual Cup): Chris Bichard/Kane Golding (Yamaha xs1100), Tim Bichard/Steven Graetz (Yamaha XS1000), Dean Hobbs/Daniel Low (Suzuki GS1000), David Lindsay/Nick Johns (Kawasaki Z900), Chris Rae/Benny Goodridge (Kawasaki 1000)

Sidecar Evolution: Keith Bichard/Barry Golding (Suzuki 1000), Stephen Fowler/Benny Goodridge (Kawasaki 1000), Wayne Lethbridge/Grantley Simounds (Kawasaki 1000), Brian Silvy/Aaron Silvy (Kawasaki 1000)

Pre 1980 Dirt Track Solos (non-championship): Steve Batchelor (Honda 250), Graeme Eberhard (Suzuki 125), Greg Nestor (Yamaha 500), Stephen Russack (CZ 400), Mark Stevens (Yamaha 500), John White (Suzuki 465)

Admission: Adults $20, Age Pension and Student Concession $15, Children Under 16 free. Souvenir programme $5. Grandstand seating free. Parking free.

Concession is limited to holders of the Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card and Student Concession card holders only. Eftpos available at both gates and in the canteen.

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. See the “A Night At Gillman” tab.

Weather Forecast as at 20 October: Maximum 20, minimum 11. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. [www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/adelaide.shtml]

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.

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