Stats

New track is situated in Pederick Road, Neerabup alongside the Wanneroo Junior Motorcross circuit. It's only 140 metres in length and was built for the Junior Solos (Under 16s). However it has been/is about to be licensed for Senior Solos and several meetings will be staged there this summer. It is the only bright light on the WA bike scene at the present time.

Daniel has decided to stay home in Western Australia and get his road licence - among other things. The following has just been posted on the Gillman Speedway site (South Australia). Long Trip To Get Practice posted Wednesday June 1, 2005. Daniel Harding, brother of Aussie, UK rider Trevor Harding will be a regular visitor to Gillman's "winter series" starting from this Sunday. Both Daniel and Trevor came to Gillman last season and enjoyed it that much, will leave bikes in Adelaide and fly from Perth every meeting this year. Father Trevor said, "there is nowhere in Perth the kids can ride now that Bibra Lake has closed down, so if the kids are serious about making speedway their sport, the only thing to do is travel and Gillman is the ideal place for us to come to". Another regular W.A. visitor to make the 5,400km trek has been Carley Gittus. Other interstate riders who are regulars at our "winter season" are the Mildura lads, Brock Gates, Tom Hedley and Cory Gathercole.

Final - Red - Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe (Qld) 12 points, Blue - Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale (SA/WA) 13 points, White - Darrin Treloar/Justin Plaisted (NSW/SA) 13 points, Yellow - Garry Moon/Nathan O'Brien (Qld/WA) 10 points. Treloar & Christopher neck & neck, Treloar lost sidecar wheel L3 T2, excluded from restart. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe made a great start to lead into T1, and kept increasing his lead, leaving Bottrell and Moon to follow.

Corey hasn't ridden since he hurt his back in the WA title meeting at Geraldton.

Corey hasn't ridden since he hurt his back in the WA title meeting at Geraldton.

AUSTRALIAN U21 CHAMPIONSHIP Riders competing are: 1. Scott James 2. Troy Batchelor 3. Chris Holder 4. Cory Gathercole 5. Rory Schlein 6. Jason Doyle 7. Robert Ksiezak 8. Jay Herne 9. Tom Hedley 10. Cameron Woodward 11. Mark Jones 12. Matthew Wethers 13. James Holder 14. Michael Slade 15. Joel Parsons 16. Trevor Harding 1st Reserve Karlis Ezergailis 2nd Reserve Louis Myers Heat 1 No Rider Gate Place 1 S James R 4 2 T Batchelor B 2 3 C Holder W 1 4 C Gathercole Y 3 Time: 55.99 Heat 2 No Rider Gate Place 5 R Schlein R 1 7 R Ksiezak B 2 6 J Doyle W 3 8 J Holder Y 4 Time 56.47 Heat 3 No Rider Gate Place 10 C Woodward R 1 11 M Jones B 4 9 T Hedley W 2 12 M Wethers Y 3 Time: 57.47 Heat 4 No Rider Gate Place 15 J Parsons R 4 14 M Slade B Excluded Tapes 16 T Harding W 1 13 J Herne Y 3 17 Karlis Ezergailis 2 Time 57.29 Heat 5 No Rider Gate Place 13 J Herne R 4 1 S James B 3 5 R Schlein W 1 9 T Hedley Y 2 Time: 56.03 Heat 6 No Rider Gate Place 14 M Slade R 4 fell 10 C Woodward B 1 2 T Batchelor W 3 6 J Doyle Y 2 Time No time Heat 7 No Rider Gate Place 11 M Jones R 2 15 J Parsons B 3 7 R Ksiezak W 4 fell and excluded 3 C Holder Y 1 Time: No time Heat 8 No Rider Gate Place 4 C Gathercole R 2 8 J Holder B 4 12 M Wethers W 3 16 T Harding Y 1 Time 57.72 Heat 9 No Rider Gate Place 6 J Doyle R 1 16 T Harding B 2 1 S James W 4 11 M Jones Y 3 Time: No time Heat 10 No Rider Gate Place 12 M Wethers R 3 5 R Schlein B 1 15 J Parsons W 4 2 T Batchelor Y 2 Time No time Heat 11 No Rider Gate Place 8 J Holder R 4 9 T Hedley B 2 3 C Holder W 1 14 M Slade Y 3 Time: No time Heat 12 No Rider Gate Place 13 J Herne R 3 4 C Gathercole B 4 fell 10 C Woodward W 1 7 R Ksiezak Y 2 Time No time Heat 13 No Rider Gate Place 7 R Ksiezak R 1 12 M Wethers B 2 14 M Slade W 3 1 S James Y 4 Time: 58.94 Heat 14 No Rider Gate Place 2 T Batchelor R 1 13 J Herne B 2 8 J Holder W Excluded for two minutes 11 M Jones Y 3 17 Karlis Ezergailis 4 Time No time Heat 15 No Rider Gate Place 16 T Harding R 4 3 C Holder B 1 10 C Woodward W 2 5 R Schlein Y 3 Time: 57.35 Heat 16 No Rider Gate Place 9 T Hedley R 4 Fell 6 J Doyle B 1 4 C Gathercole W 2 15 J Parsons Y 3 Time No time Heat 17 No Rider Gate Place 1 S James R 3 8 J Holder B 2 15 J Parsons W 4 10 C Woodward Y 1 Time: No time Heat 18 No Rider Gate Place 9 T Hedley R X Fell in previous race and did not line up 2 T Batchelor B 2 7 R Ksiezak W 3 16 T Harding Y 1 18 Louis Myers G 4 Time 58.27 Heat 19 No Rider Gate Place 3 C Holder R 1 12 M Wethers B 3 13 J Herne W 4 6 J Doyle Y 2 Time: 57.64 Heat 20 No Rider Gate Place 5 R Schlein R 1 14 M Slade B 3 11 M Jones W 2 4 C Gathercole Y 4 Time No time FINALISTS No Rider 3 Chris Holder 10 Cameron Woodward 5 Rory Schlein 6 Jason Doyle Jason Doyle (Red) and Trevor Harding (Yellow) had a ride off to determine 4th spot in the final with Jason Doyle the winner RESULT No Rider Gate Place 3 Chris Holder R 1 10 Cameron Woodward B 3 5 Rory Schlein W 2 6 Jason Doyle Y 4

