A great night of hot speedway action greeted fans at Mildura’s Olympic Park Speedway on Wednesday night when the Club hosted the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club’s 2010 Australian Title Qualifying meeting.
Local fans were generous in the praise of young Justin Sedgmen, who finished the meeting in second place overall, as one of the six riders who qualified through the meeting to contest the 2010 Australian Solo Title series, which will be held over three rounds over the next ten days.
Rob Ksiezak (SA) , finished on top with 13 points from Sedgmen (12), with Queenslander Josh Grajczonek and NSW youngster, Alex Davies tied on 11 points. In fifth place was English visitor, Josh Auty (10) with the sixth and final qualifying place requiring a run-off to decide between Joe Haines (England), James Holder (NSW) and Dakota North (Vic) on nine points each. An eventful race saw North fall in turn three of the third lap which forced Referee, Mr Rob Perks, to stop the race prematurely, giving the race win, and therefore the last qualifying position to James Holder as it was deemed that he was substantially in front of the young Englishman, who was given second place. North, by virtue of the fall took seventh place in the meeting. Read the rest of this entry »
Recent injuries to some riders in NSW over the last weekend, has seen a massive improvement in the field to contest the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club’s – 2010 Australian Solo Qualifying meeting at Mildura’s Olympic Park speedway on Wednesday night.
Mildura fans will be pleased to see young Englishman, Josh Auty now included in the field. Auty gave a great performance at his first ride at Olympic Park in the season opening meeting, winning all his events on the night and showing the skills that he has learned at both Sheffield, in British Premier League as well as at Coventry, where he rides in the British Elite League.
He has been joined, as a very late inclusion, by fellow Brit, Joe Haines, who similarly has ridden for Rye House in the Premier League as well as doubling up for Wolverhampton in the Elite League, taking a Premiership medallion for his Elite League Club. Haines is also a very accomplished grass track rider, so the Australians in the field will have to be really at their best to still make it into the top six group which then go into the Championship series the following week. Read the rest of this entry »
Mildura speedway fans are in for a treat with two high class meetings at Olympic Park inside of one week, when the Mildura Club plays host to the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club’s 2010 Australian Solo Speedway Championships, with the vital Qualifying round to be held on Wednesday 30th December and then the second round of the Championship series to be held on Sunday 3rd January 2010.
 Motorcycling Australia’s Speedway and Track Racing Commission have selected the top ten riders in the country and have seeded them directly into the three round series, however, the final six riders will come from the Qualifying meeting, which will be a very cut throat affair. Read the rest of this entry »
A large crowd filled the Olympic Park speedway on Sunday night to partake in the first meeting for the season, which featured the World Sidecar champions, Mick Headland and Paul Waters, in an excellent list of “A†grade sidecar competitors.
The first ever World Champs were not beaten in their four heat rides, having some strong battles with Broken Hill pair, Rick Howse and Adam Commons and all of the local teams, including, Jason Bradshaw / Simon Cohrs, who had a great opening meeting, Byren Gates / Mick O’Loughlin and the very fast, Warren Monson / Deven Gates combination.
Newly elevated Andrew O’Rourke / Jason Mayes, were solid competitors all night, as were Clint Mayes / Jamie Knudsen, in the top grade. Both these teams are using new passengers this season and both swingers acquitted themselves very well, which is good for the future of the sidecar class. Read the rest of this entry »
Mildura speedway fans will be given an extra thrill this Sunday, as prior to the speedway event, the first ever World Speedway Sidecar Champions, Mick Headland and Paul Waters will be in the Olympic Park Clubrooms to meet and greet with Sunraysia people. Mick and Paul will arrive at the Mildura Clubrooms at 2:00pm and will remain until it is time to wheel their race machine out of the Clubrooms and over to the Pits for scrutineering to be done around 5:00pm.
Headland and Waters will attend, with their machine, trophies and prizes, which they won at the World Championship at La Réole, France, in August 2009. The first ever World Title was conducted at the 800 metre French grass track, with the best of the World’s sidecar speedway and grass track exponents in attendance. Mick and Paul will be keen to sign autographs and allow photo opportunities for Sunraysia patrons as well as having some merchandise and memorabilia for sale. The Mildura Club is delighted that the World Champs have agreed to attend the venue early so as Sunraysia fans have a chance to get up close and personal with the SA pair.
