News

SOUTH AUSTRALIAS ANGUS BUGEJA WINS THE 2023 GRAHAM STEWART MOTORCYCLING AUSTRALIA OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR HONOURS

January 17, 2024 Filed Under: News

South Australia’s own Angus Bugeja was honoured to receive the annual 2023 Graham “Checkers” Stewart MA Official of the Year Award, presented by Motorcycling Australia’s Sam Redfern last Saturday, the 13th of January, at Gillman Speedway. A well-deserving Angus joins the esteemed recipients of the prestigious award for his continuous, tireless volunteer official duties.

The highly regarded award honours the late Graham Stewart, affectionately known as ‘Checkers,’ who was a key figure in motorcycle sport in Australia. He made significant contributions, showcasing his skilled Flag Marshal abilities at events such as the Australian MotoGP, FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) rounds, three Australian Speedway Grand Prix events, the Supercross (SX) Open, and the AUS-X Open.

At just 30 years old, Angus’s impressive portfolio includes level 4 accreditation as a Referee, Timekeeper, Marshal, Judge, and Clerk of Course, as well as being a level 3 Race Secretary and level 2 Scrutineer.

On top of his role as a full-time educator, Angus was the Referee for the 2024 Australian Speedway Championship and has continually demonstrated the below attributes to meet the criteria to receive the Motorcycling Australia award:

Integrity;
Dedication and commitment to the sport over a period of time;
The skills and knowledge in their chosen field;
Is respected and highly regarded by their peers;
Has the ability to impart knowledge and mentor people;
Has fulfilled a level of excellence in their duties and
Has officiated at a national level.

Angus said, “This was a huge surprise and an incredible honour to receive this high award.”

Motorcycling South Australia would like to extend a huge congratulations to Angus for this achievement.

If you are interested in starting your Officials journey and following in the footsteps of Angus, Motorcycling SA holds regular Level 1 Key Officials Seminars. For dates of upcoming seminars and information on officiating in the sport of Motorcycling, head to the Officials Page on the Motorcycling SA website.

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR AND AUSTRALIAN SPEEDWAY CHAMPIONS CROWNED FOR 2024

January 15, 2024 Filed Under: News, Speedway

Over the 12th and 13th of January, South Australia witnessed the crowning of the next generation speedway stars and the current cream of the crop Australian Champions with the running of the 2024 South Australian Under 16 125cc Solo Championships at Sidewinders U16 Speedway Club and the 2024 Australian 500cc Solo Championships at Gillman the following night.

Friday kicked off with top-tier racing talents, including Mildura’s Blake Schlein and our very own world number 4, Kobi Canning, all set to light up the track. It was sure to be a cracking start to initiate the two days of action.

After a night of exceptionally tight racing, a massive congratulations go out to Cooper Antone, who has now etched his name as the South Australian Under 16 125cc state champion. He was closely followed by Kobi Canning in second place, Blake Schlein in third, and Hayden Pascoe rounding out the podium for the night.

Many of these young speedway talents would return the following night as support classes for the fifth and final round of the 2024 Australian 500cc Solo Championships.

Coming in with a 5-point advantage over Rohan Tungate, Max Frick was seen as the championship favourite; however, it wasn’t meant to be when Tungate found the edge, gaining the upper hand to claim the overall 2024 Australian Championship after securing the Round 5 second-place finish behind NSW’s Brady Kurtz, who took the round win.

Catch up on a full breakdown of Saturday night’s Round 5 Championship action – HERE.

2024 Australian 500cc Solo Championships Results (including support categories) – HERE.

All the action across both nights was captured perfectly by Judy Mackay, Terry Scriven Photography, Paris Charles, and Derick Thomas Photography. Find all the photos below –

Judy Mackay

Terrysproshots Photography

Paris Charles

Derick Thomas Photography

South Australian Under 16 125cc Championship heat points

After 20 heats. Kobi Canning 15 (3,3,3,3,3), Cooper Antone 14 (3,3,3,3,2), Hayden Pascoe 13 (2,3,3,2,3), Blake Schlein 12 (3,2,3,1,3), Ryleigh McGregor 11 (2,2,2,3,2), Riley Stout 9 (1,3,2,3,exf), Connor Machin 9 (2,2,2,2,1), Hayden Matthews 8 (1,1,2,2,2), Blake Hocking 6 (3,1,1,1,0), Ruby Chapman 5 (exf,0,exf,2,3), Hayden Kuchel 4 (1,dnf, 0,1,2), William Nicol 4 (exf, 2, exf, 1,1), Owen Chapman 2 (0,1,1,0,exf).

