Stats

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

AUSTRALIAN SOLO CHAMPIONSHIP The 2004 Australian Senior Solo Speedway Championship has been bolstered with the return of four world championship campaigners to compete in the expanded three-round affair: Leigh Adams, Ryan Sullivan, Todd Wiltshire and Jason Lyons. Between them, 32-year-old Adams and 28-year-old Sullivan won three out of nine world championship grands prix in 2003, with another Aussie, Jason Crump, winning another two. Adams completed world title hostilities in fourth place, with Sullivan ninth, followed by Wiltshire (19th) and Lyons (20). Adams is the reigning Australian speedway champion, who will begin his title defence against an ensemble cast of 14 riders at the Gold Coast Silkolene Speedway on Saturday, January 10 – a total of 11 backing up from the 2003 national championship. Rounds two and three will then be held at the Gosford Showground (NSW) and Olympic Park Speedway in Mildura (Vic) on successive Saturdays, culminating on January 24. The full list of riders in the 2004 championship is as follows: Leigh Adams Ryan Sullivan Jason Lyons Steve Johnston Travis McGowan Mark Lemon Russell Harrison Kevin Doolan Scott Smith John Jorgensen Todd Wiltshire Rory Schlein Lee Herne Trent Leverington Ashley Jones Wildcard Christian Henry (reserve) Nathan Hedley (reserve) Meanwhile, the championship will be telecast on free-to-air television, under the auspices of the “Speed Machine” program on Channel Nine. The three separate one-hour highlights packages will go to air on a one-week delay, with the opening two rounds preceding channel nine’s one-day international cricket coverage. The full telecast schedule is as follows: Rd Meeting Venue *Telecast on Channel Nine 1 Saturday, January 10 Gold Coast Silkolene Speedway (Qld) Sunday, January 18 – 1.30pm 2 Saturday, January 17 Gosford Showground (NSW) Saturday, January 24 – 1.30pm 3 Saturday, January 24 Olympic Park Speedway, Mildura (Vic) Saturday, January 31 – 12.30pm * Check your local guides AUSTRALIAN U 16 SOLO CHAMPIONSHIPS LINEUP Following are the riders who have been selected to compete in the Australian Under 16 Solo Speedway Championship, to be held at the Olympic Park Speedway in Mildura (Vic) from January 15-18. Jason Norman Sam Martin Aaron Summers Ryan Sedgmen Justin Sedgmen Brenton Barnfield Benjamin Brooks Bob King Tai Woffinden Samuel Masters Korey Williams Rohan Tungate Tom Armstrong Dylan Trengrouse Josh Grajczonek Darcy Ward Jonathon Hepburn (reserve) Meanwhile, the Australian Under 16 Pairs Speedway Championship will also be held on the January 15-18 program, with the state-based teams as follows: Vic 1 Sedgmen/Sedgmen Vic 2 Barnfield/ Brooks SA Norman/ Martin Qld Trengrouse/ Grajczonek WA King/ Woffinden NSW 1 Masters/ Williams NSW 2 Armstrong/Tungate

Queensland Solo Title Report From Gavin Elmes World No.2, Jason Crump, scored a runaway victory in the Queensland Solo Title held at Gold Coast Silkolene Speedway. He streaked away from the tapes in the Final and drew further ahead as the race progressed. John Jorgensen maintained a comfortable second throughout, while most interest centred on a tussle for third between Trent Leverington and Scott Smith. Leverington crossed for third. A format with 16 riders and 2 reserves quickly degenerated into a bit of a nonsense when 5 of the 16 and 1 of the reserves failed to appear for various reasons. On top of that, Roy Sout lasted only one race. Heath Robertson blew his motor and fell during practice, Christian Henry blew his motor practising the day before, Jon White failed to get medical clearance following his over-the-fence spill at North Brisbane a couple of months ago, Scott Fisher was still feeing the effects of a broken wrist also sustained at North Brisbane (while swinging on a sidecar), Steve Stayte and Dave Saunders (both from Bundaberg) failed to show, although Saunders was spotted in the crowd - not good enough, you two! A big crowd turned up and it was a shame to see races with 2 or 3 riders fronting the tapes. Being a State Title, there was nothing the organisers could do to reshuffle riders into spaces in the programme. However, there were some exciting races with breath-taking passing, mostly featuring Scott Smith and Trent Leverington. Sixteen year-old Troy Batchelor gave a good account of himself in his first speedway title meeting, finishing fifth overall. Heat Points: Jason Crump 15, John Jorgensen 14, Trent Leverington 12, Scott Smith 12, Troy Batchelor 11, Clinton Butler 11, Dave Booth 10, Shane McCabe 8, Brendon Moore 6, Darren Stout 5, Hugh Stephens 4, Roy Stout 2. Final: Jason Crump, John Jorgensen, Trent Leverington, Scott Smith. Sidecars put up a spectacular show, which compensated somewhat for the beleagued solo section. Sidecar Final: 1. Steve Taylor/Dave Oliver, 2. Stuart Firth/Steve Chivers, 3. Wayne Munck/Robbie Thistleton, 4. Deon Lynd/Keith O'Brien (ef)

