Australian Under-16 Solo Championship South Australian Under-16 Solo Championship South Australian Under-16 Sidecar Championship Barb Miller Memorial Birthday Meeting Roy Bitmead Cup
The Sidewinders Speedway is a junior Motorcycle speedway that was opened in 1978 in the semi-industrial Adelaide suburb of Wingfield in South Australia. The Sidewinders U/16 Speedway Club Inc. was founded two years earlier in 1976 by Graham Baker and Roy Bitmead, with help from Rowley Park Speedway riders Robin and Kym Amundson, and their father Bill.[1] As it was then, Sidewinders goal is to promote and develop speedway through its junior ranks with riders aged 4–15, something that had rarely been done in Australia to that point. Once a rider turns 16 he or she then move into the senior ranks.
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines which use only one gear and have no brakes; racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt, loosely packed shale, or crushed rock. Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways, powersliding or broadsiding into the bends. On the straight sections of the track the motorcycles reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).
Adelaide is the capital city of the state of South Australia, and the fifth-most populous city of Australia. Adelaide is home to 77 percent of the South Australian population, making it the most centralised population of any state in Australia. The demonym Adelaidean is used to denote the city and its residents.
Wingfield is a suburb situated north of Adelaide. It lies between the Port River Expressway on the north and Grand Junction Road on the south. The suburb borders Dry Creek to its north and east, bounded by the Gawler railway line and Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line on the east. The North-South Motorway and Dry Creek-Port Adelaide railway line both cross the suburb. Wingfield is named after R. W. Wingfield, the private secretary to Governor of South Australia, William Jervois.
Prior to the opening of Sidewinders, most Australian Solo riders came into the sport with a background in Cycle Speedway (in Adelaide this was usually through the Findon Skid Kids cycling club) or through Scrambling, including local Adelaide hero John Boulger who during the 1980s and 1990s was a strong supporter of the speedway (despite having retired from riding in 1983 to move into first the Sprintcar, then the Speedcar ranks), lending his experience, including two Australian Championships, nine South Australian Championships, a World Team Cup win, and two World Final appearances, to up and coming riders.
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
John Boulger is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. After he retired from riding Solos in the early 1980s, Boulger raced somewhat successfully in Speedcars (Midgets) from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s. Boulger won a record nine South Australian Championships as well as two Australian Solo Championships during his career.
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the United States of America and Canada, as well as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Track
The 112 metres (122 yards) Sidewinders Speedway, which has a dolomite surface, is the only dedicated, stand alone junior motorcycle speedway track in Australia. Other venues around the country such as the nearby Gillman Speedway, the Olympic Park and Undera Park Speedways in Victoria, and the Loxford Park Speedway in New South Wales, all boast junior tracks on the infield of their main track. The 142 metres (155 yards)Pinjar Park motorcycle speedway just north of Perth in Western Australia is similar to Sidewinders and regularly runs junior events, though the speedway also doubles as Perth's main senior motorcycle speedway.
Dolomite (also known as dolostone, dolomite rock or dolomitic rock) is a sedimentary carbonate rock that contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite, CaMg(CO3)2. In old USGS publications, it was referred to as magnesian limestone, a term now reserved for magnesium-deficient dolomites or magnesium-rich limestones. Dolomite has a stoichiometric ratio of nearly equal amounts of magnesium and calcium. Most dolomites formed as a magnesium replacement of limestone or lime mud before lithification. Dolomite is resistant to erosion and can either contain bedded layers or be unbedded. It is less soluble than limestone in weakly acidic groundwater, but it can still develop solution features (karst) over time. Dolomite can act as an oil and natural gas reservoir.
Gillman Speedway is a purpose built, 300 metres long motorcycle speedway located in the Adelaide suburb of Gillman in South Australia. The track opened in 1998 and runs approximately 13 meetings per season from October to March/April.
Victoria is a state in south-eastern Australia. Victoria is Australia's smallest mainland state and its second-most populous state overall, making it the most densely populated state overall. Most of its population lives concentrated in the area surrounding Port Phillip Bay, which includes the metropolitan area of its state capital and largest city, Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city. Victoria is bordered by Bass Strait and Tasmania to the south, New South Wales to the north, the Tasman Sea, to the east, and South Australia to the west.