Trevor Harding won all of his starts at round 2 of the WA title at Geraldton on Saturday. Daniel Harding actually led the A final for the 1st two laps before Trevor got around him. Pointcore saw Trevor 1st on a maximum (60 points) ahead of Daniel (56) and Casey Johansen (48). The Blackman brothers - Corey and Lee - were equal fourth on 46 points apiece.

First round of the WA Solo Championship at Kwinana saw problems with the starting gate - only used in first heat. Also because the bike track is situated inside the clay car track there is no safety fence on the outside and riders are excluded if they venture over onto the black clay bowl. Trevor Harding was brilliant - won all of his 4 heats and the A Final. Younger brother Daniel also turned it on - winning 3 heats and second to Trev in the other one. Daniel finished second in the A Final. Next best were brothers (another set) Lee and Corey Blackman followed by novice Casey Johansen.

Denise Cook is a novice rider - has practiced over the past season or two - a mother of 3 I am told. Another female in the field is 16 year old Carly Gittus, a graduate from ther Junior Solo (Under 16) ranks.

Here is the field for round 1 of the WA Solo Championship to be held at the Quit Motorplex Kwinana Beach next Friday December 17. Trevor Harding Daniel Harding Lee Blackman Corey Blackman Shannan Wearne Nigel Roberts Carley Gittus Casey Johansen Mark Jovic Troy Tomlinson Karl Rainnie Daryl Mitchell Denise Cook Each rider will contest four heats followed by the B and A Final. Winner of the B moves up into the A Final. Round 2 will be at Geraldton the following night. The WA Solo Championship was first staged at the Claremont Speedway in 1927.

Who really cares where someone was born - especially when their parents were overseas at the time. Jason is a proud Aussie who has finally achieved the ultimat in his sporting field. He will get a great reception when he returns home. Well done Jason Crump.

A new club - Speedway Motorcycling WA - has been formed combining the Solos, Sidecars and Junior Solos. As mentioned previously they are working at building a Junior Solo track (first of all) on land used by the Junior Motorcross club at Wanneroo. Hopefully a senior track wil be able to be constructed later on. The bike brigade intend to run several meetings in the country and on the Friday night shows at Kwinana. I think the WA Solo title will be a two-night deal - Friday at Kwinana and Saturday at Geraldton. WA Sidecar title is tentatively set down fo Bunbury. The West Australian newspaper piece stated that a 390 metre track will be built to relace the Bibra Lake Speedway in the 'southern' suburbs. Wanneroo, of course, is in the northern suburbs - the article was not about the proposed bike track. Permission has been given for the new Bibra Lake circuit to be built - probably within the confines of the Kwinana Motorplex - using the same parking areas, with the track more than likely constructed on a piece of land out the back - on your left as you drive into the complex. Great news for Bibra Lake competitors and followers - they were thinking of putting their hands up for a round of the Australian Solo Championship, following their very successful runnnig of the Oz Sidecar title back in February. However they were closed down a month later. Not sure how long it will take to get the circuit up and running, but I would feel sure that the bike brigade will be welcomed back with open arms. So not all doom and gloom from the west coast.

Can anyone help me find the overall GP standings? Thanks.

