With the speedway season taking in summer, a number of events have now been run this year – BUT 2023 – or the second half of the season looks to be more than huge – with a number of National and International events on offer – as well as a ‘special event’ no one will want to miss!
No sooner than 2023 opening and there is an Australian Championship series kicking off at Gillman – with round 1 of the 2023 Australian Senior Solo Championships, which will feature a couple of World Champions, as well as the current Australian Champion, Max Fricke – what a way to start the year!
Just looking at the calendar below, there are still SA Championships for juniors and seniors, on 2 and 3 wheels, as well as many special events that both, Sidewinders and the Speedway Riders Association (Gillman Speedway Stadium) run each season, but it’s probably the event on Saturday March 11 that will require the ‘Full House’ sign to go up at Gillman!
This night will see the celebration of 100 years of speedway in Australia with the special running of the ‘Sidecar Gold Cup’, and it is a fair bet that there will also be a line up of teams wanting to enter this meeting, let alone get through the gate to watch the action! Best put this on the calendar and try and book your spot on the hill!
Guaranteed also that the Gillman canteen will be in top gear that night – and being one of the best canteens at any venue from any discipline of motorcycle sport, they will be all out to live up to their well deserved hype – get around them!
Other highlights will be the ‘double header’ weekends of; The Bob White Cup for junior & senior sidecars at Gillman, followed the next day by the SA Junior Sidecar Championships at Sidewinders, and then followed in March with the Sidewinders back-to-back Roy Bitmead Memorial and, the always popular, ‘Blast from the Past’ meetings.
Says Speedway Sports Manager, Adam Possingham, “With such an awesome start to our season, we look forward to 2023 finishing off a big season of speedway here in SA. With our senior and junior clubs working together, the season is looking busy with FIM and Australian Championship events – and the big names will be in town….…”
One other huge bon
us so far this season has been the number of new juniors coming into the sport, with the number of entries for events down Sidewinders way being the highest they have had for several years, so stay tuned for a number of extra coaching days to be added to the calendar, specifically for the exciting future of the sport here in SA!
If you haven’t been down to Sidewinders as yet, it is a venue that in many ways is the envy of the other states, as it is the only purpose built junior speedway venue in Australia. It continues to get rave reviews from all of the interstate visitors that regularly travel here to go sideways, and these reviews, they are not only about the well prepared track, but also the venue facilities and the warm welcome all receive when they arrive!
Sidewinders need to know – head here; https://www.facebook.com/groups/1414580242225169
SRA (Gillman) need to know head here; www.facebook.com/gillmanspeedwaystadium and https://www.facebook.com/groups/122972761079700 Ashley Jansen-Batchelor (Above)
Photo credit: Derick Thomas Photography
2023 Speedway Calendar
January 3 – 2023 Senior Solo Australian Speedway Championships round 1 @ Gillman. Lachlan Coppen & Hayden Kuchel in Juniors (Below)
January 7 – Club Meeting @ Sidewinders
January 14 – Bowes Family Sidecar Cup, Sidecar Series round 1 @ Gillman
January 21 – The Silver Helmet Meeting @ Sidewinders (special event)
January 28 – 2023 South Australian Senior Solo Championship @ Gillman
February 4 – Riverland @ Renmark
February 4 – Club Meeting @ Sidewinders
February 11 – The 2023 Bob White Cups, for senior & junior sidecars @ Gillman
February 12 – The 2023 South Australian U/16 Sidecar Championship @ Sidewinders
February 18 – The 2023 Pee Wee Stampede @ Sidewinders (special event)
March 3 – The 2023 Graham Baker Shield @ Sidewinders (special event)
March 11 – 100 Year Anniversary Sidecar Gold Cup @ Gillman (special event) 
March 17 – The 2023 Roy Bitmead Memorial @ Sidewinders (special event)
March 18 – The ‘Blast from the Past’ Meeting @ Sidewinders
March 25 – Paintmasters Sidecar Cup, Sidecar Series round 2 @ Gillman
April 1 – Club Meeting @ Sidewinders
April 15 –ANZAC Meeting @ Sidewinders
April 29 – The President’s Cup @ Sidewinders
Come March 11 it’s likely going to be this close all night!! (Above)