Speedway City
Encyclopedia
Speedway City is a Dirt track racing
venue located 26 km north of Adelaide
in Virginia, South Australia
, adjacent to the Adelaide International Raceway
. The Speedway has been operating continuously since 1979 and is currently owned and operated by Wendy Turner and former Speedcar
driver Bob Sincock.
following the 1978/79 speedway season. Rowley Park had run in the Adelaide suburb of Brompton
since 1949 but had closed for such reasons as the track becoming too small for the faster cars appearing on the scene, the local residents had started to complain about the noise and while the speedway was located less than 5 km from the Adelaide city centre
, parking was street based which brought more complaints from residents.
The land for the new speedway was located 26 km north of Adelaide near the town of Virginia which from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s had hosted speedway at the local showgrounds called Thunderbird Speedway. The new speedway's neighbours were and still are market garden
s which meant noise complaints were non-existent. The Speedway Park track itself is a 430m long oval track with a width of 16m and it has a camber of 1.2m. The track is surrounded by a 6'0" high concrete retaining wall with another 3m of catch fencing located on top of the wall. Beyond the track fence is a 3.5m safety zone surrounded by a 1m high chain mesh safety fence. Spectators are not permitted beyond the 1m fence although when an accident on track occurs and a red flag is shown it is not uncommon to see kids at the 3m catch fence to get a closer look at the crashed car. The venue has the capacity to hold more than 10,000 spectators and this have been pushed to the limit on numerous occasions.
The speedway was originally run and promoted by the Racing Drivers Association of South Australia and after a lot of hard work, the track was open in time for the 1979/80 season. Unlike Rowley Park, which had a dolomite surface, Speedway City has a clay surface which specifically suited the car racing categories such as Sprintcars
, Speedcars and Super Sedans with their wide racing tyres but was not so popular with the Solo
and Sidecar
riders who felt the sticky clay track and the solid concrete retaining wall made racing more dangerous than it needed to be. 1985 was the last year that the bikes ran at the speedway, although the sidecars did make a few appearances during the 1990s.
During the mid 1980's the RDA sold the promoting rights to MJS Promotions, who included then local Grand National
competitor and later founder in 1987 of the World Series Sprintcars
, John Hughes. Under MJS the speedway became known as Winfield
Speedway Park due to a naming rights deal with cigarette manufacturer Winfield.
On 1 November 1985 Speedway Park held the first ever Australian Sprintcar Masters to coincide with the running of the first ever Australian
Formula One
Grand Prix
. The Masters was won by World of Outlaws
driver Randy Kinser of the United States
in his JPS
sponsored Gambler Sprintcar from local favourite Bill Barrows. Kinser was in Australia in 1985/86 as part of JPS Team Kinser which consisted of older brother Steve Kinser
and cousins Mark
and Craig with another cousin, Karl, being the crew chief. During the Sprintcar Masters a couple of the visiting Formula One drivers including Renault
drivers Derek Warwick
and Patrick Tambay
were given the chance to do a few 'hot laps' in one of the sprintcars. Among other visitors was former World Drivers' Champion Jackie Stewart
who described sprintcar racing as the "Most exciting form of motorsport in the world".
The speedway has held numerous Australian championships, starting with the Australian Sprintcar Championship
in its opening 1979 season which was won by Sydney
based driver Steve Brazier. Other titles held at the speedway include the Australian Speedcar Championship
, the Australian Super Sedan Championship
. The speedway also held the Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship in 1982 and in 1983 the venue held the Australian Solo Championship
.
During its so far 32 years of existence, Speedway City has only had two fatal accidents. The first was on 25 January 1985 when local solo rider Kevin O'Connell crashed and hit the concrete wall between turns 3 and 4 at speed and was killed instantly. The speedway suffered its second and hopefully last fatality in 1993 when Speedcar driver (and 1981 SA Solo Champion) Tony Boyle crashed on 22 January. Although he survived the accident itself, Boyle died eight days later in hospital from complications relating to the accident.
Speedway City is currently owned and operated by Wendy Turner and Bob Sincock who took over promoting the venue in 2001. The change of ownership also saw a change of name as Speedway Park was renamed Speedway City. The venue then became known as Truckworks Speedway City but that sponsorship finished at the end of the 2009/10 season.
On 25–28 January 2012 Speedway City will host the 50th Anniversary Australian Sprintcar Championship.
† - Deceaced
Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
venue located 26 km north of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
in Virginia, South Australia
Virginia, South Australia
Virginia is a suburb on the rural outskirts of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. Port Wakefield Road, the main highway taking traffic to the north of Adelaide, passes through the area. Market gardening is the main activity there.-References:...