Sidewinders offers raised viewing on the back straight which allows spectators to see over the fence with an unimpeded view of the entire track. The track also has lights allowing for night racing (installed in 1986) and a raised Control Tower with FIM standard controls for the starting gate and lights, while the pits are located on the outside of turn 4 (the pit gate is located directly to the right of the cover photo). Sidewinders also offers canteen and toilet facilities as well as merchandise sales. Entry is Adults $5.00 and Children U16 Free for race meetings, the venue has a full Canteen and both the Amenities and Canteen have disable access.
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the global governing/sanctioning body of motorcycle racing. It represents 111 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions.
Sidewinders is located on North Terrace at the end of Eighth Street Wingfield, and the season runs every fortnight from September to April.
In October 2014, new bays were built in the pits for the first time giving an undercover pit area for riders and their crew to work on their machines as well as giving welcome shade.
In 2017 the Club was leased the land to the west of the venue, from the previous boundary to the Gun Club, from the Port Adelaide/Enfield Council, on which to build a bigger track to be used for training for the 250cc Class. The track will have no track fence but will have sufficient run-offs instead, and there will be no racing conducted on it at all but will give the Intermediate riders a place to hone their skills before going to senior riding at Gillman.
History
Sidewinders, which held its first official meeting on 25 February 1978, has produced some of the biggest names in Australian speedway. Local riders to learn their skills at the speedway include 1983 European (World) Under-21 ChampionSteve Baker (son of club founder Graham), Four times South Australian Champions Mark Fiora and Shane Parker, triple SA Champions Craig Hodgson and Ryan Sullivan (winner of the 2004 Australian Solo Championship), current Track Manager and twice SA Champion Scott Norman (his son Jack Norman is currently a rider at the speedway), former World Under-21 Finalist Shane Bowes, and former Moto3 rider Arthur Sissis (who in 2014 made a welcome return to the speedway ranks). Former Riders such as Parker, Norman and Bowes often host various coaching clinics at the speedway, lending their experience to young riders.
The 1983 Individual Speedway Junior European Championship was a series of motorcycle speedway races with all participants under the age of 21. The title was won by Steve Baker of Australia.
Mark Fiora is a retired Australian international Motorcycle speedway rider. He is a four time South Australian Champion, and winner of the Australian Best Pairs championship in 1988 with Craig Hodgson. Fiora also rode for 13 different teams in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1988.
Shane Andrew Parker is a former Australian motorcycle speedway rider and a four time South Australian Champion. Currently he is riding in the Australian season at his home track of Gillman Speedway in Adelaide, and finished second in the 2012/13 South Australian Championship behind reigning champion and Speedway Grand Prix rider, Troy Batchelor. Shane Parker holds one of the unluckiest records in Australian speedway, having been the runner-up in the South Australian title on seven occasions during his career.
Jason Philip Crump is an Australian former international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a three-time Speedway World Champion, a World Cup winner and a former World Under-21 Champion.
Leigh Scott Adams is a retired Australian motorcycle speedway rider. He is a multiple Speedway Grand Prix winner and World Team Champion. He also won a record 10 Australian Solo Championships, four Australian Under-21 Championships, the 1992 Individual Speedway Junior World Championship, and was the 1986 Australian Under-16 Champion.
The Victorian Individual Speedway Championship is a Motorcycle speedway championship held annually in Australia's southernmost mainland state of Victoria to determine the State champion. The event is organised by the Motorcycling Victoria and is sanctioned by Motorcycling Australia (MA).
Sidewinders hosted the inaugural Australian Under-16 Championship in 1982, and subsequently hosted the Championship, and the Australian Best Pairs Championship in 1985, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2002, 2006 and 2011. Local rider Paul Snadden won the first Australian U/16 title in August 1981 but this subsequently counted as the 1982 title, while other local winners include Shane Parker (1985), Ryan Sullivan (1991), Rusty Harrison (1997), and Dakota Ballentyne (2011). Victorian rider Jason Hawkes (1988, where Jason Crump finished second), Western Australian rider Trevor Harding (2002), another Mildura rider Ryan Sedgmen (2006) and NSW rider Matthew Gilmore (2016) have been the interstate winners. The club also hosts the South Australian Under-16 Solo and Sidecar championships.
Sidewinders U/16 Speedway currently runs between 10 and 13 meetings per season starting in October and finishing in April. Meetings are run every second Saturday night so as not to clash with the bike only Gillman Speedway which also stages junior racing on its 111 metres (121 yards) junior infield track. As speedway in Australia is a summer sport, Sidewinders has a hot weather policy which sometimes sees meetings cancelled if the forecast temperature is too hot (generally 35–40 °C or higher).
