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Last Updated: Nov 28th, 2010 - 10:22:29 |
This Saturday night (27 February) Gillman Speedway will present something different in the form of Cycle Speedway racing prior to the start of the main meeting.
In the days before junior speedway, Cycle Speedway was the entry point for many of the Solo riders. During the Rowley Park era riders like the Amundson brothers, Robin and Kym, Paul Scanlan, Ray Snider, Chris Blythe and Garry Middleton came through Cycle Speedway. Even the legendary Ivan Mauger started in Cycle Speedway, and even rode some cycle speedway to maintain fitness when he first went to England.
Over the last 30 years or so, however, the two sports have been less closely associated. Of course, the introduction of junior speedway is partly responsible for that, with many youngsters going straight into junior speedway or junior motocross, but also Cycle Speedway riders now have their own international racing scene.
Riders can compete in the World Championship, at both senior and junior level, every two years, and also regularly compete in Test Matches against Great Britain and Poland, again at both senior and junior level.
The World Championship is run on a rotational basis between Australia and Europe, and every fourth year the World championship is held in Adelaide, which is the acknowledged premier state in Australia for Cycle Speedway. With trips to England and Poland, and next year to the USA, possible, riders tend to stay involved in Cycle speedway instead of moving into Speedway. Some do move into other forms of cycling with Olympic gold medallist Brett Aitken probably the most well-known.
These days also there are actually some speedway riders doing the reverse and going back into cycle speedway after retiring from speedway. The best known at the moment would be former North Arm Solo rider Nigel Greenhalgh. Greenhalgh, at the age of 46, rides cycle speedway to maintain fitness, but also to boost the numbers and help the current clubs to survive so the kids of today can enjoy the same camaraderie, and competition he enjoyed as a child. "You can't get a much cheaper sport to go into" says Greenhalgh. "For $20 a whole family can join a club and the only expense is a bike and a helmet. And it caters for everyone, from under 5 years-old to as old as you like. And riders can use a club's bikes to make sure they like the sport before they go out and buy their own bike."
There won’t be much between any of the riders competing on Saturday night as they are all amongst Australia's best riders, but some of the riders have achieved some notable successes on the intenational scene.
Daniel Pudney is the current (2009) World Champion and also won in 2005, while Cody Chadwick was runner-up to Pudney in 2009 in a memorable 1-2 finish for the Australians against fierce competition from the Poles, in particular, and the British. Cody's younger brother, Joel Chadwick is the current Australian Champion, Matt Gentle is a multiple Australian Champion and former World number two, and Nicole Kinross is the current Women's World Champion.
At the moment there are four tracks in South Australia — LeFevre, Salisbury, Findon and Murraylands (Murray Bridge) and spectators will be able to find out more about these clubs at a static display next to the canteens.
The actual racing will take place on the infield track between 7 and 7.30 pm.
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