Semi Final Schlein, McGregor, Stout, Machin

Final: Antone, Canning, Schlein, Pascoe

South Australian Under 16 125cc Championship:

Pos	Name	Points
1st	Cooper Antone	14
2nd	Kobi Canning	15
3rd	Blake Schlein	12
4th	Hayden Pascoe	13
5th	Ryleigh McGregor	11
6th	Riley Stout	9
7th	Connor Machin	9
8th	Hayden Matthews	8
9th	Blake Hocking	6
10th	Ruby Chapman	5
11th	Hayden Kuchel	4
12th	William Nicol	4
13th	Owen Chapman	2

**Cooper Antone taking his SA Championship victory lap. Photo by Terrysproshots Photography.**

**The future Speedway stars in action. Photo by Terrysproshots Photography.**

Australian 500cc Solo Championship CBS Bins Round 5 Heat Points –

Heat points: 7-Rohan Tungate (NSW) 13 (3-3-3-3-1), 14-Brady Kurtz (NSW) 13 (3-3-3-2-2), 12-Jack Holder (NSW) 12 (3-3-2-1-3), 2-Jaimon Lidsey (Vic) 11 (0-2-3-3-3), 13-Chris Holder (NSW) 11 (2-3-2-2-2), 16-Ben Cook (NSW) 10 (1-2-3-2-2), 5-Max Fricke (Vic) 8 (FX-1-1-3-3), 6-Sam Masters (NSW) 7 (2-0-2-3-0), 3-Josh Pickering (NSW) 7 (3-1-2-T-1), 4-Michael West (Vic) 7 (2-1-1-2-1), 8-Keynan Rew (Qld) 5 (1-F-1-1-2), 9-Ryan Douglas (Qld) 4 (2-2-0-FX-0), 10-Zach Cook (NSW) 4 (1-1-F-1-1), 15-Fraser Bowes (SA) 3 (0-0-0-FX-3), 11-James Pearson (NSW) 3 (0-2-1-0-0), 1-Jake Turner (SA, wildcard) 1 (1-R-R-F-0), 17-Jack Morrison (Vic, reserve) 0 (R), 18-Dayle Wood (Vic, reserve) no rides.

Series Points as above plus 4 for Kurtz, 3 for Tungate, 2 for Lidsey, 1 for Jack Holder.

Semi Final 1 Tungate (R 55.396), J. Holder (B 56.113), C. Holder (W 56.613), Fricke (Y 56.928)

Semi Final 2 Lidsey (B 55.747), Kurtz (R 56.559), B. Cook (W 57.094), Masters (Y 67.470)

Final: Kurtz (W 55.364), Tungate (R 56.742, Lidsey (B 56.892), J. Holder (Y 57.287)

Run Off J. Holder (B), Lidsey (R) [run-off for overall third in the series]

Round 5, Australian 500cc Solo Championships Points Results:

Pos	Name	Points
1st	Brady Kurtz	17
2nd	Rohan Tungate	16
3rd	Jaimon Lidsey	13
4th	Jack Holder	13
5th	Chris Holder	11
6th	Ben Cook	10
7th	Max Fricke	8
8th	Sam Masters	7
9th	Josh Pickering	7
10th	Michael West	7
11th	Keynan Rew	5
12th	Ryan Douglas	4
13th	Zach Cook	4
14th	Fraser Bowes	3
15th	James Pearson	3
16th	Jake Turner	1

2024 Australian 500cc Solo Championship Overall Points Results:

Pos	Name	Points
1st	Rohan Tungate	70
2nd	Max Fricke	67
3rd	Jack Holder	61
4th	Jaimon Lidsey	61
5th	Brady Kurtz	57
6th	Ben Cook	42
7th	Chris Holder	42
8th	Josh Pickering	41
9th	Sam Masters	41
10th	Ryan Douglas	40
11th	Zach Cook	28
12th	Keynan Rew	22
13th	James Pearson	18
14th	Michael West	14
15th	Fraser Bowes	11
16th	Justin Sedgmen	9
17th	Tate Zischke	5
18th	Jia Ethridge	4
19th	Jack Morrison	3
20th	Jake Turner	1

**2024 Australian 500cc Solo Championship Podium (from left to right) – Jack Holden (third), Rohan Tungate (first) and Max Fricke (second). Photo by Terrysproshots Photography**

**Crowds soaked up the perfect weather and scorching on-track action. Photo by Derick Thomas Photography.**

**Championship battles couldn’t get any closer all night. Photo by Derick Thomas Photography.**

**Well-earned Championship celebrations. Photo by Derick Thomas Photography.**

Motorcycling South Australia Releases The First Regional Level 1 Coaches Course For 2024

January 12, 2024 Filed Under: All disciplines, News

Motorcycling SA is thrilled to announce the release of the first Level 1 Coaching Course of 2024, to be held at the Crystal Brook Motocross Circuit on Saturday and Sunday, February 17th and 18th. We encourage interested coaches of tomorrow from Kadina, Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Bundaleer, and the surrounding areas to register and continue the growth of the Mid-North SA coaching force!