Headland and Waters head up an excellent “A†grade in the Sidecar division on Sunday night. Their opponents include all of the Sunraysia stars, Byren Gates / Mick O’Loughlin, Jason Bradshaw / Simon Cohrs, Warren Monson / Deven Gates and Andrew O’Rourke / Jason Mayes, who will be joined by 2008 second place getters in the World Gold Cup, Rick Howse / Adam Commons, from Broken Hill and Melbourne pair, Mark Radford / Steven Stagg, who will complete the eight rider division.
The local riders put on a hot display at the season Shakedown at Olympic Park last month, when many spectators thought that some of the sidecar practice runs were reminiscent of a heat from last year’s Australian Sidecar Championship back in March. The riding on that night was fast and furious, which indicates that the racing all night this Sunday night will be just as keenly contested. Read the rest of this entry »
The first ever World Speedway Sidecar Champions, Mick Headland and Paul Waters, from Murray Bridge will be at Mildura’s Olympic Park Speedway this Sunday night for the Opening of a hectic 2009 – 2010 Speedway season.
Headland and Waters will be among a top group of “A†grade sidecars to race in the meeting, which will feature a strong “B†grade sidecar field, a Solo field, which includes plenty of riders with International experience as well as a fast group of quads, who are certain to burn up the dirt of the Olympic Park track.
Headland and Waters have offered to bring all their gear, trophies and memorabilia down the Olympic Park Clubrooms from 2:00pm on Sunday to allow sidecar fans to get up close and personal and to have a chat about their success in France in August. This will be a wonderful opportunity for fans to bring the family down to Olympic Park to meet and greet the first ever World Champions. Many fans will be amazed to see the race machine stripped down to “bare bones†on display with Mick and Paul offering photo opportunities for Mildura fans. Bring the kids down to the Clubrooms any time from 2:00pm until 5:00pm, when the Champions will take their machine from the Clubrooms straight over to the Pits ready for scrutineering and racing to follow, The Mildura Club is most grateful that the two are prepared to do this meet and greet prior to the start of the season. Read the rest of this entry »
Large fields have entered for the first meeting of the season at Olympic Park, on Saturday night and if the Practice crowd was anything to go by, a massive crowd will be in attendance as the Mildura speedway faithful turn up after being starved of the methanol fuelled sport for too many months.
A quality line up of a dozen of the best Sidecars around will be the feature of the evening’s racing, headed by the top stars from Mildura. Patrons could again be in for a fast and furious Sidecar year as Byren Gates and Mick O’Loughlin, Jason Bradshaw and Simon Cohrs, Warren Monson and Deven Gates as well as Clint Mayes, now with Jamie Knudsen, gave their all in some fierce practice sessions during the Shakedown meeting a fortnight ago. These encounters were reminiscent of any  heat of the Australian Title, held, so successfully, at Mildura back in March of this year .
Added to this group were a revitalized Chris Holmes and Neale Hancock team; Andrew O’Rourke, with new passenger Jason Mayes and the always improving Dale Milner and Nick O’Brien as well as new combination, Jason Milner and Alan Tyers. These local riders provide a marvelous core group of entrants to base any program around.
Further entries have been received from regular Southern Victorian visitors, Simon Hartley / Nathan Chisholm and Mark Radford / Steven Stagg as well as Broken Hill’s, Ricky Stephens / Dean Hobbs. A first time entrant at Mildura will be Terry Kelly, with passenger, Clint Leavold. The strong message that we understand about this combination, is that they have a machine with massive horsepower, which could take a little bit to control around the tight confines of the Olympic Park circuit. Time and experience will tell at the end of the night.
Solos will feature also with Mildura’s latest European freshmen, Ryan and Justin Sedgmen, doing battle against Brock Gates and Shepparton rider, Jake Anderson. Both Sedgmen boys had their first taste of professional riding during the past few months, with Justin making a good fist of progression through the early rounds of the World Under 21 Titles and enjoying some success at his Somerset Premier League Club. Read the rest of this entry »