Results Bibra Lake Speedway, Saturday December 6. Solos, WA Championship – Heat 1: 1. Lee Blackman, 2. Kris Keast, 3. Gavin Lewis, 4. Nigel Roberts; 53.52. Heat 2: 1. Trevor Harding, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Keith McKinlay, 4. Jayson Ketteringham, 5. Shane Blackman; 51.35. Heat 3: 1. Steve Johnston, 2. Dave Cheshire, 3. Paul Duke, 4. Mark Jovic; 49.90 Record. Heat 4: 1. Trevor Harding, 2. Dave Cheshire, 3. Kris Keast; 50.84. Heat 5: 1. Steve Johnston, 2. Gavin Lewis, 3. Jayson Ketteringham, 4. Shane Blackman; 50.89. Heat 6: 1. Lee Blackman, 2. Paul Duke, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Keith McKinlay; 58.08. Heat 7: 1. Lee Blackman, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Gavin Lewis; 53.19. Heat 8: 1. Dave Cheshire, 2. Keith McKinlay, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Jayson Ketteringham, 5. Mark Jovic; 50.88. Heat 9: 1. Steve Johnston, 2. Trevor Harding, 3. Kris Keast, 4. Paul Duke, 5. Shane Blackman; 49.79 Record. Heat 10: 1. Trevor Harding, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Nigel Roberts; 50.77. Heat 11: 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Paul Duke, 3. Shane Blackman, 4. Gavin Lewis; 54.86. Heat 12: 1. Steve Johnston, 2. Dave Cheshire, 3. Lee Blackman, 4. Kris Keast, 5. Jayson Ketteringham; 50.77. Last Chance Qualifier: 1. Kris Keast, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Paul Duke, 4. Keith McKinlay, 5. Nigel Roberts; 1:13.34. Final: 1. Steve Johnston, 2. Trevor Harding, 3. Dave Cheshire, 4. Kris Keast, 5. Lee Blackman, 6. Shannon Wearne; 1:08.41. Pointscore 1. Steve Johnston 5 5 5 5 10 30 2. Trevor Harding 5 5 4 5 8 27 3. Dave Cheshire 4 4 5 4 6 23 4. Lee Blackman 5 5 5 3 2 20 5. Kris Keast 4 3 3 2 4 16 6. Keith McKinlay 3 2 4 5 - 14 7. Shannon Wearne 4 F 4 4 1 13 8. Paul Duke 3 4 2 4 - 13 9. Gavin Lewis 3 4 3 2 - 12 10. Nigel Roberts 2 3 3 3 - 11 11. Jayson Ketteringham 2 3 2 1 - 8 12. Shane Blackman 1 2 1 3 - 7 13. Mark Jovic 2 NF 1 0 - 3 Sidecars, Interstate Challenge – Heat 1: 1. John Low/Andy Gajek, 2. Dave Bottrell/Matt Muldoon (SA), 3. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 4. Scott Charsley/Chris Eiteneuer; 1:10.07. Heat 2: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Mick Headland/Callan Ross (SA), 3. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 4. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale; 1:10.57. Heat 3: 1. Vince Gianoncelli/Yancy-Lee Ross, 2. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe (Qld), 3. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 4. Gary Selby/Robert Harvey; 1:11.10. Heat 4: 1. Russell Mitchell/Juston Winchester, 2. Pusqui Crescenzi/Kane Blackman, 3. Darren Morey/Joel Morey; 1:09.95. Heat 5: 1. John Low/Andy Gajek, 2. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 3. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 4. Darren Morey/Joel Morey; 1:10.39. Heat 6: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, no other finishers; 1:10.31. Heat 7: 1. Vince Gianoncelli/Yancy-Lee Ross, 2. Dave Bottrell/Matt Muldoon, 3. Pusqui Crescenzi/Kane Blackman, 4. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale; 1:11.08. Heat 8: 1. Russell Mitchell/Juston Winchester, 2. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 4. Mick Headland/Callan Ross; 1:09.43. Heat 9: 1. Russell Mitchell/Juston Winchester, 2. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 3. Vince Gianoncelli/Yancy-Lee Ross; 1:08.98. Heat 10: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 3. Scott Charsley/Chris Eiteneur, 4. Pusqui Crescenzi/Kane Blackman; 1:10.78. Heat 11: 1. Dave Bottrell/Matt Muldoon, 2. Mick Headland/Callan Ross; 1:09.49. Heat 12: 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 2. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale, 3. Darren Morey/Joel Morey; 1:12.08. Heat 13: 1. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 2. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale; 1:10.41. Heat 14: 1. Vince Gianoncelli/Yancy-Lee Ross, 2. Mick Headland/Callan Ross, 3. Scott Charsley/Chris Eiteneur, 4. Darren Morey/Joel Morey; 1:11.14. Heat 15: 1. Russell Mitchell/Juston Winchester, 2. Dave Bottrell/Mick Muldoon, 3. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 4. Gary Selby/Robert Harvey; 1:09.68. Heat 16: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Pusqui Crescenzi/Kane Blackman; 1:11.60. Heat 17: 1. John Low/Andy Gajek, 2. Mick Headland/Callan Ross, 3. Pusqui Crescenzi/Kane Blackman; 1:11.43. Heat 18: 1. Russell Mitchell/Juston Winchester, 2. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale; 1:10.16. Heat 19: 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 3. Dave Bottrell/Mick Muldoon; 1:11.12. Heat 20: 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 2. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold; 1:11.42. Pointscore Russell Mitchell/Juston Winchester 3 3 3 3 3 15 Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien 3 3 2 3 3 14 Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe 2 2 3 3 2 12 Vince Gianoncelli/Yancy-Lee Ross 3 3 1 3 X-T 10 Dave Bottrell/Mick Muldoon 2 2 3 2 1 10 Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield 1 1 3 2 3 10 John Low/Andy Gajek 3 3 NF NF 3 9 Mick Headland/CallanRoss 2 0 2 2 2 8 Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold 1 1 2 1 2 7 Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale 0 0 2 2 2 6 Pusqui Crescenzi/Kane Blackman 2 1 0 1 1 5 Mick Sita/Roy Potter 1 2 NS NS NS 3 Scott Charsley/Chris Eiteneur 0 X 1 1 0 2 Darren Morey/Joel Morey 1 0 1 0 NF 2 Gary Selby/Robert Harvey 0 X-T 0 0 NF 0 B Final: 1. John Low/Andy Gajek, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Mick Headland/Callan Ross, 3. Dave Bottrell/Mick Muldoon; 1:11.88. A Final: 1.Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe, 3. Russell Mitchell/Juston Winchester; 1:11.07.

