Gillman Speedway Classic Championships meeting preview - October 2013
October 24, 2013 by Gillman Media
This Saturday (26 October) night’s Gillman Speedway Classic Championships meeting could produce the closest night’s Classic racing yet seen at this venue.
Apart from Shane Parker in the two valve Solo class, and perhaps Robert Medson in the four valve class, there appears to be multiple contenders in the other classes.
The JAP/ESO Solo class, for riders over 50, brings together the last two winners, Keith Pilcher from Queensland and Barry Kennington from WA, but former North Arm rider Peter Collins, and former Renmark rider Ian Vallis did enough last year to suggest they will be serious contenders as well.
Also good to see two riders from the 1960s, Jim Phillips and Bruce Smith, back again this year. Phillips may be the oldest rider competing and he won the WA championship at Claremont way back in 1965.
Shane Parker is still international class so he should clean up in the two valve class but there should be intense racing for the other rostrum places between Roy Stout, Kevin Webb, Ashley Watson, Rick Smith and Wayne Morrison, and possibly also Steve Batchelor.
North Queenslander Stout has won the championship four times and is the defending champion, while Webb, from WA, has finished second four times – three of those behind Stout.
Parker made his senior speedway debut riding a two valve at North Arm Speedway back in 1986 and quickly showed the others what a good rider could do regardless of the bike he was riding, as he won his first ever senior race in a time only 1.37 seconds outside Phil Crump’s track record.
Promising 19-year-old youngster Robert Medson should win the Evolution, or four valve, Solo class with possibly Ben Turner and Gary Fischer edging out Gary King and Zac Morrison for the minor rostrum places.
Most people’s favourite class seems to be the British/European Sidecars and this year there is a full field of eight bikes in a very even line-up. Defending champion Jim Irwin is usually the favourite, or one of the favourites at least, in any event he enters but the racing was very close in this class last year and no one can be discounted. The two Victorians, Peter Tolley and Doug Cotterell have ridden at Gillman before but not on the bikes they are riding this time, both recently restored by former Melbourne rider Jon Heaviside, so they could be dark-horses.
Moz Pridham/Graham Williams will be aiming for their fourth successive win in the Japanese Sidecar class, but again it won’t be easy. Mildura’s Dale Milner and Ash Needham will be their biggest threats.
Keith Bichard should also be in contention for a berth in the final, while there will be plenty of interest in the debut appearance of former Rowley Park rider Steven Lewis.
Milner and Needham should also figure prominently in the Post Classic Sidecar class with perhaps Clinton Crabb and Geoff Baran their biggest threats.
Baran is another former Rowley Park rider as are Tony West, Dave Langley and Bill Angwin – Angwin being Neil Munro’s first passenger. Neil is the tribute person for this year’s event and he’ll have many family members and friends, including former rivals, to help him celebrate his career, which included an Australian championship win in 1973.
As well as the two and three wheel classes the Three Quarter Midgets will have some demonstration runs. With the clay track surfaces dominating most speedway tracks these days, Gillman is one of the few tracks where the surface is smooth enough for the TQ drivers to have a safe and enjoyable time driving their classic cars. The TQs will be driving in memory of Norm Price, one of the pioneers of the TQ section in the 1950s, and of the Classic TQ movement in the 1990s.
Everything You Need To Know:
Meeting Date: Saturday night, 26 October 2013.
Venue: Gillman Speedway Stadium, 65 Wilkins Road, Gillman – near the Port Adelaide area.
Gates open: at 4 pm. Free spectator access to the pits for a close look at the bikes until approximately 6.30 pm.
Racing starts: at 7.30 pm.
Championship formats: All championships decided over three heat rides for each rider, with the top four point scorers qualifying for the finals. Finishing order in the finals will determine the championship placegetters.
