It’s time to get back to the speedway - October 2015

October 28, 2015 by Gillman Media

It is time to get back to the speedway this Sunday (1 November) when Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway hosts its annual Gillman Speedway Classic Championships.

The meeting gives fans the chance to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the bikes of yesteryear before the modern-day summer season starts the following week, 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 5pm but the gates will open at 2pm so spectators have plenty of time to have a close look at the old bikes and cars before the pits are closed to the public.

As always the meeting will feature Solos, Sidecars and Three Quarter Midgets.

With riders and bikes getting scarcer each year the specifications for the Solo classes have changed slightly this year which has seen an extra class added. As well as the JAP and Jawa two-valve classes, and the upright 4 valve class, a laydown class will appear for the first time and this has coaxed a few riders out of the woodwork, including for international rider Shane Bowes and one of his rivals from the North Arm Speedway days, Steve Graetz.

The Three Quarter Midgets have a good mix of cars for their demonstration runs, including replicas of the Norm Price AJS from the 1950s and the well-known Greg Anderson and Ray Platt cars, while the ex-Viv Wilkes car will be appearing for the first time.

The biggest number of entries is in the Sidecar classes with 25 different riders over 4 classes, including current Australian Champions Justin Plaisted and Sam Harrison who will be riding in the Post Classic class.

The British/European/American class is usually the most popular class and Victorian Jon Heaviside is back with two of his restored bikes, this year a Vincent and a JAP 8/80, to be ridden by Peter Tolley and Doug Cotterell respectively. Last year’s winner Rory McEnroe is also back with his restored Vincent which was raced at Rowley Park by his father Kev McEnroe and before that by the legendary Bruce Kelley. Other bikes in the class include an 830cc Norton, 1000cc Harley and a 750cc Triumph.

The Classic meeting also pays tribute to someone who has contributed significantly to speedway and this year it will be two of the men largely responsible for building and maintaining the Gillman Stadium, Don and Des Marker.

Everything You Need To Know:

Meeting Date: Sunday, 1 November 2015.

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

Gates open: at 2 pm.

Racing starts: at 5 pm. Free spectator access to the pits for a close look at the bikes until approximately 4.15 pm.

Nominations:

British/ European/American Sidecars: Geoff Baran/Matt Ambrose (Norton 830), Doug Cotterell/Stuart Williams (Vic, JAP 8/80), Clinton Crabb/Michael Bell (Triumph 750), Rory McEnroe/Tony Kavetani (Vic, Vincent), Dale Milner/Nick O’Brien (Vic, Harley 1000), Peter Tolley/ Ezra Blizzard-Allen (Vic, Vincent), Wayne Ware/Jeff Bourke (Qld)

Japanese Sidecars: Bill Angwin/Chris Thompson (Suzuki 500), Sean Chapman/Angus Coote, Gregory Griffiths/Nathan McFadden (NSW, Suzuki 750), Pieter Hoogland/Michael Bell (Yamaha 650), Steven Lewis/Nick Johns (Suzuki 750), Dale Milner/Nick O’Brien (Vic, Honda 4), Don Morris/Scott Morris (NSW, Suzuki 750), Shane Rudloff/Angus Rudloff (Yamaha 650), Mick Tucker/Corey Palmer (Suzuki 500), Chris Wakefield/Jason Pinnuck (Vic, Honda 750)

Post Classic Sidecars: Geoff Baran/Matt Ambrose (Kawasaki 1000), Dean Hobbs/Andy Westover (Suzuki 1000), Dale Milner/Nick O’Brien (Vic, Suzuki 1000), Chris Rae/tba (Kawasaki 1000), Justin Plaisted/Sam Harrison (Suzuki 1000), Shane Rudloff/Angus Rudloff (Kawasaki 900), Greg Townsend/Barry Dine (Kawasaki 1000)

Evolution Sidecars: Paul Birch/Matt Smailes (NSW, Kawasaki 1000), Clinton Crabb/Michael Bell (Kawasaki 1000), Paul Donnelly/Jake Roberts (Vic, Suzuki 1000), Phil Russell/Sean Coleby (Vic, Godden V Twin), Tony Watter/Jay Davies (Kawasaki 1000)

2 Valve Solos (riders aged 40 or over): Shane Bowes, Frank Graham, Barry Kennington (WA), Kerry Marsh, Roy Stout, George Thomson, Kevin Webb (WA), Martin Williams (Vic)

 2 Valve Solos (riders aged under 40): Daniel Mitchell, Jake Mitchell, Luke Mitchell, Seth Hickey

 4 Valve Upright Solos: Gary Fischer, Steve Graetz, Daniel Mitchell, Jake Mitchell, Luke Mitchell

 Laydown Solos (riders aged 40 or over): Shane Bowes, Gary Fischer, Steve Graetz, Ross Noble (non-championship class)

TQs: John Catford, Wayne Hamilton, Bob Holland, Dion Holland, Eric Klenke, Michael Levy, Graham Masters (demonstrations)

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.

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

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

Concession is limited to holders of the Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card and Student Concession card holders only.

Weather Forecast: Partly cloudy, maximum 25, minimum 13 [www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/Adelaide]

Seating: Grandstand seating is free 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, February 2015]

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.

Souvenirs: There is a well-stocked souvenir shop including the latest Blackchrome manufactured shirts and jackets. Eftpos available only in the souvenir shop.

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, 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. 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. 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, 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.

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

Main Photo: Doug Cotterell/Stuart Williams and Peter Tolley/Ezra Blizzard-Allen on the Jon Heaviside restored Vincents at last year’s Gillman Classic meeting. Photo by Mike Gerlach JDM Photos.