Solo team racing at Gillman Speedway this Saturday
May 1, 2018 by Gillman Media
The first of the winter interstate Solo team racing meetings will be held at Gillman Speedway this Saturday afternoon, 5 May.
Riders from South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland will ride in two 15-heat matches from 1pm.
The teams will be led by two recent British League riders, Robert Branford, who will captain Branford’s Bulls team, and Justin Sedgmen who will captain Sedgmen’s Robins. The team names honour two of the biggest clubs in Poland and UK, the Leszno Bulls and the Swindon Robins, which have both had strong ties with Australian riders.
The two matches will be interspersed with practice rides for other classes including Sidecars and Classic bikes. In the past Gillman has staged practice meetings on the first Sunday of each month during the winter and those practice days have now been moved to the first Saturday and combined with the teams’ meetings.
Robins’ captain Justin Sedgmen said recently “we are so happy this has been well received by the riders – we already have more riders wanting to ride in future matches – and all we need now is for the supporters to get behind us and who knows where this will lead in the future?”
The spectator admission price on Saturday is $15 for everyone 16 years and older, with under 16 free. Entry is by the eastern gate (behind the pits) only.
Photos: Top photo: Team captains Justin Sedgmen (red) and Robert Branford (yellow/black). Photo by Derick Thomas. Bottom photo: Declan Knowles (white), Robert Branford (yellow), Robert Medson (blue). Photo by Judy Mackay.
Everything You Need To Know:
Meeting Date: Saturday, 5 May 2018.
Venue: Gillman Speedway Stadium, 65 Wilkins Road, Gillman – near the Port Adelaide area.
Gates open: 11 am. Eastern gate (near the pits) only.
Racing starts: 1 pm.
500cc Solo Teams:
Branford’s Bulls: 1-Robert Branford (SA), 2-Seth Hickey (SA), 3-Dakota Ballantyne (SA), 4-Robert Medson (SA), 5-Zaine Kennedy (Qld), 6-Fraser Bowes (SA), 7-Blake Ridley (SA).
Sedgmen’s Robins: 1-Justin Sedgmen (Vic), 2-Kane Lawrence (NSW), 3-Josh Macdonald (NSW), 4-Declan Knowles (Vic), 5-Cooper Riordan (Vic), 6-Matt Pickering (NSW), 7-Tom Dixon (Vic).
Possible Practice Classes: Sidecars, 250cc Under 16 Solos, Flat Track Solos, Classic 500cc Solos, Classic Sidecars, 125cc Under 16 Solos, Three Quarter Midgets.
Admission: Age 16 and over $15, Under 16 free. Parking free. Programme (A4 sheet) free. Grandstand free.
Seating: Grandstand seating, 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]
Bar facilities available but 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. Eftpos available in the souvenir shop. Souvenirs can also be purchased online (see the Shop tab on the Gillman Speedway website).
Weather Forecast (as at 1/5/18): Maximum 22, minimum 14. Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower during the morning, most likely about the hills and southern suburbs. [www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/Adelaide]
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 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. 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
