Gillman winter meeting report - September 2014

September 16, 2014 by Gillman Media

The second (and final) winter meeting was held at Gillman Speedway on Saturday afternoon.

The 70+ event programme started with the combined Post Classic/Evolution Sidecar class. Victorians Paul Donnelly/Jake Roberts were the stars of the Evolution class at the first meeting, going through the card unbeaten, but after the long trip over they had a disappointing start to this meeting when they were excluded from the first event for touching the tapes. Thereafter they were unbeaten, but Clinton Crabb/Jarred Edey, with the benefit of the extra ride, top scored with 11 points from Donnelly/Roberts 9 and Mildura’s Dale Milner/Nick O’Brien 8.

Post Classic/Evolution Sidecar class. Victorians Paul Donnelly/Jake Roberts (red) lead Clinton Crabb/Jarred Edey (yellow) and Sean Chapman/Matt Ambrose (white). Photo by Judy Mackay.

Next up were the Classic Solos which were disappointing with only five entries, but there was still plenty of interest with a rare appearance by former British League rider Robert Ksiezak. As expected Ksiezak finished well ahead of his rivals and slowed down to an idle on the last lap of each race to avoid lapping some of those rivals, including 71-year-old Trevor Henderson who suffered a very rare fall in his last race but fortunately was not hurt.

Former British League rider Robert Ksiezak making a rare appearance in the Classic Solo class. Ksiezak would be a welcome addition to the Adelaide Solo ranks if he makes a full-time comeback. Photo by Judy Mackay.

After the “old boys” came the new kids on the block with teenagers Cooper Riordan and Mitchell Grech in the 250cc Under 16 Solo class. Grech didn’t quite reproduce the form he showed at the first meeting and 15-year-old Riordan had no trouble winning all four heats. With no pressure and a clear track his times were faster than the group two Solos which he’ll be a part of in the summer season after he turns 16 in October.

15-year-old Cooper Riordan’s times in the 250cc Under 16 Solo class were faster than the group two Solos. Photo by Judy Mackay.

Seth Hickey was the star of the Group 2 Solos winning the first three heats before suffering his only loss to Luke Mitchell in the final heat when Mitchell produced his best ride of the day. Jake Mitchell and Luke Bacskai were second and third respectively in each of the first three heats. Bacskai has just stepped up from the junior speedway and was having his first senior meeting. He and follower newcomers Matthew Flay and Blake Ridley were programmed to race just against each other but Bacskai and Flay had to go into the higher group because Ridley is not yet 16. Ridley rode in some demonstration races with Declyn Adams.

The Group 1 Solos produced some exciting racing between Jack Fallon, Brodie Waters, Matt Day and Robert Medson for the minor placings behind Robert Branford who was an easy winner in the opening two heats before being beaten by Fallon in his third ride and not starting in his fourth. Waters, Day and Medson were deprived of a chance to chalk up a win in the final heat when the referee declared the race with no result after Fallon crashed, fortunately without injury, while leading.

Group 1 Solo action. Left to right, Brodie Waters (green), Robert Branford (yellow), Robert Medson (white), Jack Fallon (blue), Matt Day (red). Photo by Judy Mackay.

As with the Post Classic/Evolution Sidecar class, the other Classic Sidecars, the British and Japanese classes were combined, and the former junior motocross star, later Rowley Park Sidecar passenger/rider, Steven Lewis was the top scoring with his best display yet since joining the classic ranks. Lewis/Sean Chapman finished with 10 points from three wins and a third place, with Clinton Crabb/Jarred Edey next best on 8, and Jim Irwin/Rick Schonfeldt, who had some gear-changing problems on 5 points which included a win over Crabb and Lewis in the third heat.

Combined British and Japanese Classic Sidecars. Steven Lewis/Sean Chapman (green) leading Jim Irwin/Rick Schonfeldt (yellow/black) and Clinton Crabb/Jarred Edey (blue). Photo by Judy Mackay.

Placings were evenly spread in the Group 2 Sidecars. Ricky Fechner/Jesse Headland and Klae Hobbs/Jack Spear top scored with 10 points each, from two wins and two seconds, but Mal Greig/Scott Banyer (7 points) also scored two wins before bike trouble caused him to miss his last ride, and last meeting’s top scorers Dean Hobbs/Andy Westover started with 5 points from their first two rides before spinning infield in their other two rides.

Group 2 Sidecars, Klae Hobbs/Jack Spear (blue) and Ricky Fechner/Jesse Headland (yellow). Photo by Judy Mackay.

The feature class of the day was the Group 1 Sidecars and this produce the biggest surprise of both winter meetings with Division 2 rider Tim Bichard/Dale Knights finishing as the well-deserved top point scorer with 11 out of a possible 12 points. Bichard was fast and smooth and earned his points on merit, beating Trent Headland/Darryl Whetstone and Damien Niesche/Mitchell spear in his second and third rides after a first up loss to Mark Plaisted/Matt Morgan. Headland and Niesche tied for second place with 10 points. They dropped a point to each other as well as both being beaten by Bichard. After his first up win, Plaisted was beaten by Niesche, and then Headland, before sitting out his last ride to finish with 7 points.

Tim Bichard/Dale Knights (blue), in career-best form, leading Trent Headland/Darryl Whetstone (white) in the Group 1 Sidecars. Photo by Judy Mackay.

The most eye-catching rider of the day was Mildura road-racing/enduro/dirt-track star Nicholas Waters in the Dirt Track/MX Solo class who might get a bill from speedway manager David Parker for his time to remove the tyre marks from the fence, as Waters picked up drive on every lap by letting his back wheel bit against the fence down the straights. He certainly had the crowd’s attention. Many of them, not knowing his enduro/dirt-track background, were sure he’d come to grief as he chased the dirt on the high line, but he had no trouble as he scootered away for an unbeaten 12 points. Broken Hill’s Logan Coombe continued his fine form from the previous meeting, winning his first two rides to make it seven unbeaten rides over the two meetings before going down to Waters in the last heat and then the all-in 8 lap feature race. Speedway rider Jake Mitchell (9) was third in the points, and in the feature race. Victoria’s Jake Roberts also stood out in the heats, only beaten by Waters and Coombe but he was unplaced in the feature race. The interest shown by the dirt-track riders in the two winter meetings has prompted Gillman to add a dirt-track meeting to the summer fixture list (14 March).

Nicholas Waters (52) and Logan Coombe (42) in the last MX/Dirt Track heat along with Jake Roberts (65), Dale Knights (273), Robert Medson (9) and Matt Ambrose (777). Photo by Judy Mackay.

On the infield track the juniors produced their own excitement with Jack Norman proving too good for Brayden McGuinness and Oliver Hamilton in the Group 1 races; Liam May and Troy Kutcher equal top scoring in some closely contested Group 2 races; Seth Pascoe and Jack Sadler likewise equal top scoring with the own private battles in the Novice class; and Sadler’s little brother Harry and Tyler Battams catching the eye with some talented cornering in the Pee Wees.

Above: 125cc Junior Solo action. Jack Norman (yellow/black), Oliver Hamilton (red), Brayden McGuiness (white) and Troy Kutcher (blue). Below: Impressive Pee Wee action from Harry Sadler (white) and Tyler Battams (red). Photos by Judy Mackay.

The next track action at Gillman will be the regular monthly practice morning on Sunday, 5 October, followed by the annual Gillman Classic Championships meeting on Saturday night, 25 October. Amongst the riders likely to compete in this year’s meeting will be eight-times Australian Sidecar Champion Darrin Treloar, riding his late father Garry’s bike. Supplementary Regulations for this event are on the Gillman Speedway website Nominations page.