Classes that race at Sidewinders Speedway are Junior Solos, Junior Sidecars, Novice Solo Class, Novice Sidecar Class and 50cc Mini Bikes. The club holds regular "Come and Try" events for kids interested in speedway riding. Although Solo and Sidecar racing is generally a male dominated sport, Sidewinders has seen several young girls take up speedway racing.
The Sydney Sports Ground No. 1 was a Stadium and Dirt track racing venue in Sydney, New South Wales. The ground was located where the car park of the Sydney Football Stadium (SFS) currently sits. The ground had two main grandstands and was surrounded by a grass covered hill, giving it a capacity of more than 35,000. It was demolished along with the smaller No.2 Ground in 1986 to allow the building of the SFS, which opened in 1988. During its lifespan the Sports Ground hosted Rugby league, Rugby Union, Soccer, Motorcycle speedway and Speedway car racing.
Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of motorcycle racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in the UK with the first meetings having taken place in the 1920s.
Philip John "Phil" Crump in Mildura, Victoria is a retired Australian Motorcycle speedway rider who attained 3rd place in the 1976 World Championship. He also won the 1976 Speedway World Team Cup with Australia in the same year.
Christopher Robert "Chris" Holder is an Australian speedway rider currently riding for Lejonen in the Swedish Elitserien and for Unibax Toruń in the Polish Speedway Ekstraliga. He became the Australian Individual Speedway Champion in 2008 and followed up with wins in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 as well as winning the Australian Under-21 Championship in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. He finished as runner-up in the Under-21 World Championship in 2007 and 2008. He is 2012 World Speedway Champion. His brother, James, also rode in the UK with the Plymouth Devils in the Premier League and younger brother Jack Holder also rides for the Somerset Rebels in the SGB Premiership.
Ryan Geoffrey Sullivan is a retired Australian international Motorcycle speedway rider who has won the Australian senior, Under-21, and Under-16 championships during his career. Sullivan achieved a career best third in the 2002 Speedway Grand Prix, winning two of the ten Grand Prix run during the year.
Jack Ellis Young was a Motorcycle speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1951 and 1952. He also won the London Riders' Championship 1953 and 1954 and was a nine time South Australian Champion between 1948 and 1964.
Sidecar Speedway is a motorcycle sport involving 4 crews of a rider and a passenger competing over 4 laps on an oval shale surface. Rules are governed by the national speedway federation and are not dissimilar to conventional speedway rules.
Todd Wiltshire is a retired Australian motorcycle speedway rider who competed at the highest level of the sport, finishing a career best third in the 1990 Individual Speedway World Championship at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford, England. He is also a two time Australian Champion, winning in 1999 and 2001.
Justin Maxwell Sedgmen is an Australian motorcycle speedway rider. He is the son of former Australian rider Gavin Sedgmen and the grandson of Phil Sedgmen.
The Murray Machining & Sheds Murray Bridge Speedway is a Dirt track racing venue that is located in the town of Murray Bridge, South Australia, only 66 km from Adelaide. Racing at the speedway generally takes place between September and May meetings are held every second Saturday night. Racing has been held at the venue continuously since opening in 1958
The Australian Sidecar Championship is a speedway championship held each year to determine the Australian national champions. The event is sanctioned and run by Motorcycling Australia (MA) and is held in a different state every year. The Australian Sidecar Championship was first held in 1931 at the Melbourne Exhibition Speedway and was won by Victorian pair Les Medlycott and his passenger "Tich" Jones
North Arm Speedway was the first dedicated motorcycle speedway ever built in Adelaide, South Australia and was located in the industrial suburb of Gillman. It was run by the Speedway Riders' Association of South Australia and ran from 1981 until its forced closure in 1997.
The South Australian Individual Speedway Championship is a Motorcycle speedway championship held annually in the Australian state of South Australia to determine the South Australian Champion. The event is organised by the Speedway Riders' Association of South Australia Inc (SRA). and is sanctioned by Motorcycling Australia (MA).
The Loxford Park Speedway is a motorcycle speedway track located in the town of Loxford near Kurri Kurri in New South Wales (NSW). It is home to the Kurri Kurri Speedway Club and the Kurri Cobras.
The 2015 Individual Speedway Australian Championship is a Motorcycle speedway competition organised by Motorcycling Australia (MA) for the Australian Solo Championship.
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