The course will span 2 full days, with day 1 focusing on theoretical components and day 2 dedicated to the hands-on practical aspects of coaching.

Attendance is limited to 21 participants, with priority given to those who have already submitted expressions of interest (EOIs) and have been contacted separately. Get your name in fast if you aspire to contribute to the sport, share your skills, and foster the development of the next generation of motorcycle stars.

This course is fully supported and recognised by Motorcycling Australia, Sport Aus, and the Australian Institute of Sport. It is suitable for ALL disciplines of the sport, including ATV (Quads), Dirt Track, Enduro, Motocross, Reliability Trial, Road Race, Speedway, and Trial.

Full Details:

DATES:	Saturday & Sunday, February 17^th & 18^th
TIMES:	9am to 3pm each day.
VENUE:	Crystal Brook Motocross Circuit – 55 Brook Park Lane, Crystal Brook, SA 5523
COST:	$50.00 per person (this will cover lunch both days, as well as all course paperwork)
BOOKING:	HERE.
ENQUIRIES:	(08) 8332 9000

*Important note for Sunday 18th* – Due to the on-track hands-on aspect of the coaching course, participants will need to be dressed in long pants and closed shoes.

REQUIREMENTS TO GET YOUR LEVEL 1:

Be a minimum of 16 years of age
Have at least 2 years practical experience in motorcycle competition as a competitor or official and have sound knowledge of motorcycling riding skills.
A working with Children Screening is required and can be initiated by MSA (at no cost to you)
Hold a current “Provide First Aid” qualification.
Complete the online Sport Australia ‘Community Coaching – Essential Skills Course’ Please print your certificate and bring it to the course with you.
Have completed at least 20 hours of ‘Sports Specific Tasks’, and have logged this with the MSA Office, or on your Ridernet profile.
The following are suitable activities:
- - - - Present or lecture at future courses
        
        Attend Training Camps (this one qualifies)
        
        Conduct some practical club coaching alongside a current coach

LEVEL 1 COACHES CAN:

Can take out their own permits, run coaching days, conduct endorsement coaching and Kick Start Coaching.
Can coach a maximum of six people at a time, unless with a Level 2 Coach where they can then coach up to ten people at a time.

EVENT PREVIEW – 2 PACKED SPEEDWAY NIGHTS AHEAD FOR THE U16 125CC STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS & THE AUSTRALIAN SENIOR SOLO SPEEDEWAY CHAMPIONSHIPS FINALE

January 9, 2024 Filed Under: News, Speedway

TWO BIKE TITLES SET FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Australia, Gillman, Latest News, South Australia, Speedway Solos

Words by Mark Neale

Speedway fans in Adelaide are in for two nights of exciting motorcycle Speedway action on January 12th and 13th with the running of the South Australian Under 16 125cc Solo Championship at Wingfield and the fifth round of the Australian 500cc Solo Championship at Gillman Speedway.

The Speak’n of Spokes, Shark Motorcycle Leathers sponsored Under 16 Title will be held at the Sidewinders track at Wingfield on Friday night, while the CBS Bins sponsored Senior Solo Championship is set down for Gillman on Saturday night.

Thirteen youngsters from South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales will do battle at the purpose-built Wingfield circuit for the SA Under 16 Championship over twenty heats, a semi-final and a final to decide the winner.

The top three point scorers after the heats qualify directly through to the final, while the fourth to seventh highest point scorers qualify for the semi with only the winner progressing through to the final.

The championship is one of the most open events for many years with no outright favourite, but Mildura’s Blake Schlein, who was third in the Victorian Title, has been in hot form at Wingfield this season winning four finals to date which include the Mick Hargreaves Memorial.

Hayden Pascoe from Windsor is the only rider to lower Schlein’s colours in the last meeting as well as winning the final at Gillman the previous week.

**Hayden Pascoe. Image – Terrysproshots Photography.**

Cooper Antone, from Albury on the New South Wales/Victorian border finished second in the SGP4 World Championship and was runner up in the recent Australian Title at Tamworth and won the Victorian state crown at Undera.

South Australia’s Kobi Canning from Elizabeth is currently the fourth ranked rider in the world and was third in the Australian Title.

Ryleigh McGregor from Renmark, who was fourth in the Victorian Title, is another who could surprise.

