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Sidecars made their return as the featured race entertainment last Saturday, February 3rd, at Gillman Speedway, hosted by the Speedway Riders Association of SA for the 2024 Bowes Family Sidecar Cup. The event always holds special significance as it celebrates the contributions of a family spanning three generations of racers. As a highlight, all three generations of the Bowes family – Len, Shane, and Fraser – were present, reminiscing on the memories of the night. With three Australian Champions among the lineup, the atmosphere was electric, offering plenty for spectators to enjoy.

With a history of three Australian Championships under their belts, Mark Plaisted and Ben Pitt were poised for a perfect streak of wins. However, an infield exclusion in heat 5 saw them entering the finals behind points leaders Dean Hobbs and Daniel Low, tied on 12 points with Kym Menadue and Shane Dolan. 

Determined to secure victory for the night, Plaisted and Pitt launched a final charge, leading all the way to claim the win. Competition for the second-place podium spot was intense, with Hobbs/Low and Menadue/Dolan battling it out. Ultimately, Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan clinched second place by a mere 0.096 of a second ahead of Hobbs & Low. Trent Headland/April Cottrell, the semi-final winners, rounded out the fourth position.

Congratulations to all the riders who participated in the Bowes Family Sidecar Cup and support classes of the night. For a comprehensive review of the night’s action, check out Gillman’s Speedway article HERE and browse through the fantastic photographer’s albums below for a visual journey through the event.

Judy Mackay

Terrysproshots Photography

Derick Thomas Photography

2024 Bowes Family Side Car Cup

Name	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	TOTAL	SEMI-FINAL	FINAL	PLACING
Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt	3	3	3	3	Xi	12		1	1
Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan	2	3	3	2	2	12		2	2
Dean Hobbs/Daniel Low	2	3	3	2	3	13		3	3
Trent Headland/April Cottrell	3	2	2	Xi	3	10	1	4	4
Chris Walker/Eric Melton	2	Xi	0	3	3	8	2		5
Nate Headland/Jack Spear	3	2	Xi	2	3	10	3		6
Nathan Fleet/Cameron Diwell	1	1	2	3	2	9	4		7
Aaron Silvy/Jaron Silvy	2	1	3	1	1	8			8
Josh Pascoe/Greg Black	0	1	2	3	1	7			9
Justin Plaisted/Damian Egan	3	3	N	N	N	6			10
Brian Silvy/Glen Zaworski	1	2	1	2	0	6			11
Shane Rudloff/Scott Morris	1	1	1	1	2	6			12
Wayne Lethbridge/Grantley Simounds	1	0	2	1	0	4			13
Stephen Fowler/Jeremy Sherwood	0	R	1	0	2	3			14
Thomas Adams/Cameron White	Xi	2	Xpf	Xpf	N	2			15
Byron Mordaunt/William Lepoidevin	FX	N	N	N	N	0			16

FX – Fell Excluded

N – Non Starter

Xi – Excluded infield

Xpf – Excluded Passenger Fell

 

Flat Track Solo Scratch Races

Name	R1	R2	R3	R4	TOTAL	CONSOLATION FINAL	FINAL	PLACING
Kyle Machin	3	3	3	3	12		1	1
Seane Chapman	2	3	2	3	10		2	2
Dale Knights	3	2	1	2	8		3	3
Graeme Eberhard	2	3	3	2	9		4	4
Greg Laanekorb	1	0	1	1	3		5	5
Matt Paterson	1	1	2	F	4		6	6
Kristy Schultz	0	0	0	0	0	1		7
Con Twist	0	0	0	1	1	2		8
Troy Knights	0	0	0	0	0	3		9
Stuart McKenzie	0	1	0	0	1	4		10
Mingyu Zhao	0	0	0	0	0	5		11

Under 16 125cc Junior Solo Scratch Races

Name	R1	R2	R3	R4	TOTAL	CONSOLATION FINAL	FINAL	PLACING
Ryliegh McGregor	3	3	3	3	12		1	1
Hayden Pascoe	2	3	1	3	9		2	2
Hayden Kuchel	1	1	3	2	7		3	3
Connor Machin	3	2	0	2	7		4	4
Riley Stout	2	2	2	1	7	1		5
Ruby Chapman	0	1	1	1	3	2		6
William Nicol	R	0	2	0	2	3		7
Owen Chapman	1	0	0	0	1	4		8

R – Retired 

 

Junior Demonstration Riders of the Night

Last week, South Australia’s Ivan Golding was honoured with the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the annual Australian Day Honours List. 

