Sidecar World Cup countdown has begun at Gillman Speedway - February 2016

February 12, 2016 by Gillman Media

The countdown to the 2016 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup to be held at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway has begun, with several high-profile Sidecar events over the next month leading into the World Cup and the Oceania Championship on the Easter weekend.

First up is the Blackchrome Sidecar Feature on Saturday, 20 February. The format won’t be finalised until nominations close on Sunday night (14 February) but early nominations include eight-time Australian Champion Darrin Treloar, his arch-rival of recent years Mick Headland and current Australia #2 Warren Monson.

A fortnight later, on Saturday 5 March, Mick Headland will defend his Gillman Speedway track championship, and then on 19 March there will be a huge Solo and Sidecar meeting just a week before the World Cup. At this early stage 19 March is looking like it will be two meetings in one, with full line-ups of local and interstate 500cc and 250cc Solos contesting round 1 of the Heffernan Motorsports Solo Series, and Sidecars competing for the President’s Trophy plus track time for most, if not all, the overseas riders from the USA, Great Britain and New Zealand, here for the World Cup.

World Cup week will start on Thursday night, 24 March, with the official World Cup practice. Gates will open at 3pm and practice will start at 6pm. There will be no practice on race day.

The following day, Good Friday, the club will have a “Festival of Speed” social day at the track with static displays of current and classic speedway bikes and over 50 speedway cars including sprint cars and speedcars, around the circumference of the track. There will also be rock band, and plenty of things for the kids, including a bouncy castle, face painting, and chances to have their photo taken with some of the stars of past and present. Also throughout the day the international riders will be interviewed by Darren Disbury, host of the Thursday Thunder internet speedway programme.

The canteen will be open and a bbq lunch will be available as well, and best of all it is free entry for the practice and the Good Friday. The times on the Friday are 10am to 4pm.

The 2016 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup (presented by Blackchrome Sportswear) will be on the Saturday night (26 March, 7.30pm start) and the FIM Oceania Sidecar Championship (presented by Sailun Tyres) will be on the Sunday night (27 March, 7.30pm start).

The Oceania Championship will be the final meeting of the season at Gillman, but a second round of the Oceania Championship will be held at Undera Park Speedway in Victoria on 2 April.