Latest News! A meeting in Adelaide with the Commission, Promoters and MA today confirmed the dates for the Australian Solo Speedway Championships. Gosford – 29th December, 2004 Newcastle – 1st January, 2005 Gillman – 5th January 2005 Mildura – 8th January 2005 The meeting was to discuss the running of the event and included discussions on Sponsorship, TV coverage, prize money, posters and programming from the Tracks point of view. Other issues include, the riders, promotion by the riders, dirt deflectors, travel and freight of machinery. “It was a positive meeting about lifting the profile of our sport and I think we are slowly getting there” said Gillman’s representative Dave Parker.“ ”There is a vast improvement over last year for the riders already, with the four meetings over in a short space of time, and MA have a few other carrots to get our best riders to compete again this year”. The next step by MA will be to secure riders for the Title and give the tracks some idea on who will compete. (who knows, we may see the World number 1 & 2 racing this year in Australia)

Love to know when they are announcing the Aussie team??? Obviously Crump, Adams and Sullivan. Johnno would be my next choice - last spot is a bit of a raffle!!

This is taken from the FIM site. Individual Speedway World Championship: There will be no qualifying system to the Speedway Grand Prix as from 2005. The riders will be qualified according to their previous year’s classification or nominated by the Speedway Grand Prix Commission in accordance with the promoter. As from 2005, the Speedway Grand Prix Series will be run with 16 riders instead of the current 24. The prizemoney will stay about the same as now, making it more interesting for the riders. Speedway World Cup: the final tournament will be held with 8 National teams (instead of 12), in two qualifying Events, one Race-Off and the Final; all events will be run with 4 teams (instead of 5), and 4 riders in each heat. Consequently, a second pre-qualifying round has been added to the calendar. Team Speedway Junior World Championship: introduced as from 2005, competition for national teams: 4 teams from different nations will compete in each meeting. The organiser of a qualifying meeting or Final (if there is no qualifying meeting) of this Championship is guaranteed its national Team competing in this meeting. The participants must be of the same nationality as the FMN that has nominated them; the limit for the minimum age is 16 years, and maximum age is 21 (see Medical Code). Sidecar Speedway Gold Trophy 1000cc: introduced as from 2005, competition for Sidecar teams. 16, 20 or 24 teams (plus 2 substitutes) will compete in each meeting – Race format: heats will consist of 4 laps. Competition with 4 sidecar teams per heat, total 16 outfits, 20 qualifying heats, two semi-finals and one final. Competition with 5 sidecar teams per heat, total 20 outfits: 16 qualifying heats, two semi-finals and one final. Competition with 6 sidecar teams per heat, total 24 outfits: 16 qualifying heats, two semi-finals and one final. Technical: Control: after the rider has finished all his heats, all machines must be immediately placed in a closed park where they must remain for 30 minutes in case of a protest or should further examination be required. Any form of working on or removing parts from the accepted machines is strictly forbidden (2005). – Additional rules for 1000cc Speedway Sidecar motorcycles (Art. 01.85).- Ice Racing, dimensions of spikes: maximum length of the spike, measured from the flat top surface of the fastening plate: 28 mm; maximum thickness of the fastening plate: 6 mm; maximum diameter on the top of the fastening plate: 15 mm; maximum diameter on the base of the fastening plate: no limit; spikes must be made from solid steel only; the tubular gauge must have a maximum internal diameter of 15 mm (unchanged).

Teams announced for 2004 Australian Speedway Sidecar Teams Championship The following seven teams will contest the 2004 Australian Speedway Sidecar Teams Championship at Undera Park Speedway, near Shepparton (Vic) on Saturday, March 20: - Bernard Sheals/Jamie Rainbow Tas & Matt Munday/Tania White - Dave Bottrell/TBA SA & Kane Irwin/TBA - Steve Taylor/TBA Qld & Stuart Firth/TBA - Grant Bond/Victor Gavenlock NSW & Rick Howse/Adam Commons - Andrew Cleave/Dave Power Vic & Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill - Warren Monson/Scott Cameron Vic & Byren Gates/Dean Keeble - Daniel Bell/Brad Baker Vic & Peter Burton/Ben Pitt