The current chair of Motorcycling Australia’s (MA) Track Commission, the 88-year-old South Australian is honoured with the OAM for his outstanding services throughout his life dedicated to both Australian Speedway racing and the wider sport of motorcycling.

This prominent award recognition is a reflection of an exceptional history within the sport of Motorcycling and the discipline of Speedway for nearly 70 years. From humble beginnings riding around an oval track at Murray Bridge, Golding soon became a wealth of knowledge in the discipline and with a passion for promoting and developing the sport that has well and truly continued to this day.

With his passion for the sport, it was no surprise Ivan would progress from competing in the sport to utilizing his skills within the administration behind the scenes of the sport. Over his extensive history within the sport of Motorcycling, Ivan has dedicated himself as an MA Board Member, MA Councillor, President of Motorcycling South Australia, and President of the Murray Bridge Motorcycle Club.

Not only working behind the scenes in the sporting structure, Ivan’s impressive CV of qualifications and endorsements include Referee, Clerk of Course, Scrutineer, Starter, and age certainly not slowing him down; he continues to utilize them all.

Speedway, however, was always a constant passion and lure despite his many years in the sport overall. Currently, he is spending his golden years in volunteer roles as the Chair of the MA Track Commission, the President of the Speedway Riders Association of South Australia, and the current president of his beloved Gillman Speedway Stadium, which leads the way in hosting National Level Senior speedway competitions within SA, including the recent 2024 Oceania Speedway Championships.

Reflecting on the award, Ivan said, “I am extremely humbled and had no idea I would receive such an honour. I have loved every minute since I started back in 1983. I certainly don’t do any of this for awards but hope the sport gets more recognition through this award, instead of me.”

In Golding’s true fashion of modesty, he has supported the sport over the last three decades by sponsoring many riders who competed both nationally and internationally. All with the goal of giving back to the sport that he has loved and no want for recognition in the process.

We couldn’t think of a harder-working, more passionate, and deserving figure in the sport. Congratulations to Ivan Golding OAM!

 

 

 

It all came down to the wire with a thrilling display of skill last Saturday night, the 27th of January, at the 2024 FIM Oceania Speedway Championship at Gillman Speedway, with the Speedway Riders Association of SA proudly playing host. With an impressive crowd in attendance, perfect weather, and world-class speedway stars coming together, it was surely a night to remember.

Adding to the night’s anticipation saw an 11th-hour rider withdrawal of former Australian Champion Sam Masters, with Victorias Declan Knowles called up as the replacement.

It would be the talent of former U21 World Champion Jaimon Lidsey to charge home as the 2024 Oceania Speedway Championship winner after a run of first-place finishes in all his races, securing the Semi-final 1 victory and holding off 3-time World Champion Tai Woffinden for a hard-charging finals finish. Rounding out the final 4 in third place would be former Australian Championship Title holder Brady Kurtz, edging out Justin Sedgmen in fourth.

Coming into the night, the original winner of the 2024 FIM Oceania Championship was set to receive Australia’s final spot in the GP Qualifying rounds. However, Jaimon Lidsey had already secured his place through his top-four National Championship finish. This opened up an opportunity for the third-place holder, Brady Kurtz, to secure the chance to join the remainder of the Australian contingent at the  FIM SGP Challenge in Pardubice on October 4. The top 4 riders from Pardubice will then secure spots in the 2025 Speedway GP series.

On the South Australian front, Fraser Bowes put up a hard fight against the favourites, securing second place in his first and fifth heats. He also claimed victory in his heat 3, narrowly missing the semi-finals and finishing with an overall 7th place. Sam Martin gave it his all in his heats, concluding the event in 11th place overall. Unfortunately, Jake Turner’s night took a turn for the worse when he was involved in a high-speed crash with Victoria’s Jack Morrison, leading to the end of the race for both riders. Fortunately, neither rider suffered any broken bones, but both walked away feeling quite sore. Check out the full scoreboard of results below, including all the support categories of the night.