NOMINATIONS WA SOLO CHAMPIONSHIP Bibra Lake Speedway – Saturday December 6 #1 Lee Blackman #4 Shane Blackman #5 Dave Cheshire #7 Gavin Lewis #10 Mark Jovic #12 Nigel Roberts #22 Paul Duke #27 Jayson Ketteringham #46 Keith McKinlay #53 Shannon Wearne #79 Kris Keast H Trevor Harding J Steve Johnston INTERSTATE SIDECAR CHALLENGE (Tom McQuade Memorial) #7 Vince Gianoncelli/Yancy-Lee Ross #10 Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien #11 Kelvin Blair/Kerry Blair #20 John Low/Andy Gajek #22 Scott Charsley/Chris Eitenaur #47 Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale #62 Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield #65 Mick Sita/Roy Potter #77 Warren Stanton/Paul Smith #88 Pusqui Crescenzi/Kane Blackman #99 Darren Morey/Joel Morey #106 Gary Selby/Robert Harvey SA36 Dave Bottrell/Matt Muldoon SA107 Mick Headland/C Ross QLD Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe

Here is report on the Bibra Lake Speedway meeting on October 5 RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE BY DREW By Ken Brown Top rated Sidecar combo of Mark Drew and Steve Blair swept all before them at the Bibra Lake Speedway on October 5. In an entertaining afternoon of bike action, Drew won both of the heat races that he contested, broke the track record in the B Final and then went on to win the A Final. Keith McKinlay also remained unbeaten in the Solo ranks. Opening heat for the Sidecars saw Tony Shield charge around the outside of the field and clear out from Steve Charsley, Cliff Henderson and Pusqui Crescenzi. Brothers Glenn and Nathan O’Brien celebrated their return to racing by clearing out from Danny Birch and Paul Pinfold in heat 2. Their time of 1:07.87 was only 0.24 of a second outside the 4-lap track record they set last January. Heat 3 saw the first appearance of Drew, who had picked up his passenger Blair from the airport. Drew gated ahead of O’Brien and was never headed, with Crescenzi coming in third and Mick Sita failing to complete the distance. Five chairs contested heat 4 with the bikes of Birch and Charsley becoming entangled and causing a stoppage. The next attempt saw several bikes bump through turn 1 with the Birch machine cartwheeling through the air. Passenger Kris Birch lay motionless on the track for some time before he moved his arm. He was taken away for observation and the event was rerun later in the program. The rescheduled event saw Shield and Pinfold swap the lead several times in an exciting dice before the former British champion took control of the race. Pinfold crossed the line ahead of Shield, Charsley and Henderson. O’Brien touched the tapes at the start of heat 5 and was excluded. Shield jumped out best but Drew blew him away down the back straight. Henderson came home third. Sixth heat saw Pinfold score over Crescenzi and Charsley. Two of the nations finest lined up to contest the B Final. Drew lined up in position 1, with Henderson off 2, O’Brien from 3 and Crescenzi on the outside. It was Drew just ahead at the start and he was able to maintain his advantage over O’Brien up to the flag. Crescenzi finished third ahead of Henderson. Drew’s time of 1:07.50 was a new 4-lap track record. The A Final lineup was – Drew (1), Pinfold (2), Shield (3), Charsley (4). Again Drew headed Pinfold at the start, but both slid high and Shield was through on the inside. Drew came back strongly to take the lead and finished in front of Shield, Pinfold and Charsley. First Solo heat saw Gavin Lewis the best to begin. However he slid up track and Keith McKinlay roared into the lead. McKinlay went on to down Lewis, Nigel Roberts and Mark Jovic. It was more of the same in heat 2. Lewis jumped best and led until he slid out wide and McKinlay grabbed the front spot. Again it was McKinlay over Lewis, Robert and Jovic The third heat saw McKinlay go straight into the lead with Roberts and Lewis battling it out side by side. Roberts won that dice but slowed on the next lap. So it was all McKinlay over Lewis and Jovic. The final saw McKinlay always in command of the situation. Roberts and Lewis swapped places several times before Lewis made sure of second spot. Roberts came in third followed by Jovic. Results Bibra Lake Speedway (Western Australia) October 5, 2003. Solos – Heat 1 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Gavin Lewis, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Mark Jovic; 56.67. Heat 2 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Gavin Lewis, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Mark Jovic; 54.97. Heat 3 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Gavin Lewis, 3. Mark Jovic; 55.57. Final 4 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Gavin Lewis, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Mark Jovic; 1:12.40. Sidecars – Heat 1 (4 laps): 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 2. Scott Charsley/Chris Eiteneuer, 3. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale, 4. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey; 1:10.13. Heat 2 (4 laps): 1. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 2. Danny Birch/Kris Birch, 3. Paul Pinfold/Justin Winchester; 1:07.87. Heat 3 (4 laps): 1. Mark Drew/Steve Blair, 2. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 3. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey; 1:09.41. Heat 4 (4 laps: 1. Paul Pinfold/Justin Winchester, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Scott Charsley/Chris Eiteneuer, 4. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale; 1:13.00. Heat 5 (4 laps): 1. Mark Drew/Steve Blair, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale; 1:11.32. Heat 6 (4 laps): 1. Paul Pinfold/Justin Winchester, 2. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey, 3. Scott Charsley/Chris Eiteneuer; 1:12.34. B Final (4 laps): 1. Mark Drew/Steve Blair, 2. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien, 3. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey, 4. Cliff Henderson/Shane Brazendale; 1:07.50 NTR. A Final (4 laps): 1. Mark Drew/Steve Blair, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Paul Pinfold/Justin Winchester, 4. Scott Charsley/Chris Eiteneuer; 1:09.22.

