Sidewinders Speedway
One of Australia's few dedicated junior motorcycle speedway tracks.
Sidewinders Speedway is a junior motorcycle speedway located in the semi-industrial Adelaide suburb of Wingfield, South Australia. Opened in 1978, it is one of the few dedicated, stand-alone junior motorcycle speedway tracks in Australia, serving riders aged 4–15. The club was founded in 1976 by Graham Baker and Roy Bitmead with help from Rowley Park Speedway riders Robin and Kym Amundson and their father Bill, with the goal of promoting and developing speedway through junior ranks.
Quick Facts
- Nicknames
- The Place Where Junior Champions Meet
- Location
- Wingfield Reserve, Eighth Street / Wingfield, South Australia 5013
- Opened
- 25 February 1978
- Owner
- Sidewinders U/16 Speedway Club Inc.
- Events
- Australian Under-16 Solo Championship / South Australian Under-16 Solo Championship / South Australian Under-16 Sidecar Championship / Barb Miller Memorial / Birthday Meeting / Roy Bitmead Cup
- Capacity
- 1,000
- Layout
- Speedway
- Surface
- Dolomite
- Miles First
- True
- Length Mi
- 0.069
- Length Km
- 0.112
- Record Class
- Motorcycle speedway
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Sidewinders Speedway held its first official meeting on 25 February 1978. The track features a dolomite surface, raised viewing on the back straight, lights installed in 1986 for night racing, and a raised Control Tower with FIM standard controls. The pits are located outside turn 4, and new undercover pit bays were built in October 2014. In 2017, the club leased adjacent land to build a larger training track for the 250cc class, with no racing conducted on it.
Reader's Guide
Sidewinders Speedway has been a crucial training ground for Australian speedway, producing numerous champions. Local riders who learned at the track include 1983 European (World) Under-21 Champion Steve Baker, four-time South Australian Champions Mark Fiora and Shane Parker, triple SA Champions Craig Hodgson and Ryan Sullivan (winner of the 2004 Australian Solo Championship), and former Moto3 rider Arthur Sissis. Interstate riders who excelled at Sidewinders include triple Speedway World Champion Jason Crump, 10-time Australian Champion Leigh Adams, 2012 World Champion Chris Holder, and twice World Under-21 Champion Darcy Ward. The track hosted the inaugural Australian Under-16 Championship in 1982 and has hosted the championship and Australian Best Pairs Championship multiple times. The club runs 10–13 meetings per season from October to April, every second Saturday night, with classes including Junior Solos, Junior Sidecars, Novice Solo and Sidecar classes, and 50cc Mini Bikes.
Did You Know?
- The club was founded two years before the track opened, in 1976.
- Lights for night racing were installed in 1986.
- The track hosted the Australian Under-16 Championship in 1985 or later.
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