**Kobi Canning. Image – Derick Thomas Photography.**

Twelve year old Thomas More College high school student Ruby Chapman is the only female competitor in the field.

Ruby, like many of the other competitors, began riding a pee wee at the age of three will be joined in the lineup by her younger brother Owen who is 9 years old. Riley Stout, William Nicol, Hayden Kuchel, Connor Machin, Blake Hocking and Hayden Matthews are the remaining riders in the field.

**Ruby Chapman. Image – Terrysproshots Photography.**

Pee Wee’s, 50cc and Novices will be support events for the Title.

The following night sees the running of the fifth and final round of the 2024 Australian 500cc Solo Championship which is being held over four states in ten days. The five round series kicked off in North Brisbane then moved on to Kurri Kurri, Albury, Mildura and winds up at South Australia’s Gillman venue.

Each meeting is held between 16 riders over 20 heats with the top 8 point scorers competing in two semi-finals with the first two progressing through to the final.

Six previous Australian champions are amongst the sixteen rider lineup.

They include five times National Champion and former World Champ Chris Holder, triple Australian titleholder Max Fricke and former winners Rohan Tungate, Brady Kurtz, Sam Masters and defending titleholder Jack Holder. Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Ryan Douglas, James Pearson, Michael West, Keynan Rew, Josh Pickering former World Under 21 Champion Jaimon Lidsey, local star and crowd favourite Fraser Bowes and wild card Jake Turner make up the sixteen rider line up.

**SA’s Fraser Bowes is looking to make his presence known throughout the night.**

**Fellow South Aussie Jake Turner is looking forward to mix it in the stacked field of talent. Image – Judy Mackay.**

Most of the riders in the field started their careers off in the junior ranks and have progressed through to senior level. They are now professional riders who ride in three or more leagues in Europe.

South Australia’s Steven Baker started riding in juniors at Wingfield and went on to be the first Australian win the World European Under 21 Championship. His late father Graham was one of the people behind setting up the Wingfield circuit and his family are the major sponsors of the Australian Solo Championship, namely CBS BINS.

Support events for the title are Senior Solo, under 16 250cc Solos and 125cc Solos.

Timetable and Spectator Info Ahead Of All The Action:


Friday 12th January 2024	Saturday 13th January 2024
4:00 pm – Gates Open	2:00 pm – Gates open
5:00 to 5:30 pm – Solo Riders Practice	(Pits open until 5 pm)
7:15 pm – Riders Parade	5:00 pm – Practice starts
7:30 pm – Racing Kicks off	7:00 pm – Racing kicks off
$5.00 Programs and FREE off-street parking	$5.00 program and FREE off-street parking
Canteen serving hot food and cold drinks into the evening. (EFTPOS available)	Canteen, Bar and Souvenirs available to purchase (EFTPOS available)
Follow Sidewinders U16 Speedway Club on Socials – HERE.	Follow Speedway Riders Association of SA on Socials – HERE.
	Event Livestreaming available – HERE.
	More info and rider list www.gillmanspeedway.com

ROUNDING OUT 2023 WITH THE NATIONAL KARATE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SOLO CHAMPIONSHIPS

December 20, 2023 Filed Under: News, Speedway

After a weather-induced delay of the original date, Gillman Speedway witnessed an electrifying showdown at the National Karate South Australian Solo Championships. Riders from all corners of Australia converged on Gillman Speedway to see who would close out the year with the SA Championship title next to their name.

In the end, it was Victoria’s Justin Sedgmen who emerged as the star of the night, reclaiming the South Australian Solo Championship with a finals win after a clean sweep of firsts across all his races and leaving him with a perfect 15 points. SA’s Fraser Bowes put on a strong performance throughout the night, taking second place ahead of Jake Turner in third, after securing his final spot with a B final win. Victorias Jack Morrison rounded out the finals in fourth place after a strong performance throughout the night, avoiding B finals and lining straight up on the gate for the main event.

Taking the lead in the sidecar support category, Brian Silvy and Glen Zaworski had a fantastic night with nothing but firsts, despite fierce challenges from Josh Pascoe/Greg Black, Stephen Fowler/Jeremy Sherwood, and Dean Hobbs/Daniel Low. In the end, Team Pascoe/Black would take second place, with Fowler/Sherwood in third and Team Nathan Fleet/Cameron Diwell in fourth overall for the night.

Catch up on a full breakdown of the action from Saturday’s National Karate South Australian Solo Championships and support classes in the Gillman Speedway Press Release – HERE.

Find the full results breakdown across all the night’s races – HERE.