Heavy rain caused the cancellation of the Bibra Lake Speedway meeting today (September 21). Next meeting will be in a fortnight.

BLACKMAN WINS CONTROVERSIAL WA SOLO TITLE By Ken Brown Lee Blackman has won the 2002-03 Western Australian Solo Championship held at the Bibra Lake Speedway on September 7. Unfortunately the 65th running of the historic title will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. A field of 11 riders contested the eight qualifying heats, with the top five pointscorers seeded straight into the ‘winner take all’ A Final. Kambalda based Paul Duke gained the final berth after taking out the B Final. Everything was building up to an exciting climax, as the six contestants came out for the A Final. The rider lineup (with their qualifying points in brackets) was:- 1. Paul Duke (16), 2. Kris Keast (18], 3. Lee Blackman (19), 4. Gerald Short (18], 5. Shannon Wearne (16), 6. Dave Cheshire (24). As the tapes went up it was Blackman who raced straight into the lead from Keast, Short and the previously unbeaten Cheshire. Through the first corner Cheshire slipped by former British rider Short and then raced by Keast, who slid wide exiting the second turn. Then Duke slowed on the next lap, as did Wearne who had shed a chain. The red lights came on and four competitors lined up again. This time it was Blackman over Cheshire and Keast, with Short coming down on Pits Bend. He argued his case with the referee, claiming that he had been knocked off his bike, but to no avail. The next attempt saw Cheshire and Kris Keast tangle and both came down. A shower of rain then caused a delay and the track was graded. However both Cheshire and Keast refused to come out for the rerun and the officials deemed that Blackman only had to complete the four-laps on his own to claim the title. He did so and the WA crown was his. “The track was patchy in places but it was still rideable,” said Blackman afterwards. “It’s great to win the state title, but it’s not the way I would have liked it to turn out.” But Cheshire saw things differently. “Kris (Keast) had his bike straighten up, he hit me and we both went down. “It was just too dangerous to continue. “Three riders had already fallen. “I’m very disappointed that we didn’t wait a while and run the race later. “It’s not about the state title, it’s about the safety of the riders. “The meeting was great. It’s a shame that it had to finish that way.” Blackman will have to defend his title in three months time (December 6) when the rumour is that several World Class competitors could bolster the local field. A last minute inclusion in the field was the 47 year old Englishman Gerald Short, who only arrived in Western Australia a fortnight earlier. “I haven’t ridden for 12 years,” said Short. “I had to borrow a bike and some leathers. “But I’m enjoying myself.” Aboriginal rider Sooty Pigram journeyed down from Broome for the second time (the title was washed out on June 29) and the 21 year old made an impressive city debut. Kambalda riders Keast and Duke also clocked up the kilometres for the showdown, which had to be completed on the day. Opening heat resulted in an all the way victory to Blackman over Short, Wearne, Pigram and Jayson Ketteringham. Heat 2 saw Cheshire finish well clear of Keast, Duke, Nigel Roberts, novice Mark Jovic and Gavin Lewis (who remounted after falling on the opening lap). His time of 52.28 seconds was the fastest of the afternoon and 1.82 seconds outside Steve Johnston’s 3-lap track record. Cheshire notched another victory in the third heat, as he led home Duke, Lewis and Jovic. Blackman raced around Wearne soon after the start of heat 4 and also maintained his unbeaten status. Short moved up to second ahead of Keast, Ketteringham, Wearne and Roberts. Wearne gated best in heat 5 with Cheshire flying around the outside in effortless fashion to record another victory. Third placed Blackman fell on the second lap and continued at the rear of the field. Second home was Wearne ahead of Keast, Ketteringham and Blackman, with Jovic falling on the final lap. Having missed his second ride while changing his clutch cable, Pigram charged around Duke to claim the sixth heat honours. Short finished second over Duke, Lewis and Roberts. Heat 7 saw Cheshire score another fine win. Pigram came down on Pits Bend and wheeled his bike onto the infield so that the race could continue without a stoppage. Ketteringham crossed the line in second place followed by Lewis, Short and Roberts. Keast rounded Wearne to win the eighth heat, with Blackman finishing third ahead of Duke and Jovic. The B Final lineup was:- 1. Jovic, . Lewis, 3. Duke, 4. Ketteringham, 5. Pigram, 6. Roberts. Lewis jumped beat only to drop his bike around Pits Bend and limp onto the infield. Duke took over the front running and scored over Pigram, Ketteringham and Jovic. First Sidecar heat saw Paul Pinfold down Tony Shield and Pusqui Crescenzi. Danny Birch headed the second heat field as Mick Sita and Kelvin Blair swapped places on several occasions. Then Sita clipped Blair while attempting an inside pass, with Blair sliding into the fence and rolling in spectacular fashion. The event was rerun later on with Birch keeping in front of Sita. All five mobile bikes contested the third heat with Pinfold sliding by Crescenzi for the lead. Shield rounded up Sita and then took care of Crescenzi. Then Sita bumped Crescnzi as he went by, with Birch also finding his way past the upset Crescenzi. Pinfold kept out in front throughout heat 4 with Sita finishing a close second, and Shield and Crescenzi further back. It was Pinfold away best in the Final with Shield and Sita disputing second place. Shield prevailed and then charged up to Pinfold. He raced into the lead on the final lap and punched the air as he crossed the line. Pinfold came in second ahead of Sita and Crescenzi. Results Bibra Lake, September 7. Solos, WA Championship – Heat 1 (3 laps): 1. Lee Blackman, 2. Gerald Short, 3. Shannon Wearne, 4. Sooty Pigram, 5. Jayson Ketteringham; 52.84. Heat 2 (3 laps): 1. Dave Cheshire, 2. Kris Keast, 3. Paul Duke, 4. Nigel Roberts, 5. Mark Jovic, 6. Gavin Lewis; 52.28. Heat 3 (3 laps): 1. Dave Cheshire, 2. Paul Duke, 3. Gavin Lewis, 4. Mark Jovic; 53.25. Heat 4 (3 laps): 1. Lee Blackman, 2. Gerald Short, 3. Kris Keast, 4. Jayson Ketteringham, 5. Shannon Wearne, 6. Nigel Roberts; 54.23. Heat 5 (3 laps): 1. Dave Cheshire, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Kris Keast, 4. Jayson Ketteringham, 5. Lee Blackman; 53.00. Heat 6 (3 laps): 1. Sooty Pigram, 2. Gerald Short, 3. Paul Duke, 4. Gavin Lewis, 5. Nigel Roberts; 55.41. Heat 7 (3 laps): 1. Dave Cheshire, 2. Jayson Ketteringham, 3. Gavin Lewis, 4. Gerald Short, 5. Nigel Roberts; 53.01. Heat 8 (3 laps): 1. Kris Keast, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Lee Blackman, 4. Paul Duke, 5. Mark Jovic; 53.56. Qualifying Points Dave Cheshire (#5) 6 6 6 6 24 Kris Keast (#79) 5 4 4 6 19 Lee Blackman (#23) 6 6 2 4 18 Gerald Short (#17) 5 5 5 3 18 Shannon Wearne (#53) 4 2 5 5 16 Paul Duke (#22) 4 5 4 3 16 Jayson Ketteringham (#27) 2 3 3 5 13 Gavin Lewis (#7) 1 4 3 4 12 Sooty Pigram (#40) 3 ns 6 f 9 Nigel Roberts (#6) 3 1 2 2 8 Mark Jovic (#10) 2 3 f 2 7 B Final (4 laps): 1. Paul Duke, 2. Sooty Pigram, 3. Jayson Ketteringham, 4. Mark Jovic; 1:12.59. A Final (4 laps): 1. Lee Blackman; 1:14.40. Sidecars – Heat 1 (4 laps): 1. Paul Pinfold/Trent Headland, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey; 1:11.36. Heat 2 (4 laps): 1. Danny Birch/Kris Birch, 2. Mick Sita/Roy Potter; 1:10.95. Heat 3 (4 laps): 1. Paul Pinfold/Trent Headland, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 4. Danny Birch/Kris Birch, 5. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey; 1:13.57. Heat 4 (4 laps): 1. Paul Pinfold/Trent Headland, 2. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 3. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 4. Pusqui Crescenzi/Justin Winchester; 1:12.10. Final (4 laps): 1. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 2. Paul Pinfold/Trent Headland, 3. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 4. Pusqui Crescenzi/Justin Winchester; 1:11.33.