Australian Sidecar Championship, Final - Bibra Lake Speedway Sunday February 29, 2004 Heat 1: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Andrew Cleave/Dave Power, 3. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock; 1:10.50. Heat 2: 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams, 3. Gary Moon/Simon Sinnott, 4. Mick Headland/Josh Hayes; 1:11.29. Heat 3: 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 2. Michael Sita/Roy Potter, 3. Warren Monson/Scott Cameron, 4. Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble; 1:11.45. Heat 4: 1. Grant Bond/Victor Gavenlock, 2. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 3. Rick Howse/Adam Commons; 1:11.94. Heat 5: 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Grant Bond/Victor Gavenlock, 3. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock, 4. Michael Sita/Roy Potter; 1:10.81. Heat 6: 1. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill, 2. Gary Moon/Simon Sinnott, 3. Warren Monson/Scott Cameron; 1:11.71. Heat 7: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Rick Howse/Adam Commons, 3. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield; 1:10.76. Heat 8: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe 2. Andrew Cleave/Dave Power, 3. Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble; 1:10.65. Heat 9: 1. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock; 1:13.45. Heat 10: 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Rick Howse/Adam Commons, 3. Mick Headland/Josh Hayes, 4. Col Lyall/Rob Patterson; 1:13.23. Heat 11: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe 2. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 3. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill, 4. Michael Sita/Roy Potter; 1:12.45. Heat 12: 1. Grant Bond/Victor Gavenlock, 2. Andrew Cleave/Dave Power, 3. Warren Monson/Scott Cameron; 1:12.77. Heat 13: 1. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill, 2. Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams, 3. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock, 4. Col Lyall/Rob Patterson; 1:12.26. Heat 14: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Grant Bond/Victor Gavenlock; 1:10.83. Heat 15: 1. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 2. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 3. Warren Monson/Scott Cameron, 4. Mark Drew/Steven Blair; 1:11.40. Heat 16: 1. Gary Moon/Simon Sinnott, 2. Andrew Cleave/Dave Power, 3. Rick Howse/Adam Commons, 4. Michael Sita/Roy Potter; 1:12.07. Heat 17: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Warren Monson/Scott Cameron, 3. Rick Howse/Adam Commons, 4. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock; 1:10.34. Heat 18: 1. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 2. Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams; no time. Heat 19: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Grant Bond/Victor Gavenlock, 3. Gary Moon/Simon Sinnott, 4. Col Lyall/Rob Patterson; 1:11.49. Heat 20: 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill, 4. Andrew Cleave/Dave Power; 1:11.15. Run-off (4th): 1. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 2. Grant Bond/Victor Gavenlock; 1:11.83. Final: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 3. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 4. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale; 1:11.24. POINTSCORE Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien (WA) 3 3 2 2 3 13 Mark Drew/Steven Blair (NT) 3 3 3 0 3 12 Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe (Qld) X 3 3 3 3 12 Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale (SA) 2 X 3 3 3 11 Grant Bond/Victor Gavenlock (NSW) 3 2 3 1 2 11 Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield (WA) 3 1 2 2 2 10 Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill (Vic) X 3 1 3 1 8 Andrew Cleave/Dave Power (Vic) 2 2 2 2 0 8 Gary Moon/Simon Sinnott (Qld) 1 2 X 3 1 7 Rick Howse/Adam Commons (NSW) 1 2 2 1 1 7 Warren Monson/Scott Cameron (Vic) 1 1 1 1 2 6 Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams (Vic) 2 X X 2 2 6 Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock (Qld) 1 1 1 1 0 4 Michael Sita/Roy Potter (WA) 2 0 0 0 X 2 Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble (Vic) 0 1 ns ns ns 1 Mick Headland/Josh Hayes (SA) Res 0 - 1 - nf 1 Jim Irwin/Dale Irwin (SA) nf nf ns X ns 0 Col Lyall/Rob Patterson (NSW) Res - 0 0 nf 0 0 Solos (3 lap heats) – A Grade. Heat 1: 1. Lee Blackman, 2. Keith McKinlay, 3. Jayson Ketteringham; 52.45. Heat 2: 1. Shannon Wearne, 2. Gavin Lewis, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Jayson Ketteringham, 5. Lee Blackman; 53.23. Heat 3: 1. Lee Blackman, 2. Nigel Roberts, 3. Jayson Ketteringham, 4. Gavin Lewis; 55.34. Final: 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Gavin Lewis, 3. Shannon Wearne, 4. Jayson Ketteringham, 5. Nigel Roberts; 55.39. B Grade. Heat 1: 1. Darryl Mitchell, 2. Mark Jovic, 3. Brady Webb, 4. Steve Murray, 5. Daniel McVeigh; 57.99. Heat 2: 1. Darryl Mitchell, 2. Mark Jovic, 3. Steve Murray, 4. Brady Webb, 5. Daniel McVeigh; 56.35. Heat 3: 1. Darryl Mitchell, 2. Daniel McVeigh, 3. Brady Webb, 4. Steve Murray; 59.99. Final: 1. Darryl Mitchell, 2. Daniel McVeigh, 3. Steve Murray, 4. Brady Webb; no time.

