New Australian Solo Champion makes a quick return to Gillman - January 2016

January 20, 2016 by Gillman Media

Newly crowned Australian Solo Champion, 19-year-old Brady Kurtz, from Cowra in New South Wales, returns to Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway this Saturday night hoping to achieve a rare feat in Australian speedway, that of being the Australian Champion and the Australian Under 21 Champion at the same time.

It is a feat that has only been achieved twice before, by the legendary ten-time Australian Champion Leigh Adams in 1992, and former World Champion Chris Holder in 2008.

Being Australian Champion hasn’t made him a clear-cut favourite for Saturday night, however, and he’ll share that favouritism with two other 19-year-olds who will both be trying to set their own bit of history, Max Fricke and Jack Holder.

Fricke, from the small town of Mansfield in the foothills of the Victorian Alps, is the current champion and will be attempting to win the title for the fourth consecutive year, a feat which has only been achieved once, by Chris Holder.

Fricke finished just three points behind Kurtz in the four-round Australian Championship earlier this month to indicate there is nothing between them at the moment, but current Australia #7 Jack Holder has had the beating of both at various times this season, and in the past, and he was the runner-up to Fricke last season, splitting Fricke and Kurtz who finished third. He also split them again in last season’s NSW Under 21 Championship in which the results were reversed with Kurtz winning from Holder and Fricke.

This season Holder, who was a team-mate of Fricke and Kurtz in the Australian team which contested the World Under 21 Team Cup, has already won the New South Wales and Victoria Under 21 Championships and wants to add the national championship this weekend.

While the winner is expected to come from those three there are other riders capable of taking victory, particularly Queensland’s Jake Allen, who equalled Fricke’s score in the heats last year but was then excluded from the final after he and Fricke fell, and Western Australia’s Cameron Heeps, who has been racing in the British League since he turned 15.

Another Queenslander, 17-year-old Zaine Kennedy, showed in the Victorian U21 Championship that those outside the favourites also can’t be ignored when he split Holder and Fricke in the final.

The support events for Saturday night’s meeting will be the Australian Under 16 250cc Championship, and with current champion Jaimon Lidsey now in the Under 21 ranks, it means a new champion will be crowned and the favourites will be last season’s placegetters Brody Eves and Matthew Gilmore.

Eves, from Townsville, is a past winner, having won when the event was last at Gillman, in 2014, but Gilmore, is the current World Champion after winning the 2015 Speedway Youth World Cup in France, in which Eves finished seventh.

Although they will start as the obvious favourites, the Under 16 championship is likely to produce surprise results, and even surprise contenders, as a number of riders are unknown outside their own state, and riders can, and do, develop greater speed and skill over a relatively short time frame in the Under 16 ranks.

WA’s Declan Knowles and New South Wales rider Mitchell Cluff are prime examples. Knowles has improved considerably this season to be a serious challenger at national level, and Cluff came to Gillman in December a complete unknown to Adelaide fans and was a standout performer in the South Australian Championship, winning all his heats before losing out in a classic final.

Others with known form include Queenslanders Declan Kennedy and Jedd List, while the two South Australian riders Brayden McGuinness and Mitchell Grech are capable of at least a semi-final berth if they are in their best form.

Everything You Need To Know:

Meeting Date: Saturday, 23 January 2016.

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

Gates open: at 3 pm.

Parking and entrance: Patrons can enter via two gates, at the western and eastern ends of the venue. There are free parking areas near both gates. The eastern gate will close at 8.30pm.

Racing starts: at 7.30 pm. Free spectator access to the pits for a close look at the bikes until approximately 5 pm when practice starts.

Riders:

CBS Bins Australian Under 21 500cc Solo Championship : Jake Allen (Qld), Dakota Ballantyne (SA), Jack Fallon (Vic), Max Fricke (Vic), Cameron Heeps (WA), Seth Hickey (SA), Jack Holder (NSW), Zaine Kennedy (Qld), Tyler King (NSW), Brady Kurtz (NSW), Jaimon Lidsey (Vic), Joshua MacDonald (NSW), Jake Mitchell (SA), Blake Russell (WA), Tyson Snow (Qld), Jack Morrison (Vic). Reserves: James Dimmock (ACT), Luke Bacskai (SA)

CBS Bins Australian Under 16 250cc Solo Championship : Aden Clare (NSW), Mitchell Cluff (NSW), Brody Eves (Qld), Matthew Gilmore (NSW), Brad Gordon (WA), Mitchell Grech (SA), Oliver Hamilton (Vic), Jacob Hook (Qld), Isaac Hawes (NSW), Declan Kennedy (Qld), Declan Knowles (WA), Jedd List (Qld), Brayden McGuiness (SA), Cordell Rogerson (Qld), Kobee Ziedas (WA).

Format: 16 riders x 20 heats plus a last chance semi-final and a final. The 4th to 7th highest scorers go into the semi-final; and the winner of the semi-final and the three highest scorers from the 20 heats go into the final.

Admission prices: Adults $25, Age Pension and Student Concession $20 (*), Children Under 16 $5 (aged 12-15 inclusive), Children Under 12 free. Family $55. Programme $5. Grandstand seating $5. Parking free.

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

Weather Forecast: Cloudy, maximum 29, minimum 17. [www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/Adelaide]

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

VIP Area: The V.I.P. area is available to anyone who would like to treat their business colleagues, family or friends to the best view of motorcycle speedway action in Australia. Any number from one up to fifty spectators can enjoy the elevated view overlooking the track, either from inside the temperature controlled room, on the timber decks, or the enclosed lawn area, for a very reasonable price per person. A fully stocked bar and a variety of food to suit all budgets is available and you can book the whole room or part thereof. Ring Gillman Speedway Manager David Parker on 0403 364 658 or e-mail dave@gillmanspeedway.com for more details.

Sponsor: CBS Bins

CBS Bins is a family owned and operated businesses which commenced in 1975 when Graham and Marion Baker started in business with the purchase of a model 610 Bobcat. As the years progressed they were joined by their sons Steven, Mark and Darren, and today CBS Bins has grown into one of South Australia’s leading waste and rubbish removal companies. Sadly Graham passed away in January 2013, but his family continue to support Gillman Speedway and Graham’s past support has been remembered by the western end terraced area being named The Graham Baker Terrace. Website [www.cbsbins.com.au]

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