, adjacent to the Adelaide International Raceway
Adelaide International Raceway
The Adelaide International Raceway is a permanent circuit owned by Australian Motorsport Club Limited under the auspices of the Bob Jane Corporation. It is located on Port Wakefield Road at Virginia, a small town just north of Adelaide, South Australia, and is round the corner from Speedway City...
. The Speedway has been operating continuously since 1979 and is currently owned and operated by Wendy Turner and former Speedcar
Midget car racing
Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...
driver Bob Sincock.
History
Speedway Park came about due to the closure of Rowley Park SpeedwayRowley park speedway
Rowley Park Speedway is a former Dirt track racing venue that was located on Torrens Road in Brompton, South Australia, The speedway was named after Mr Enoch Procter Rowley, an English-born Dentist who moved to Adelaide from Kalgoorlie in 1908 where he had forged a reputation as being Western...
following the 1978/79 speedway season. Rowley Park had run in the Adelaide suburb of Brompton
Brompton, South Australia
Brompton is an inner northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt.-History:Brompton was established in June 1849 and quickly grew...
since 1949 but had closed for such reasons as the track becoming too small for the faster cars appearing on the scene, the local residents had started to complain about the noise and while the speedway was located less than 5 km from the Adelaide city centre
Adelaide city centre
The Adelaide city centre is the innermost locality of Greater Adelaide, known by locals simply as "The City" or "Town". The locality is split into two key geographical distinctions: the city "square mile", bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces; and that part of the Adelaide Parklands...
, parking was street based which brought more complaints from residents.
The land for the new speedway was located 26 km north of Adelaide near the town of Virginia which from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s had hosted speedway at the local showgrounds called Thunderbird Speedway. The new speedway's neighbours were and still are market garden
Market garden
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. It is distinguishable from other types of farming by the diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically, from under one acre ...
s which meant noise complaints were non-existent. The Speedway Park track itself is a 430m long oval track with a width of 16m and it has a camber of 1.2m. The track is surrounded by a 6'0" high concrete retaining wall with another 3m of catch fencing located on top of the wall. Beyond the track fence is a 3.5m safety zone surrounded by a 1m high chain mesh safety fence. Spectators are not permitted beyond the 1m fence although when an accident on track occurs and a red flag is shown it is not uncommon to see kids at the 3m catch fence to get a closer look at the crashed car. The venue has the capacity to hold more than 10,000 spectators and this have been pushed to the limit on numerous occasions.
The speedway was originally run and promoted by the Racing Drivers Association of South Australia and after a lot of hard work, the track was open in time for the 1979/80 season. Unlike Rowley Park, which had a dolomite surface, Speedway City has a clay surface which specifically suited the car racing categories such as Sprintcars
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
, Speedcars and Super Sedans with their wide racing tyres but was not so popular with the Solo
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
and Sidecar
Sidecar speedway
Sidecar Speedway is a motorcycle sport involving 4 crews of a rider and a passenger competing over 4 laps on an oval shale surface. Rules are governed by the national speedway federation and are not dissimilar to conventional speedway rules....
riders who felt the sticky clay track and the solid concrete retaining wall made racing more dangerous than it needed to be. 1985 was the last year that the bikes ran at the speedway, although the sidecars did make a few appearances during the 1990s.
During the mid 1980's the RDA sold the promoting rights to MJS Promotions, who included then local Grand National
Late model
A "late model car" is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. The term is broadly used in car racing, and often appears in common use, as in "The officer was driving an unmarked, late model sedan."There is no precise...
competitor and later founder in 1987 of the World Series Sprintcars
World Series Sprintcars
World Series Sprintcars is a Dirt track racing series held in Australia for Sprintcars. It is the richest and best known Speedway series in Australia....
, John Hughes. Under MJS the speedway became known as Winfield
Winfield (cigarette)
Winfield is a brand of cigarette that is popular in Australia and New Zealand. They are also sold in other markets in Europe, Canada, South Africa and Asia...
Speedway Park due to a naming rights deal with cigarette manufacturer Winfield.
On 1 November 1985 Speedway Park held the first ever Australian Sprintcar Masters to coincide with the running of the first ever Australian
1985 Australian Grand Prix
The 1985 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held in Adelaide on November 3, 1985. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1985 Formula One season....