McKINLAY, MITCHELL IMPRESS AT BIBRA LAKE By Ken Brown Solo rider Keith McKinlay and Sidecar combo of Russell Mitchell/Justin Winchester dominated the proceedings at the Bibra Lake Speedway on August 24. McKinlay tuned up for the WA Championship the following fortnight (September 7) by sweeping the Solo division, while Mitchell and Winchester celebrated their return from England with three wins and a second placing in the Sidecars. Gavin Lewis was the best to begin in the opening Solo heat with McKinlay racing past and winning the event comfortably. Lewis held onto second spot over Shannon Wearne and Jayson Ketteringham. Heat 2 saw McKinlay charge straight into the lead from the number 5starting berth and lead home Wearne, Ketteringham and Nigel Roberts. Wearne gated best in the third heat only to have McKinlay fly straight around the outside through the first turn. McKinlay cleared out from Wearne, Paul Duke and Ketteringham. The Final saw Lewis away quickly with McKinlay reeling him in soon afterwards.Then Lewis slid out wide allowing Ketteringham past. McKinlay celebrated his unbeaten run with his trademark wheelie as he crossed the line in front of Ketteringham, Lewis and W earne. The opening Sidecar heat was held on a heavy track with Paul Pinfold leading home Russell Mitchell and Pusqui Crescenzi. Mick Sita was challenged by Tony Shield throughout the second heat, with John Low going by Kelvin Blair for third spot. Mitchell raced around Shield soon after the start of heat 3, with Low taking over second place on the next circuit. Heat 4 saw Sita clear out from Crescenzi and Pinfold. Mitchell made a big outside charge on Pinfold in heat 5 and went on to score a comfortable victory. Low maintained third position over Shield. Sita went by Crescenzi in the third heat which was declared after a piece of fairing came off Blair’s machine. Lineup for the B Main was – Crescenzi (1), Low (2), Shield (3).Crescenzi jumped first with Low diving underneath to grab the lead.Low went to the line in the fastest time of the afternoon (1:08.97) ahead of Shield and Crescenzi. A Main lineup was – Mitchell (1), Low (2), Sita (3), Pinfold (4). Low and Pinfold left the line together with Mitchell scraping through on the inside.Mitchell went on to score the victory over Sita and Pinfold, with Low slowing on the final lap. Results Bibra Lake Speedway, August 24, 2003. Solos – Heat 1 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Gavin Lewis, 3. Shannon Wearne, 4. Jayson Ketteringham, 5. Nigel Roberts, 6. Mark Jovic; 55.47. Heat 2 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Jayson Ketteringham, 4. Nigel Roberts, 5. Gavin Lewis, 6. Mark Jovic; 53.70. Heat 3 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Shannon Wearne, 3. Paul Duke, 4.Jayson Ketteringham, 5. Gavin Lewis, 6. Nigel Roberts, 7. Mark Jovic; Final (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Jayson Ketteringham, 3. GavinLewis, 4. Shannon Wearne, 5. Nigel Roberts, 6. Paul Duke; no time. Sidecars – Heat 1 (4 laps): 1. Paul Pinfold/Trent Headland, 2. RussellMitchell/Justin Winchester, 3. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey; no time. Heat 2 (4 laps): 1. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 2. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 3. John Low/Andy Gajek, 4. Kelvin Blair/Kerry Blai Heat 3 (4 laps): 1. Russell Mitchell/Justin Winchester, 2. John Low/Andy Gajek, 3. Tony Shield/Chris Summerfield, 4. Kelvin Blair/Kerry Blair;1:10.45. Heat 4 (4 laps): 1. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 2. Pusqui Crescenzi/DeanMorey, 3. Paul Pinfold/Trent Headland; 1:11.21. Heat 5 (4 laps): 1. Russell Mitchell/Justin Winchester, 2. Paul Pinfold/Trent Headland, 3. John Low/Andy Gajek, 4. Tony Shield/ChrisSummerfield; 1:10.32. Heat 6 (4 laps): 1. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 2. Pusqui Crescenzi/DeanMorey, 3. Kelvin Blair/Kerry Blair; declared – no time. B Main (4 laps): 1. John Low/Andy Gajek, 2. Tony Shield/ChrisSummerfield, 3. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey; 1:08.97. A Main (4 laps): 1. Russell Mitchell/Justin Winchester, 2. Mick Sita/RoyPotter, 3. Paul Pinfold/Trent Headland, 4. John Low/Andy Gajek; 1:09.57.

