Gillman Speedway summer season starts on Saturday night
Gillman Media 8 November 2023
The 27th Gillman Speedway summer season opens this Saturday night, 11 November, with four classes of racing and a 34 event programme.
The most competitive class will possibly be the Sidecars where there will probably be no consensus on who the four finalists will be.
As current Australia #4, Shane Hudson and Adam Constable have to start as favourites but Nate Headland/Mitchell Spear, Shane Rudloff/Scott Morris and Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan certainly can’t be discounted and a win by any of the three would not be a shock, while Josh Pascoe/Greg Black, Brian Silvy/Glen Zaworski and Stephen Fowler/Jeremy Sherwood are all a chance of making the final.
The 500cc Solos have been split into two groups, with Fraser Bowes, Liam May and Patrick Hamilton in group one, and Teagan Pedler, Shaun Sampson and Steven Hutchinson in group two. After a successful season in the Polish Under 24 League, Bowes will be the favourite to take the final, while there will some interest to see how Hutchinson goes in group two. He’s the first Darwin rider to appear for many years as the sport has only been resurrected in the last two or three years after a hiatus of many years when there were no local riders. Most of the new breed of riders have come from the dirt track/moto-x ranks, so they relatively inexperienced at speedway racing.
Liam May is also riding in the Flat Track Solo class and practice form suggests he’ll be the rider to beat. Roy Stout should be his biggest challenger, but the other three finals berths will be wide open. On past form Brent Webley will probably take one, with Rohan Clark, Con Twist, Greg Laanekorb and Matt Paterson possibly the best chances to fill the other two spots.
Still on two wheels and Ashley Jansen-Batchelor, Harry Sadler and Darcey Timmis are riding in the Under 16 250cc Solo events, before Jansen-Batchelor and Sadler head off to Tamworth to contest the Australian Championship next weekend.
The meeting will be livestreamed through the website link https://www.spacequakesports.com/.../gillmansolosandsidecars. Cost $25. Please note this is the only official livestreaming link, any others touted on facebook sites are scams and should be ignored.
Everything You Need To Know:
Meeting Date: Saturday, 11 November 2023
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 4.00pm.
Pit access for spectators: Free spectator access to the pits until approximately 6.15pm.
Racing starts: at 7 pm.
Riders:
Solos 500cc : Fraser Bowes, Patrick Hamilton (Vic), Liam May. Group 2: Steven Hutchinson (NT), Teagan Pedler, Shaun Sampson.
Solos Under 16 250cc : Ashley Jansen-Batchelor, Harry Sadler, Darcey Timmis
Solos Flat Track : Rohan Clark, Troy Knights, Greg Laanekorb, Liam May, Stuart McKenzie, Matt Paterson, Roy Stout, Kristy Schultz, Con Twist, Brent Webley
Sidecars : Stephen Fowler/Jeremy Sherwood, Nate Headland/Mitchell Spear, Shane Hudson/Adam Constable, Wayne Lethbridge/Grantley Simounds, Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan, Byron Mordaunt/William Lepoidevin, Josh Pascoe/Greg Black, Shane Rudloff/Scott Morris, Brian Silvy/Glen Zaworski
Juniors on the infield track during the main track grades : Under 16 125cc Solos : Owen Chapman, Ruby Chapman, Hayden Kuchel, William Nicol, Riley Stout. Under 16 125cc Solo Novices : Nate Sadler, Jett Plaisted. 50cc Solos : Mikayla Morris, Nate Sadler, Kolby Schultz. No 6pm juniors at this meeting.
Admission: Adults $25, Age Pension and Student Concession $20, Children Under 16 free. Parking free. Souvenir programme $5-includes chances to win $50 fuel vouchers. EFTPOS available at both entrances, canteen, bar and souvenir shop.
Concession is limited to holders of the Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card and Student Concession card holders only.
Livestreaming: This meeting will be livestreamed on https://www.spacequakesports.com/.../gillmansolosandsidecars. The cost is $25 Australian. Any other claimed links to livestreaming are scams and should be ignored.
Seating: Free grandstand seating, large grassed viewing mounds, and terracing suitable for deck chairs.
VIP Area: The Bob White VIP area is available to anyone who would like to treat their business colleagues, family or friends to the best view in the stadium. Enjoy the elevated view overlooking the track, either from inside the temperature controlled rooms, on the timber deck, or on the enclosed lawn area. The VIP area also has its own bar and toilet. Ring Ivan Golding on 0417 138 378 for more details.
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]
Please note a condition of our liquor licence is no byo alcohol or glass can be brought into the venue.
Souvenirs: There is a well-stocked souvenir shop. See the “A Night At Gillman” tab.
Pets: No animals are allowed into the venue except assistance animals, eg guide dogs.
Weather Forecast as at 8 November: Maximum 24, minimum 14, 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 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.
Contact for this meeting: Ivan Golding 0417 138 378 or email contact@gillmanspeedway.com