Proctor and Branford favourites for the Jack Young Cup at Gillman - November 2015

November 25, 2015 by Gillman Media

Two British League riders, Ty Proctor and Robert Branford, look set to continue their recent dominance of the Jack Young Solo Cup when the annual meeting is held at the Gillman Speedway Stadium on Saturday night (28 November).

The duo have won the past three Cups and finished first and second in last season’s event.

28-year-old Proctor, from Longwarry in Victoria, won the Cup in 2013, then missed 2014 because of injury, but returned to regain it last year in his first appearance after another lengthy injury lay-off, and he will be attempting to become only the second rider, behind Leigh Adams, to win the Jack Young Cup for a third time. Adams won the Cup five times.

Branford, 22 earlier this week, won the Cup in 2014, and finished second to Proctor last season, and will be attempting to join Proctor, and Kevin Doolan, as a two-time winner.

Outside of Branford and Proctor, it is wide open for the remaining berths in the final. Local rider Arlo Bugeja is a former runner-up in the event and must have a good chance of getting back on the rostrum, but a host of promising teenagers will also be in contention, led by Mildura’s Jaimon Lidsey who won the Australian Under 16 250cc championship last season.

Three groups of Sidecars will form the bulk of the support programme with Mick Headland/Jesse Headland and Mark Mitchell/Dale Knights back after a meeting’s absence to take on Arron Hartwig/Teagan Hartwig, Shane Rudloff/Tom Adams, and Ron Parker/Jarred Edey (making their first appearance for the season) in Group 1.

There will also be Under 16 250cc Solo races, with riders from SA, Victoria and New South Wales, plus the junior 125cc races on the infield track during the brief track grades.

The meeting commemorates the memory of South Australia’s greatest rider, the late Jack Young, the first rider from any country to win the World Speedway Championship twice (1951, 52), the only Australian to have successfully defended the championship, and the only South Australian winner.

Top pic: Tyron Proctor leading Robert Branford (yellow) and Robert Medson (blue) in last season’s Jack Young Cup Final. Photo by Judy Mackay.

Everything You Need To Know:

Meeting Date: Saturday, 28 November 2015.

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

Gates open: at 5 pm. Entry via Western and Eastern gates. The Eastern gate will close at 8pm. Off-street parking areas near both gates.

Racing starts: at 7.30 pm. Free spectator access to the pits until approximately 6.30 pm.

Nominations:

500cc Solos – Jack Young Cup (12): Luke Bacskai, Dakota Ballantyne, Robert Branford, Arlo Bugeja, Gary Fischer, Jaimon Lidsey (Vic), Jake Mitchell, Jack Morrison (Vic), Blake Ridley, Cooper Riordan (Vic), Jordan Stewart (Vic), Tyron Proctor (Vic)

Sidecars (17): Peter Adams/Katelyn Silvy, Keith Bichard/Michael Bell, Tim Bichard/Anthony Schulz, Steve Browne/Scott Morris, Arron Hartwig/Teagan Hartwig, Mick Headland/Jesse Headland, Dean Hobbs/Andy Westover, Klae Hobbs/tba, Kym Menadue/Eric Melton, Mark Mitchell/Dale Knights, Ron Parker/Jarred Edey, Luke Puddy/Damian Egan, Shane Rudloff/Tom Adams, Aaron Silvy/Adam Pascoe, Brian Silvy/Josh Knott, Mick Tucker/Corey Palmer, Darryll Woods/Will Walker

250cc Junior Solos (5): Aden Clare (NSW), James Davies (Vic), Mitchell Grech, Brayden McGuinness, Jack Sylvia (Vic)

125cc Junior Solos (10): Angus Vandenberg, Fraser Bowes, Patrick Bowes, Mitchell Grech, Hugh Evans, Troy Kutcher, Liam May, Nicholas Possingham, Layne Riordan (Vic), Jack Sadler

Admission prices: Adults $25, Age Pension and Student Concession $20 (*), Children 12-15 $5, Under 12 free. Family $55. Grandstand seating $5, Programme $5, Parking free.

(*) Concession is limited Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card and Student Concession Card holders only. A family ticket covers 2 adults and children under 16.

Weather Forecast: Sunny, maximum 26, minimum 11 [www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/Adelaide]

Seating: 216 seat grandstand; terracing and large grassed viewing mounds suitable for deck chairs.

Sponsor: Downer Infrastructure

Downer Infrastructure is a multi-national company, and one of the country’s largest providers of engineering services for critical infrastructure, who ensured a wet and muddy, or dry and dusty, pit area is a thing of the past at Gillman Speedway by bituminising all of the pit area.

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, nachos, 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 kilometres.

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; and the Mawson Lakes Hotel and Function Centre, Main Street, Mawson Lakes, offer a discount to speedway fans but you must ring the venues 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