Here is the Summer calendar for the Bikes at Bibra Lake Speedway (Western Australia) Sat. Dec. 6 - 2003-04 WA Solo Championship - plus Interstate Sidecar Challenge (Tom McQuade Memorial) Sat. Jan. 24 - 2003-04 WA Sidecar Championship - plus International Solo Challenge (Ron Johnson Memorial) Sat. Feb. 28 - 2003-04 Australian Sidecar Championship - Elimination night Sun. Feb. 29 - 2003-04 Australian Sidecar Championship - Final night All events to be held under lights

Just received word that the WA Solo Championship will be run on Sunday September 7 at the Bibra Lake Speedway. The rain date will be October 5.

Several dates have been given to the bike boys and a decision will be made shortly. The problem is that several of the guys are coming from the country- Kambalda and Broome. Bibra Lake Speedway is south of Perth - near the Jandakot Airport.

Here is a report on the Solo and Sidecar racing at the Bibra Lake Speedway in Western Australia on July 13. ANOTHER MAXIMUM FOR DREW By Ken Brown Mark Drew and passenger Steven Blair swept to another impressive maximum score in the Sidecar ranks at the Bibra Lake Speedway on Sunday July 13. It was the second successive meeting in which the combo had won all of their four starts. Keith McKinlay won three out of four Solo events in fine style, but was forced to slow in his remaining outing after his seat bracket came loose. Opening heat for the Sidecars saw Drew charge straight into the lead from position 3 on the grid. He raced away from the opposition, finishing the length of the straight clear of Pusqui Crescenzi, Paul Pinfold and Mick Sita. Time of 1:09.11 was less than a second outside the 4-lap record set a year ago by Glenn O’Brien. Starting from position 6 out by the fence made no difference to Drew in the second heat. He hit the front through turn 1 and cleared out from Danny Birch, Sita and Pinfold. The third heat was halted after Sita and Crescenzi came together soon after the start. Both combos were able to dust themselves down and contest the rerun. Again it was Drew who jumped first and led home Sita, Birch and Crescenzi. Drew came out of position 6 in the Final and shot straight into the lead. He finished a comfortable winner over Pinfold, Sita and Birch. In the first Solo event, Lee Blackman and Keith McKinlay battled it out side by side before the latter took command. McKinlay went on to score over Blackman, Jayson Ketteringham and Nigel Roberts. Blackman gated best in heat 2 with McKinlay forced to slow out of contention. At the flag it was all Blackman over Ketteringham, Roberts and McKinlay. Heat 3 saw Blackman away first with McKinlay powering around the outside into the lead. McKinlay finished just in front of Blackman, with Roberts and Ketteringham further back. It was all McKinlay in the final, with Ketteringham holding down a creditable second until he was passed by Blackman. McKinlay took the honours over Blackman, Ketteringham and novice Mark Jovic. Results Bibra Lake Speedway, July 13, 2003. Solos – Heat 1 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Lee Blackman, 3. Jayson Ketteringham, 4. Nigel Roberts, 5. Mark Jovic; 52.08. Heat 2 (3 laps): 1. Lee Blackman, 2. Jayson Ketteringham, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Keith McKinlay, 5. Mark Jovic; 51.92. Heat 3 (3 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Lee Blackman, 3. Nigel Roberts, 4. Jayson Ketteringham; 54.56. Final (4 laps): 1. Keith McKinlay, 2. Lee Blackman, 3. Jayson Ketteringham, 4. Mark Jovic; 1:11.17. Sidecars – Heat 1 (4 laps): 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey, 3. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 4. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 5. Danny Birch/Kris Birch, 6. Kelvin Blair/Kerry Blair; 1:09.11. Heat 2 (4 laps): 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Danny Birch/Kris Birch, 3. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 4. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 5. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey, 6. Kelvin Blair/Kerry Blair; 1:09.60. Heat 3 (4 laps): 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 3. Danny Birch/Kris Birch, 4. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey, 5. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 6. Kelvin Blair/Kerry Blair; 1:10.80. Final (4 laps): 1. Mark Drew/Steven Blair, 2. Paul Pinfold/Lisa Pinfold, 3. Mick Sita/Roy Potter, 4. Danny Birch/Kris Birch, 5. Pusqui Crescenzi/Dean Morey, 6. Kelvin Blair/Kerry Blair; 1:11.73.