(Top 10 go into tonight's final round) Australian Sidecar Championship, Qualifying meeting. Bibra Lake Speedway, Saturday February 28, 2004 (4 lap heats) Heat 1: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock, 3. Michael Sita/Roy Potter, 4. Peter Burton/Ben Pitt; 1:12.19. Heat 2: 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. John Low/Andy Gajek, 3. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill, 4. Kane Irwin/Josh Hayes; 1:09.94. Heat 3: 1. Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 4. Col Lyal/Rob Patterson; 1:11.47. Heat 4: 1. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 2. Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble, 3. Mick Headland/Trent Headland, 4. Rick Howse/Adam Commons; 1:11.21. Heat 5: 1. Mick Headland/Trent Headland, 2. John Low/Andy Gajek, 3. Peter Burton/Ben Pitt, 4. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold; 1:1.41. Heat 6: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 3. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill; 1:11.06. Heat 7: 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock, 3. Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble, 4. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield; 1:10.22. Heat 8: 1. Vince Gianoncelli/Juston Winchester, 2. Michael Sita/Roy Potter, 3. Col Lyal/Rob Patterson, 4. Kane Irwin/Josh Hayes; 1:13.47. Heat 9: 1. Rick Howse/Adam Commons, 2. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill, 3. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 4. Peter Burton/Ben Pitt; 1:11.31. Heat 10: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble, 3. John Low/Andy Gajek, 4. Col Lyal/Rob Patterson; 1:09.88. Heat 11: 1. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock, 2. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 3. Kane Irwin/Josh Hayes, 4. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold; 1:10.75. Heat 12: 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Michael Sita/Roy Potter, 3. Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams, 4. Mick Headland/Trent Headland; 1:10.69. Heat 13: 1. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 2. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 3. Col Lyal/Rob Patterson, 4. Peter Burton/Ben Pitt; 1:09.53. Heat 14: 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 2. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 3. Mick Headland/Trent Headland, 4. Kane Irwin/Josh Hayes; 1:10.63. Heat 15: 1. Rick Howse/Adam Commons, 2. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock, 3. Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams, 4. John Low/Andy Gajek; 1:11.82. Heat 16: 1. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill, 2. Michael Sita/Roy Potter, 3. Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble, 4. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold; 1:11.94. Heat 17: 1. Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble, 2. Kane Irwin/Josh Hayes, 3. Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams, 4. Peter Burton/Ben Pitt; 1:12.41. Heat 18: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 3. Rick Howse/Adam Commons, 4. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold; 1:10.44. Heat 19: 1. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill, 2. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock, 3. Col Lyal/Rob Patterson; 1:13.03. Heat 20: 1. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. John Low/Andy Gajek, 4. Michael Sita/Roy Potter; 1:10.40. Final: 1. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale, 2. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock, 3. Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble; 1:12.22. POINTSCORE 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe (Qld) 3 3 3 2 3 14 2. Dave Bottrell/Peter Teale (SA) 3 2 2 3 3 13 3. Mark Drew/Steven Blair (NT) 3 3 3 2 2 13 4. Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock (SA) 2 2 3 2 2 11 5. Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill (Vic) 1 1 2 3 3 10 6. Bryen Gates/Dean Keeble (Vic) 2 1 2 1 3 9 7. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield (WA) 2 0 1 3 2 8 8. Michael Sita/Roy Potter (WA) 1 2 2 2 0 7 9. Rick Howse/Adam Commons (NSW) 0 X 3 3 1 7 10. Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams (Vic) 3 nf 1 1 1 6 11. John Low/Andy Gajek (WA) 2 2 1 0 1 6 12. Mick Headland/Trent Headland (SA) 1 3 0 1 nf 5 13. Col Lyal/Rob Patterson (NSW) 0 1 0 1 1 3 14. Kane Irwin/Josh Hayes (SA) 0 0 1 0 2 3 15. Peter Burton/Ben Pitt (Vic) 0 1 0 0 0 1 16. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold (WA) 1 0 0 0 0 1 (RES) Vince Gianoncelli/Juston Winchester (WA) - 3 - - - 3 Solos (3lap heats) – A Grade. Heat 1: 1. Trevor Harding, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Jayson Ketteringham, 3. Keith McKinlay; 50.57. Heat 2: 1. Trevor Harding, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Keith McKinlay, 4. Jayson Ketteringham, 5. Lee Blackman; 53.42. Heat 3: 1. Trevor Harding, 2. Lee Blackman, 3. Shannon Warne, 4. Keith McKinlay, 5. Jayson Ketteringham; 50.32. Heat 4: 1. Trevor Harding, 2. Lee Blackman, 3. Keith McKinlay, 4. Shannon Wearne, 5. Jayson Ketteringham; 52.21. Final: 1. Trevor Harding, 2. Keith McKinlay, 3. Lee Blackman, 4. Shannon Wearne, 5. Jayson Ketteringham; 52.60. B Grade. Heat 1: 1. Darryl Mitchell, 2. Mark Jovic, 3. Steve Murray, 4. Daniel McVeigh, 5. Brady Webb, 6. Gavin Lewis; 58.47. Heat 2: 1. Darryl Mitchell, 2. Mark Jovic, 3. Brady Webb, 4. Daniel McVeigh; no time. Heat 3: 1. Gavin Lewis, 2. Darryl Mitchell, 3. Mark Jovic, 4. Daniel McVeigh, 5. Brady Webb; 55.10. Heat 4: 1. Gavin Lewis, 2. Mark Jovic, 3. Brady Webb, 4. Darryl Mitchell, 5. Steve Murray, 6. Daniel McVeigh; 57.34. Final: 1. Darryl Mitchell, 2. Mark Jovic, 3. Brady Webb, 4. Daniel McVeigh, 5. Steve Murray; 59.54.

Ellenbrook Speedway is a 500 metre clay track that runs only car divisions.

