Gillman Solo Spectacular this Saturday night
Gillman Media 27 January 2022
The Gillman Solo Spectacular, the last of the major Solo events this season, is the feature event at this week’s Gillman Speedway meeting on Saturday night (29 January).
South Australia’s best riders will take on a line-up of riders from Victoria, New South Wales, and New Zealand with the winner awarded the prestigious Jack Young Cup in memory of South Australia’s only individual World Speedway Champion.
Favourite to win the Cup will be current Victorian and South Australian Champion Justin Sedgmen, who is also the defending Cup holder and only past winner in the line-up.
Sedgmen won the South Australian Championship in his last appearance in Adelaide, but local rider Fraser Bowes was a strong challenger that night, finishing second to Sedgmen in the final after dropping only one point (also to Sedgmen) in the heats.
Four of the top five from the Gillman track championship — Jake Turner (NZ), Patrick Hamilton (Vic), Declan Knowles (Vic) and Michael West (NSW) — will also take part, as will four-time track champion Dakota Ballantyne who has been restricted to just one meeting this season because of work commitments. Turner will be hoping he can reproduce his track championship form — where he was unbeaten in his five heats and the final — but it won’t be easy in this stronger line-up.
Another Victorian, Cooper Riordan, who finished fifth in the state championship, is also back, while there will be a lot of interest in 16-year-old New South Wales rider James Pearson. Pearson is only in his first season of senior speedway but has been chasing rides right up the east coast and recording some impressive results, including third place in the Victorian Championship
The championship will be decided over 20 heats, a last chance semi-final, and a final for the top three point scorers and the winner of the semi-final.
Sidecars, Flat Track Solos and Juniors will make up the support programme, with former Australian Sidecar Champions Trent Headland and Daz Whetstone making their first appearance for the season.
Gates open at 4pm and racing will start at 7pm.
LATE CHANGES 29/1/2022: Dakota Ballantyne (work) and Tegan Pedler (injured) are out.
Everything You Need To Know:
Meeting Date: Saturday, 29 January 2022
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.
Classes and Nominations:
Solos: 2-Justin Sedgmen (Vic), 8-Michael West (NSW), 10-Declan Knowles (Vic), 14-Liam May, 18-Patrick Hamilton (Vic), 19-Jake Turner (NZ), 39-Steven Graetz, 41-Jackson Milner (Vic), 51-Fraser Bowes, 51-Cooper Riordan (Vic), 67-Shaun Sampson, 82-Dakota Ballantyne, 82-James Pearson (NSW), 88-Blake Ridley, 99-Dayle Wood (Vic), 211-Teagan Pedler
Sidecars: 11-Thomas Adams/Jaxon Rayner, 12-Brian Silvy/Damian Egan, 13-Trent Headland/Daz Whetstone, 82-Wayne Lethbridge/Grantley Simounds, 115-Kane Golding/Isaac Amos, 272-Adam Pascoe/Tim Wegner, 970-Dean Hobbs/Daniel Low
Solos Flat Track: 5-Kyle Machin, 46-Seane Chapman, 52-Simon Sweeney, 57-Hannah Conradi, 70-Greg Nestor, 77-Richard Bunting, 81-Rowan Clark, 87-Stuart McKenzie, 181-John White, 196-Adam Conradi, 215-Matt Paterson, 273-Dale Knights, 602-Graeme Eberhard, 713-Con Twist
125cc Junior Solos: 14-Ambrose Fraser (Vic), 16-Hayden Pascoe, 26-Jordan Hargreaves, K48-Kobi Canning, 128-Hayden Kuchel
6 p.m. pre-meeting junior riders — 125cc Novice Junior Solo: 03-Blake Schlein (Vic), 4-Riley Stout, 5-Cooper Coats, 37-William Nicol, -Ryleigh McGregor. 50cc Junior Solo: 16-Riley Edson, 31-Jaxon Fraser (Vic), 46-Owen Chapman. Pee Wee Junior Solo: 01-Curtis Sanders, 5-Hope Coats, 11-Nate Sadler, 417-Kolby Schultz, -Cooper Karpinski
Admission: Adults $25, Age Pension and Student Concession $20, Children Under 16 free. Souvenir programme $5. Grandstand seating free. Parking free. Programme includes chances to win $50 fuel vouchers.
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 27 January: Maximum 29, minimum 17. Partly cloudy.
[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