We are talking about a very determined and focussed Speedway rider. Good luck to you Ryan - Aussie followers are right beind you. Speedway riders make all other sportsmen look like wimps. There are many other instances of riders competing with serious injuries. Put yourself in his boots. He came so close last year - every point earned means he is closer to the top of the pack in the next round.

The WA Solo Championship will now be held on Sunday July 13.

Unfortunately heavy rain during the week forced the cancellation of the meeting.

PLENTY OF HISTORY IN WA TITLE By Ken Brown The Western Australian Solo Championship is one of the longest running Speedway titles in the entire world. It was first held during the opening season of the Claremont Speedway at meeting number 12 on Saturday November 26, 1927. A report in The West Australian newspaper the following Monday read as follows- “On Saturday night the State Motorcycling Championship, over 2 miles (5 laps) was decided at the Claremont Speedway, when the W.A. Motor Cycling Association conducted an electric light meeting. There was a splendid attendance and the programme was productive of some good racing. The Final of the State Championship promised to be thrilling and so it was. Schlam gained the jump out from the gun, but Kinnear sprang a surprise by chasing and heading him. His advantage was short lived, however, for Datsun darted through on the inside as they passed the stand for the first time, and established a lead of about twelve yards from Schlam, who was just in front of Kinnear. With three-quarters of the second lap covered, and while the riders were travelling at a great rate, Datsun came off and Schlam went on to win comfortably over Kinnear.” Sig Schlam, known as “The Trackmaster”, became the very first winner of the WA Solo Championship over Ted Kinnear and Charlie Datsun. Tragically Schlam was killed in a race accident at the Perth Speedway (WACA Ground) on November 1, 1930. This Sunday (June 29) sees the 56th running of that historic title at the Bibra Lake Speedway. A total of 32 riders can claim to have taken off the event, with eleven of them being multiple winners. Best of the bunch were Mick McKeon and Glenn Doyle, who each can claim 6 successes in the event. Chum Taylor won 5 times, while Guy Wilson was victorious on 3 occasions. Two-time winners were Wally Higgs, George McPherson, Ross Nickisson, Les Leisk, Glyn Taylor (son of Chum), Steve Johnston and Lee Redmond. Another 21 competitors were single winners of the coveted title. They include Arthur Atkinson (Eng), Wal Morton (Eng), Ken McKinlay (Scotland), Ove Fundin (Sweden), Ivan Mauger (New Zealand), Simon Cross (Eng) and Rob Woffinden (Eng). Of course, Rob Woffinden is the father of present day Junior Solo competitor Tai Woffinden. David Cheshire won the 1983-84 Championship as a 16 year old – the youngest ever winner. It would be simply amazing if he was to score another success some nineteen years later. WA SOLO CHAMPIONS 1927-28 Sig Schlam 1928-29 Fred Kirkpatrick 1929-30 Arthur Atkinson (Eng) 1935-36 Wal Morton (Eng) 1936-37 Mick Murphy 1950-51 Wally Higgs 1951-52 Wally Higgs 1952-53 Ray Melville 1953-54 Rusty Wainwright 1954-55 George McPherson 1955-56 Ron Johnson 1957-58 Chum Taylor 1959-60 George McPherson 1960-61 Aub Lawson 1961-62 Chum Taylor 1962-63 Chum Taylor 1963-64 Ross Nickisson 1964-65 Jim Phillips 1965-66 Ken McKinlay (Scot) 1966-67 Ross Nickisson 1967-68 Chum Taylor 1968-69 Ove Fundin (Sweden) 1969-70 Chum Taylor 1970-71 Terry O’Leary 1971-72 Les Leisk 1972-73 Ivan Mauger (NZ) 1973-74 Rod Chessell 1974-75 Peter Thompson 1975-76 Les Leisk 1976-77 Mick McKeon 1977-78 Mick McKeon 1978-79 Mick McKeon 1979-80 Robert Moores 1980-81 Mick McKeon 1981-82 Glyn Taylor 1982-83 Glyn Taylor 1983-84 David Cheshire 1984-85 Mick McKeon 1985-86 Mick McKeon 1986-87 Simon Cross (Eng) 1987-88 Rob Woffinden (Eng) 1988-89 Glenn Doyle 1989-90 Glenn Doyle 1990-91 Glenn Doyle 1991-92 Glenn Doyle 1992-93 Glenn Doyle 1993-94 Steve Johnston 1994-95 Glenn Doyle 1995-96 Steve Johnston 1996-97 Lee Redmond 1997-98 Frank Smart 1998-99 Guy Wilson 1999-00 Lee Redmond 2000-01 Guy Wilson 2001-02 Guy Wilson