AUSTRALIAN SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP RIDER LINEUP ANNOUNCED February 4th 2004 Following are the automatic inclusions for the Australian Individual Sidecar Speedway Championship, to be held at Bibra Lake Speedway (WA), near Perth, on Sunday, February 28. The automatic inclusions comprise the five leading lights from the 2003-04 state sidecar championships, and the defending Australian title holders. The teams are: Warren Monson/Scott Cameron (Vic) Gary Moon/Simon Sinnott (Qld) Grant Bond/Victor Gavenlock (NSW) Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien (WA) Jim Irwin/Paul King (SA) Andrew Cleave/Dave Power (Vic) – 2003 national champions The above-mentioned will be joined by a further 10 teams, all of whom must win their way through a qualifying meeting, also at Bibra Lake, on Saturday, February 27. The 16 teams which will fight it out for the 10 spots are: Peter Burton/Ben Pitt (Vic) Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe (Qld) Ricky Laycock/Kim Laycock (Qld) Michael Sita/Roy Potter (WA) John Low/Yancy-Lee Ross (WA) Jayden Mayes/Jaeben Underhill (Vic) Mark Drew/Steven Blair (NT) Kane Irwin/Josh Hayes (SA) Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold (WA) Jason Bradshaw/Jock Adams (Vic) Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield (WA) Col Lyal/Michael Milsteed (NSW) Mick Headland/Callan Ross (SA) Dave Bottrell/Matt Muldoon (SA) Byren Gates/Dean Keeble (Vic) Rick Howse/Adam Commons (NSW)

END OF ANOTHER ERA BIBRA LAKE TO CLOSE By Ken Brown The shock news that the Bibra Lake Speedway is about to close down has stunned the Western Australian Speedway community. It really is the end of another era for the sport! Jeff Connelly, the president of the Perth TQ Car Club, only received the bad news last Monday and is still coming to terms with the decision. The club was simply told that their lease with the Jandakot Airport had been terminated. The Bibra Lake Speedway opened in Hope Road, Jandakot on October 6, 1963. The track has always been the ‘home’ of the Formula 500s here in the west, but it has run a diverse program ever since its early days. Solos and Sidecars were part of the action in the beginning and that has continued virtually ever since. The Quarter Midgets are also based at the Bibra Lake circuit. On the infield of the main oval is the Junior Solo and Sidecar track. Now all of these racing divisions have lost their home circuit. Although the Production Sedans, Street Stock and Junior Sedan drivers could transfer to the Ellenbrook track, the majority of them live in the southern suburbs. Bibra Lake hosted the Australian Formula 500 Championship on two occasions – 1982 and 1987. The Australian Junior (Under 16) Solo Championship was also conducted on the inner track five times – 1984, 1987, 1990, 1995 and 2003. The track has produced many Australian and WA Champions over the years. Now 41 years of history will finish in just over a month time. Bibra Lake will hold its biggest meeting ever – the Australian Sidecar Championship – on February 28 and 29. A final ‘Farewell’ twilight meeting has also been planned for Saturday March 20 before the gates of this historic venue are closed for the final time. It would appear that a rubbish recycling operation that is currently on Airport land will be relocated onto the Speedway site. The Airport is developing an industrial/commercial area but cannot see their way clear to allow the Speedway to continue operating at the venue that it has occupied since 1963. Big business has won out again! It is a very sad time for the sport of Speedway in Western Australia.