Nominations:
Jap/ESO Solos ( riders over 50 ): Steve Chapman (WA, ESO), Peter Collins (ESO), John Dwyer (ESO), Barry Kennington (WA, ESO), Jim Phillips (WA, ESO/JAP), Keith Pilcher (QLD, ESO), Bruce Smith (ESO), Ian Vallis (Jap)
2 Valve Solos: Steve Batchelor, Leah Fisher, Wayne Morrison (Vic), Shane Parker, Rick Smith, Roy Stout (QLD), Ashley Watson, Kevin Webb (WA)
Evolution (4 valve) Solos: Gary Fischer (GM), Gary King (Qld, Jawa), Robert Medson (Weslake), Zachary Morrison (Vic, Godden), Ben Turner (GM)
British/ European Sidecars: Geoff Baran/Matt Morgan (Norton 830), Doug Cotterell/ Nikolas Schwarzer (Vic, Jap 8/80), Clinton Crabb/Rick Smith (Triumph 650), Jim Irwin/Rick Schonfeldt (Triumph 750), Dave Langley/Bill Angwin (Jap 8/80), Moz Pridham/Graham Williams (BSA/JAP 600), Peter Tolley/ Ezra Buzzard-Allen(Vic, Vincent 1000), Tony West/Rob Brown(Jap 8/80).
Japanese Sidecars: Keith Bichard/Derek Thomas (Suzuki 750), Pieter Hoogland/Seane Chapman (Yamaha 650), Steven Lewis/Don Morris (Suzuki 750), Dale Milner/Nick O’Brien (Vic, Honda 750), Ash Needham/Jamie Knudsen (Vic, Honda 750), Moz Pridham/Graham Williams (Honda 750), Darcy Risstrom/Jonathon Doyle (Vic, Honda 750), Chris Thomson/Shayne Thomson (Honda 750), Mick Tucker/Anthony Diener (Suzuki 500), Rocky Warren/Daniel Tuckey (Suzuki 500)
Post Classic Sidecars: Geoff Baran/Matt Morgan (Kawasaki 1000), Clinton Crabb/Rick Smith (Kawasaki 1000), Dean Hobbs/Aaron Silvy (Suzuki 1000), Steven Lewis/Don Morris (Yamaha 1000), Dale Milner/Nick O’Brien (Vic, Suzuki 1000), Ash Needham/Stevie Radford (Vic, Suzuki 1000), Rocky Warren/Daniel Tuckey (Kawasaki 1000)
TQs: NSW4 John Catford (ESO / Ray Platt replica), SA4 Michael Levy (ESO / Greg Anderson replica), E8 Eric Klenke (SV B33 BSA / Jeff Holding replica), SA17 David Burt (JAP 500 / Ron Inwood), SA25 Trevor Wehrmann (Jawa 500 / Don Bennett replica), BH77 Bob Holland (Jawa 4 Valve / Church Brothers), SA88 Wayne Hamilton (AJS 500 / Norm Price replica)
Sponsor: Sashes for the placegetters sponsored by Ian Jones Auto Parts, located at 908 Port Road, Woodville. Ian Jones has been a keen supporter of the Classic meeting in past and is best remembered as a successful Saloon car driver at Rowley Park in his #22 HR Holden.
Admission: Adults $20, Age Pens and Student Concession $15, Children free. Parking free. 36 page souvenir programme $5.
Souvenirs: There is a well-stocked souvenir shop including the latest Blackchrome manufactured shirts and jackets. Eftpos available only in the souvenir shop.
Food and drink: Full bar and catering available. Food includes hot chips, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, Chico Rolls, dim sims, hot dogs, sandwiches, doughnuts, coffee, cold drinks, sweets. Please note a condition of our liquor licence is no byo alcohol or glass can be brought into the venue. Also note no pets, other than guide dogs, are allowed into the venue.
Seating: There are large grassed viewing mounds and terracing but no grandstand seating, so bring deck chairs or blankets if you do not want to sit on the grass.
Weather Forecast: Sunny, maximum 22, minimum 8.
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 30 minutes’ drive from the airport. The easiest and most direct way, 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 airports grounds and turn right onto Tapleys Hill Road. Just 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, you can’t go straight ahead or turn right, so pretty easy to this point. Continue down Port Road for about 1 km to the first intersection which is Grand Junction road and turn right. You only 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 (you can’t go straight ahead) onto Bedford Street. Just keep going on that Road until you get to the speedway. About 2 kms. The whole trip is about 20kms, and half-an-hour depending on traffic lights. Once you are on Tapleys Hill Road you can’t really go wrong. You only have to make three or four turns and most of those are simple.
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. The Pavlos Motel on Main North Road, Pooraka offers a discount to speedway fans but you must ring the motel direct and ask for the Gillman Speedway discount. Full details are on the Gillman website under the information/accommodation tab.
Contact for this meeting: Speedway Manager, David Parker 0403 364 658