14.06.2003, Cardiff GBR, Grand Prix of Great Britain Heat results: Heat winner runner-up third fourth 1: Todd Wiltshire Simon Stead Chris Harris Tomasz Gollob 2: Nicki Pedersen Jason Crump Bohumil Brhel David Howe 3: Scott Nicholls Peter Karlsson Lee Richardson Jason Lyons 4: A.Jonsson B.Pedersen P.Protasiewicz Ronni Pedersen 5: Lee Richardson Ronni Pedersen David Howe C.Harris - F 6: Tomasz Gollob P.Protasiewicz Jason Lyons B.Brhel - E 7: Todd Wiltshire Jason Crump Scott Nicholls B.Pedersen 8: Peter Karlsson A.Jonsson Nicki Pedersen Simon Stead 9: T.Bajerski Ryan Sullivan Greg Hancock T.Rickards - T 10: Mikael Max Lukas Dryml Leigh Adams Rune Holta - E 11: Scott Nicholls P.Protasiewicz Lee Richardson Simon Stead 12: Nicki Pedersen Ronni Pedersen B.Pedersen T.Gollob - X 13: T.Bajerski Rune Holta Ronni Pedersen T.Wiltshir - X 14: Greg Hancock P.Protasiewicz Peter Karlsson Lukas Dryml 15: Jason Crump Leigh Adams Nicki Pedersen Ryan Sullivan 16: T.Rickardsson Scott Nicholls A.Jonsson Mikael Max 17: Nicki Pedersen Lukas Dryml Ronni Pedersen Mikael Max 18: A.Jonsson Ryan Sullivan Peter Karlsson Todd Wiltshire 19: Jason Crump Scott Nicholls P.Protasiewicz T.Bajerski 20: T.Rickardsson Rune Holta Leigh Adams Greg Hancock 21: Greg Hancock Nicki Pedersen P.Protasiewicz Ryan Sullivan 22: A.Jonsson Leigh Adams Lukas Dryml T.Bajerski 23: Greg Hancock Jason Crump Leigh Adams Rune Holta 24: Nicki Pedersen T.Rickardsson S.Nicholls - X A.Jonsson - X 25: Nicki Pedersen Jason Crump T.Rickardsson Greg Hancock Final standings: Pos No Rider GP Classic scoring 1 12 Nicki Pedersen DEN 25 31313233 2 2 Jason Crump AUS 20 223322 3 1 Tony Rickardsson SWE 18 T3321 4 6 Greg Hancock USA 16 130330 5 4 Leigh Adams AUS 13 12121 6 13 Scott Nicholls GBR 13 31322X 7 11 Rune Holta NOR 11 E220 8 14 Andreas Jonsson SWE 11 32133X 9 10 Lukas Dryml CZE 8 2021 10 19 Piotr Protasiewicz POL 8 122211 11 3 Ryan Sullivan AUS 7 2020 12 21 Tomasz Bajerski POL 7 3300 13 26 Peter Karlsson SWE 6 2311 14 27 Ronni Pedersen DEN 6 02211 15 5 Mikael Max SWE 5 300 16 15 Todd Wiltshire AUS 5 33X0 17 17 Lee Richardson GBR 4 131 18 20 Bjarne Pedersen DEN 4 201 19 7 Tomasz Gollob POL 3 03X 20 24 Simon Stead GBR 3 200 21 22 Jason Lyons AUS 2 01 22 23 David Howe GBR 2 01 23 18 Bohumil Brhel CZE 1 1E 24 31 Chris Harris GBR 1 1F Serie statistic: Pos Rider 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Tot. 1 1 Tony Rickardsson SWE 25 13 18 56 2 12 Nicki Pedersen DEN 20 8 25 53 3 10 Lukas Dryml CZE 18 20 8 46 4 4 Leigh Adams AUS 11 18 13 42 5 6 Greg Hancock USA 8 16 16 40 6 3 Ryan Sullivan AUS 6 25 7 38 7 2 Jason Crump AUS 11 5 20 36 8 11 Rune Holta NOR 13 11 11 35 9 7 Tomasz Gollob POL 16 8 3 27 10 19 Piotr Protasiewicz POL 13 6 8 27 11 5 Mikael Max SWE 7 13 5 25 12 21 Tomasz Bajerski POL 4 11 7 22 13 13 Scott Nicholls GBR 6 2 13 21 14 16 Krzysztof Cegielski POL 8 7 - 15 15 14 Andreas Jonsson SWE - 2 11 13 16 20 Bjarne Pedersen DEN 2 7 4 13 17 15 Todd Wiltshire AUS 2 5 5 12 18 17 Lee Richardson GBR 7 1 4 12 19 18 Bohumil Brhel CZE 5 4 1 10 20 26 Peter Karlsson SWE 1 3 6 10 21 22 Jason Lyons AUS 1 6 2 9 22 27 Ronni Pedersen DEN - 3 6 9 23 25 Hans Andersen DEN 3 4 - 7 24 8 Mark Loram GBR 5 - - 5 25 WC Sebastian Ulamek POL 4 - - 4 26 WC Rafal Kurmanski POL 3 - - 3 27 WC Simon Stead GBR - - 3 3 28 WC David Howe GBR - - 2 2 29 31 Chris Harris GBR - - 1 1 30 WC Magnus Zetterstrom POL - 1 - 1 Next round: June 28th Copenhagen Grand Prix of Denmark --

Ran into Mick McKeon the other day. He has remarried and is staying home looking after his baby daughter.

Ran into Les a couple of years ago. He is now a farrier here in Western Australia.

He lives somewhere around there - Mandurah area - not sure exactly where.

Johnny 'Tom Thumb' Chamberlain is alive and well here in Western Australia. Bumped into him the other day in a shopping centre in Mandurah - around 60km south of Perth. He is a really nice guy.