A great night of 2 and 3 wheel action at Bibra Lake. All of the fancied Sidecar contenders had a bad heat - O'Brien, Drew, Shield, Christopher. Dice between Simon Stead and Craig Watson in every heat was breathtaking stuff. Great debut in senior ranks by 16 year old Carly Gittus - daughter of former great sidecar passenger Jeff Gittus - looked comfortable in B grade ranks. Here are the results - Results Bibra Lake Speedway, January 24. Sidecars, WA Championship (4 lap heats) – Heat 1: 1. Steve Taylor/Dave Oliver (Qld), 2. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale, 3. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 4. Garry Marshall/Glen Watts; 1:13.63. Heat 2: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Pusky Crescenzi/Kane Blackman, 3. Danny Birch/Kris Birch, 4. Scott Charsley/Aaron Maynard; 1:13.54. Heat 3: 1. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 2. Mick Farrell/Juston Winchester (NSW), 3. John Low/Yantze-Lee Ross; 1:13.24. Heat 4: 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 2. Karl Prall/James Richter; 1:10.90. Heat 5: 1. Mark Drew/Steve Blair, 2. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 3. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien; 1:15.66. Heat 6: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Danny Birch/Kris Birch, 3. Garry Marshall/Glen Watts; 1:14.82. Heat 7: 1. Steve Taylor/Dave Oliver, 2. Mick Farrell/Juston Winchester, 3. Scott Charsley/Aaron Maynard, 4. Karl Prall/James Richter; 1:12.98. Heat 8: 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 2. John Low/Yantze-Lee Ross, 3. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 4. Pusky Crescenzi/Kane Blackman; 1:11.68. Heat 9: 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield; 1:11.42. Heat 10: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Karl Prall/James Richter, 3. Garry Marshall/Glen Watts; 1:11.31. Heat 11: 1. Steve Taylor/Dave Oliver, 2. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold; 1:12.08. Heat 12: 1. Mark Drew/Steve Blair, 2. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 3. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 4. Scott Charsley/Aaron Maynard; 1:11.32. Heat 13: 1. Scott Charsley/Aaron Maynard; no time. Heat 14: 1. Mark Drew/Steve Blair, 2. Mick Farrell/Juston Winchester, 3. Garry Marshall/Glen Watts; 1:12.08. Heat 15: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 3. Steve Taylor/Dave Oliver, 4. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield; 1:12.11. Heat 16: 1. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 2. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold; 1:13.22. Heat 17: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Pusky Crescenzi/Kane Blackman, 3. Karl Prall/James Richter; 1:11.73. Heat 18: 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 2. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold 3. Scott Charsley/Aaron Maynard, 4. Garry Marshall/Glen Watts; 1:12.75. Heat 19: 1. Mark Drew/Steve Blair 2. Steve Taylor/Dave Oliver; 1:12.08. Heat 20: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 3. Mick Farrell/Juston Winchester; 1:11.82. Pointscore: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien 3, 1, 3, 3, ,3 = 13 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield 3, 3, 3, 0, 3, = 12 3. Mark Drew/Steve Blair nf, 3, 3, 3, 3 = 12 4. Steve Taylor/Dave Oliver 3, 3, 3, 1, 2 = 12 5. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold 3, 2, 2, 2, 2 = 11 6. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe X, 3, 2, 2, 3 = 10 7. Mick Sita/Roy Potter 1, 1, 1, 3, 2 =8 8. Mick Farrell/Justin Winchester 2, 2 nf, 2, 1 = 7 9. Scott Charsley/Aaron Maynard 0, 1, 0, 3, 1 = 5 10. Karl Prall/James Richter 2, 0, 2, nf, 1 = 5 11. Pusky Crescenzi/Kane Blackman 2, 0, nf, X 2 = 4 12. Danny Birch/Kris Birch 1, 2, X, ns ns = 3 13. John Low/Yantze-Lee Ross 1, 2, nf, ns, ns = 3 14. Garry Marshall/Glen Watts 0, 1, 1, 1, 0 = 3 15. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale 2, ns, ns, ns, ns = 2 Final: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Steve Taylor/Dave Oliver; 1:11.13. Solos, International Challenge (Ron Johnson Memorial) – Heat 1 (3 laps): 1. Craig Watson (NSW), 2. Simon Stead (Eng), 3. Lee Herne (Eng), 4. Trevor Harding, 5. Lee Blackman, 6. Shannon Wearne; 50.01. Heat 2 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Carly Gittus, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Mark Jovic, 5. Brady Webb; 53.30. Heat 3 (3 laps): 1. Simon Stead, 2. Craig Watson, 3. Lee Herne, 4. Trevor Harding, 5. Lee Blackman, 6. Shannon Wearne; 50.20. Heat 4 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Shane Blackman, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Mark Jovic, 5. Carly Gittus, 6. Brady Webb; 53.81. Heat 5 (3 laps): 1. Simon Stead, 2. Craig Watson, 3. Lee Herne, 4. Trevor Harding, 5. Lee Blackman, 6. Shannon Wearne; 50.55. Heat 6 (3 laps): 1. Nigel Roberts, 2. Mark Jovic, 3. Carly Gittus, 4. Brady Webb; 57.58. Final (4 laps); 1. Simon Stead, 2. Craig Watson, 3. Lee Herne, 4. Trevor Harding, 5. Lee Blackman, 6. Shannon Warne; 1:08.88. Pointscore: 1. Simon Stead (Eng) 11 12 12 24 59 2. Chris Watson (NSW) 12 11 11 22 56 3. Lee Herne (NSW) 10 10 10 20 50 4. Trevor Harding 9 9 9 18 45 5. Lee Blackman 8 8 8 16 40 6. Shannon Wearne 7 7 7 14 35 7. Nigel Roberts 4 4 6 - 14 8. Keith McKinlay 6 6 nf - 12 9. Carly Gittus 5 2 4 - 11 10. Mark Jovic 3 3 5 - 11 11. Bradley Webb 2 1 3 - 6 12. Shane Blackman nf 5 f - 5 B Grade Heat (3 laps): 1. Shane Blackman, 2. Keith McKinlay, 3. Brady Webb; 56.08.