The night was captured perfectly by Judy Mackay, Terry Scriven Photography, and Derick Thomas Photography. Find all the photos below:

Judy Mackay

Terry Scriven Photography

Derick Thomas Photography

2024 National Karate South Australian Solo Champion Justin Sedgmen taking the well-deserved victory lap. Photo thanks to Judy Mackay.

National Karate South Australian Solo Championship –

Pos.	Name	Points
1st	Justin Sedgmen	15
2nd	Fraser Bowes	13
3rd	Jake Turner	10
4th	Jack Morrison	12
5th	Brayden McGuinness	11
6th	Michael West	11
7th	Arlo Bugeja	9
8th	Patrick Hamilton	9
9th	Dayle Wood	8
10th	Matthew Marson	7
11th	Roy Stout	5
12th	Shaun Sampson	4
13th	Isaiah Hartley	1

Sidecar Scratch Races –

Pos.	Name	Points
1st	Brian Silvy / Glen Zaworski	12
2nd	Steve Fowler / Jeremy Sherwood	8
3rd	Josh Pascoe / Greg Black	6
4th	Nathan Fleet / Cameron Diwell	6
5th	Dean Hobbs / Daniel Low	5
6th	Nate Headland / Jaxon Rayner	2

Flat Track Solo Scratch Races –

Pos.	Name	Points
1st	Jake Mitchell	9
2nd	Shane Church	8
3rd	David Footner	7
4th	Seane Chapman	4
5th	Dale Knights	5
6th	Rohan Clark	2
7th	Greg Laanekorb	1

Junior 125cc Scratch Races –

Pos.	Name	Points
1st	Blake Schlein	12
2nd	Hayden Pascoe	10
3rd	Riley Stout	9
4th	Kobe Canning	8
5th	Ryleigh McGregor	7
6th	Hayden Kuchel	7
7th	Ruby Chapman	5
8th	William Nicol	3
9th	Owen Chapman	3

Pre-Meeting Demonstrations –

Junior 125cc Novice

Name

Nate Sadler

Cooper Coats

Jett Plaisted

Izabelle Murtagh

Axel Smith

50cc

Name

Hope Coats

Mikayla Morris

Oliver Coats

Kolby Schultz

Pee Wee

Name

Zara Plaisted

Kolby Schultz

2023 DRAWS TO A CLOSE WITH A LEVEL 1 COACHING COURSE!

December 18, 2023 Filed Under: All disciplines, News

With a week to go until the MSA office closes over the Christmas break, the last weekend of 2023 featured a Level 1 Coaches Course, with 6 new coaches taking up the chance to become new coaches for our sport.

Run over 2 days, with day 1 being the theory day at MSA Hall and day 2 the practical day, run at Sidewinders Speedway, with a huge thanks, the newbies were put through 6 modules of theory, a written exam and also having to put together a lesson plan for the following day, with day 1 running from 9.00am until about 2.00pm.

Day 2 saw the crew put their lesson plans into place with 5 Sidewinders Pee Wee ‘stars of the future’ on hand to be coached through each of the plans, and with a lot of the best laid plans, these were modified to suit the group of riders and to get the best out of them.

After getting the kids to do their own scrutineering and then a good 5 minute warm up, some of the activities the riders were put through were:

Starts and breaking to a point
Figure 8’s – clockwise & anti-clockwise
Weaving between cones
Braking
And the ever popular ‘slow race’ – working on balance and throttle & brake control.

With the weather warming up in the arvo, by 12.30pm, all was done for the day and a de-brief was had in the Sidewinders clubrooms. A huge thanks must go to Sidewinders for opening up their venue for the day and also the young guns who assisted on the day – Toby Monkhouse, Hope and Oliver Coats, Curtis and Lexi Sanders – as well as Adam Possingham for getting out of bed to open the gates after a late night the night before at the SA Solo Championships at Gillman.

So, after the weekend, MSA now has 6 new Level O coaches, who are well on their way to becoming Level 1 Coaches, and they are spread across the state, as well as the different disciplines – so a great cross section of our sport – so look out in 2024 for:

Declan Carberry	Road Race & Dirt Track	Statewide
Callum Dodimead	Motocross / Off Road	Predominantly Riverland
Ian Kakoschke	Motocross / Off Road	Predominantly Clare
Stuart Duisberg	Off Road / Trail Riding	Statewide
Siegah Ward	Motocross
Roman Ward	Motocross

Motorcycling SA are now looking to run Level 1 Coaches Courses across 2 dates for REGIONAL AREAS early in 2024, with Keith and Crystal Brook planned for February, and another metro date already pencilled in for September (before Speedway season) – but stay tuned for these dates to be confirmed.