If you missed the night of action and want to catch up, Judy Mackay, Terrysproshots Photography, and Derick Thomas Photography were trackside to capture all the action. Find all the photo albums below:

Judy Mackay

Terrysproshots Photography

Derick Thomas Photography

2024 FIM Oceania Speedway Championships Full Results:

Name	State	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	TOTAL	SEMI-FINAL 1	SEMI-FINAL 2	FINAL	PLACING
Jaimon Lidsey	VIC	3	3	3	3	3	15	1		1	1
Tai Woffinden	ENG	3	3	2	2	3	13		1	2	2
Brady Kurtz	NSW	R	2	3	3	3	11	2		3	3
Justin Sedgmen	VIC	2	3	2	1	2	10		2	4	4
Josh Pickering	NSW	3	2	2	2	3	12	3			5
Sam Hagen	ENG	3	3	3	0	2	11		3		6
Fraser Bowes	SA	2	1	1	3	2	9	4			7
Zane Keleher	QLD	1	0	3	3	0	7		4		8
Michael West	NSW	2	2	2	F	1	7				9
Jacob Hook	QLD	1	2	1	1	2	7				10
Sam Martin	SA	0	1	1	2	1	5				11
Dayle Wood	VIC	1	0	1	2	0	4				12
Jack Morrison	VIC	2	FN	N	N	N	2				13
Declan Knowles	VIC	0	0	0	1	1	2				14
Matthew Marson	WA	0	1	0	FX	1	2				15
Jake Turner	SA	1	FX	N	N	N	1				16

 

Support Class Results of the Night:

250cc Solo – Harry Sadler

Under 16 125cc Junior Solo Scratch Races:

Name	Points
Ryleigh McGregor	12
Hayden Pascoe	10
Riley Stout	10
Connor Machin	8
Ruby Chapman	8
Hayden Kuchel	7
Owen Chapman	6
William Nicol	5
Kobi Canning	3

This coming Saturday the 27th of January, Australia’s finest speedway riders will showcase their skills against World Championship talent at Speedway Riders Association of SA, Gillman, for the 2024 CBS Bins FIM Oceania Championships. In a historic move, the FIM Track Commission will be awarding an SGP qualifying spot to the first-placed Australian-licensed rider of the night.

This deserving rider will subsequently compete in one of the four qualifying rounds in Europe in 2024. The top four riders of those rounds will then face the ultimate test in the Speedway Grand Prix Challenge meeting, where the first three will secure spots on the 2025 SGP roster.

Returning to Gillman to join the stellar lineup of riders is the three-time World Champion, Tai Woffinden. He will face off against the former U21 World Champion, Jaimon Lidsey, and the formidable competition of England’s Sam Hagon, along with former Australian Champions Brady Kurtz and Sam Masters. Additionally, there’s a whole lineup of Australian talent on the roster, including South Australia’s Fraser Bowes and Jake Turner. With plenty of home track knowledge and Gillman expertise, both are key riders to keep an eye on through the night.

Originally, Victoria’s Max Fricke and NSW’s James Pearson were set to join the field, but unfortunately, both recently withdrew. They have been replaced in the program by WA’s Matthew Marson and Victoria’s Dayle Wood.

Support events for the 2024 Oceania Speedway Championships will see 500cc Solo Support Races, U16 250cc Solos, and U16 125cc Solos, all taking to the track throughout the night. 

2024 Bins FIM Oceania Championships Rider Lineup:

• Fraser Bowes (SA)
• Jake Turner (SA)
• Tai Woffinden (ENG)
• Sam Hagon (ENG)
• Sam Masters (NSW)
• Brady Kurtz (NSW)
• Justin Sedgmen (VIC)
• Zane Keleher (QLD)
• Jaimon Lidsey (VIC)
• Josh Pickering (NSW)
• Jack Morrison (VIC)
• Patrick Hamilton (VIC)
• James Pearson (NSW)
• Jacob Hook (QLD)
• Michael West (NSW)
• Matthew Marson (WA) *(Replacing Max Fricke)
• Dayle Wood (VIC) *(Replacing James Pearson)

Reserve

• Sam Martin (SA)
• Riley Plum (VIC)

 

All the Nights Key Info:

4:00 pm – Gates open

(Pits open until 6 pm)

5:15 pm – Practice starts

7:00 pm – Racing kicks off

Adults $30 | Concession $25 | Children U16 FREE

$5.00 program and FREE off-street parking

Canteen, Bar and Souvenirs available to purchase (EFTPOS available)

Follow Speedway Riders Association of SA on Socials – HERE.

The event Livestreaming link will be available on the Gillman Speedway Social Media Page shortly.

More info and rider list www.gillmanspeedway.com