Nominations for the Ron Johnson Memorial event at the Bibra Lake Speedway (Western Australia) this Saturday (starting at 6:30pm) are as follows - International Solo Challenge (incorporating the Ron Johnson Memorial) S Simon Stead (England) W Craig Watson (NSW Chapion) L Lee Herne (NSW #3) T Trevor Harding 23 Lee Blackman 53 Shannon Wearne (+ 4 more riders) 6 heats plus final Also on the program is the 51st runnnig of the Western Australian Sidecar Championship Nominations #7 Vince Gianoncelli #10 Glenn O'Brien #14 Danny Birch #20 John Low #22 Scott Charsley #23 Garry Marshall #47 Cliff Henderson #62 Tony Shield #65 Mick Sita #88 Pusky Crescenzi #95 Paul Pinfold #99 Darren Morey NT#1 Mark Drew NSW#67 Mick Farrell QLD#6 Scott Christopher QLD Steve Taylor 20 heat format - top 4 into final Support provided by Formula 500s Junior Solos and Sidecars from 4pm. Should be a ripper meeting

Review/Results, Australian Under 16 Solo and Teams Speedway Championships, Olympic Park Speedway, Mildura (Vic), January 17-18 By Mark Fattore South Australian Aaron Summers is the new Australia under 16 solo speedway champion after a majestic performance at the Olympic Park Speedway in Mildura (Vic) on January 17. The 15-year-old, who finished fourth in the 2003 championship, showed little mercy for his rivals this time around after going through the heats unbeaten and then winning the final from Sam Masters and Western Australian Bob King. Ironically, the only real challenge to Summers’ authority in Mildura came not in the form of Masters and King, but championship debutante Ryan Sedgmen. The l3-year-old local overhauled Summers to hit the lead on lap three of the final, before an over-indulgence of his own saw him run off the track shortly after – an automatic exclusion. The Sedgmen faux pas left Summers as the clear leader – and the under 16 champion in his last year as a junior rider. “It got pretty tight in the final, but I just waited for Ryan to make a mistake after he got past me,” said Summers, who will kick off his Year 11 studies in early February. “It was one of those meetings where everything just clicked – it couldn’t have happened at a better time.” The next stage of Summers’ career will now take shape when he turns 16 in March – the 125cc junior bike will be de-commissioned in favour of a 500cc senior mount as he begins the quest to forge a career both in Australia and overseas. “The Aussie solo season will be over by March, but at least I’ll have plenty of practice on the new bike before the 2005 action begins.” Summers was the leading scorer in the heats – which saw 11 riders excluded for a variety of misdemeanors -- with a maximum 15pt haul, followed by Sedgmen (11). King and Masters finished on 10pts after their five rides, ahead of Korey Williams and Jason Norman (both 9pts). Norman, 14, went into the meeting as one of the fancied runners after finishing second behind Troy Batchelor in 2003, but an exclusion and non points-scoring heat saw him finish fifth overall. However, some form of restitution for Norman came in the following night’s national team’s title, which saw him unite with fellow South Australian Sam Martin to claim victory. Thanks to Norman’s equal top-scoring points haul of 16, with Martin (10pts) underwriting his teammate’s great effort, the pair defeated the Victoria 1 sibling pairing of Ryan and Justin Sedgmen by 3pts (26 to 23). Third was Masters and Korey Williams on 22pts, competing under the NSW 2 moniker. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS Final 1 Aaron Summers (SA) 2 Sam Masters (NSW) 3 Bob King (WA) 4 Ryan Sedgmen (Vic) Heat scores Summers 15 Ryan Sedgmen 11 Masters 10 King 10 Korey Williams (NSW) 9 Jason Norman (SA) 9 Sam Martin (SA) 8 Tai Woffinden (WA) 8 Dylan Trengrouse (Qld) 8 Tom Armstrong (NSW) 6 Justin Sedgmen (Vic) 6 Rohan Tungate (NSW) 5 Brenton Barnfield (Vic) 5 Darcy Ward (Qld) 2 Ben Brooks (Vic) 0 Josh Grajczonek (Qld) 0 TEAMS RESULTS 1 Jason Norman/Sam Martin (SA) 26pts 2 Ryan Sedgmen/Justin Sedgmen (Vic 1) 23 3 Sam Masters/Korey Williams (NSW 2) 22 4 Dylan Trengrouse/Josh Grajczonek (Qld) 16 5= Rohan Tungate/Tom Armstrong (NSW 1) 15 Bob King/Tai Woffinden (WA) 15 7 Josh Munro/Brenton Barnfield (Vic 2) 8 INDIVIDUAL ROLL OF HONOUR 1982 Paul Snadden 1983 Craig Hodgson 1984 Michael Carter 1985 Shane Parker 1986 Leigh Adams 1987 Jason Hawkes 1988 Jason Hawkes 1989 Brett Tomkins 1990 Jason Crump 1991 Ryan Sullivan 1992 Troy Wyten 1993 Travis McGowan 1994 Nigel Sadler 1995 Russell Harrison 1996 Brendon Mackay 1997 Russell Harrison 1998 Jaye Stevens 1999 Mark Jones 2000 Rory Schlein 2001 Mark Jones 2002 Trevor Harding 2003 Troy Batchelor 2004 Aaron Summers