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
Grand Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
. The Masters was won by World of Outlaws
World of Outlaws
The World of Outlaws is an American motorsports sanctioning body. The body sanctions two major national touring series. It is best known for sanctioning a national tour of sprint cars. It later purchased a national tour of late model stockcars called the World of Outlaws Late Model Series...
driver Randy Kinser of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in his JPS
John Player & Sons
John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. It is today a part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:...
sponsored Gambler Sprintcar from local favourite Bill Barrows. Kinser was in Australia in 1985/86 as part of JPS Team Kinser which consisted of older brother Steve Kinser
Steve Kinser
Steve Kinser , is a professional sprint car racer. He has won 20 championships in the World of Outlaws series, and currently drives the #11 Bass Pro Shops car. Kinser left the World of Outlaws in 2006 to compete with the National Sprint Tour series, but returned to the World of Outlaws for the...
and cousins Mark
Mark Kinser
Mark Kinser is a retired American sprint car racing driver. He hails from Oolitic, Indiana.Cousin to Steve Kinser, Mark won the 1996 and 1999 World of Outlaws championship and the 1996, 1999, and 2000 Knoxville Nationals....
and Craig with another cousin, Karl, being the crew chief. During the Sprintcar Masters a couple of the visiting Formula One drivers including Renault
Renault F1
Lotus Renault GP, formerly the Renault F1 Team, is a British Formula One racing team. The Oxfordshire-based team can trace its roots back through the Benetton team of the late 1980s and 1990s to the Toleman team of the early 1980s. Renault had also competed in various forms since , before taking...
drivers Derek Warwick
Derek Warwick
Derek Stanley Arthur Warwick is a British former racing driver from England. He raced for many years in Formula One, but never won a Grand Prix. During the early 1980s he was thought more likely to achieve World Championship success than his contemporary Nigel Mansell, but a series of wrong...
and Patrick Tambay
Patrick Tambay
Patrick Daniel Tambay is a French former racing driver. He competed in 123 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, winning twice, securing 5 pole positions and scoring a total of 103 Championship points...
were given the chance to do a few 'hot laps' in one of the sprintcars. Among other visitors was former World Drivers' Champion Jackie Stewart
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
who described sprintcar racing as the "Most exciting form of motorsport in the world".
The speedway has held numerous Australian championships, starting with the Australian Sprintcar Championship
Australian Sprintcar Championship
The Australian Sprintcar Championship is a Dirt track racing championship held each year to determine the Australian national champion. The single championship meeting runs in either late January or early February and has been held year after year since 1963...
in its opening 1979 season which was won by Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
based driver Steve Brazier. Other titles held at the speedway include the Australian Speedcar Championship
Australian Speedcar Championship
The Australian Speedcar Championship is a dirt track motor racing championship held each year to determine the Australian national champion. The single championship meeting runs in either late January or early February and has been held year after year since 1935...
, the Australian Super Sedan Championship
Australian Super Sedan Championship
The Australian Super Sedan Championship is a Dirt track racing championship held each year to determine the Australian national champion. The championship is held over a single meeting has run annually since the 1971/72 season and is awarded to a different state of Australia each year by the...
. The speedway also held the Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship in 1982 and in 1983 the venue held the Australian Solo Championship
Individual Speedway Australian Championship
The Australian Individual Speedway Championship is a Motorcycle speedway championship held each year to determine the Australian national champion...
.
During its so far 32 years of existence, Speedway City has only had two fatal accidents. The first was on 25 January 1985 when local solo rider Kevin O'Connell crashed and hit the concrete wall between turns 3 and 4 at speed and was killed instantly. The speedway suffered its second and hopefully last fatality in 1993 when Speedcar driver (and 1981 SA Solo Champion) Tony Boyle crashed on 22 January. Although he survived the accident itself, Boyle died eight days later in hospital from complications relating to the accident.
Speedway City is currently owned and operated by Wendy Turner and Bob Sincock who took over promoting the venue in 2001. The change of ownership also saw a change of name as Speedway Park was renamed Speedway City. The venue then became known as Truckworks Speedway City but that sponsorship finished at the end of the 2009/10 season.
On 25–28 January 2012 Speedway City will host the 50th Anniversary Australian Sprintcar Championship.
Famous Competitors
Some of the famous competitors who have raced at Speedway City since its opening in 1979 include:- Garry Rush (
) (Sprintcar) - George Tatnell ( ) (Speedcar/Sprintcar) †
- Bill Barrows ( ) (Sprintcar)
- Brooke Tatnell ( ) (Sprintcar)
- Jack HewittJack HewittJack Hewitt , is a former driver and two-time champion in the USAC Silver Crown Series.- Racing career :He raced in the 1998 Indianapolis 500, placing 12th...
(
) (Sprintcar) - Steve KinserSteve KinserSteve Kinser , is a professional sprint car racer. He has won 20 championships in the World of Outlaws series, and currently drives the #11 Bass Pro Shops car. Kinser left the World of Outlaws in 2006 to compete with the National Sprint Tour series, but returned to the World of Outlaws for the...
( ) (Sprintcar) - Randy Kinser ( ) (Sprintcar)
- John Hughes ( ) (Super Sedan/Grand National)
- Bill Wigzell ( ) (Speedcar)
- Peter CollinsPeter Collins (speedway rider)Peter Spencer Collins MBE is a former Speedway rider who spent his whole career with the Belle Vue Aces, the team he supported as a child...
(
) (Solo) - Craig Kinser ( ) (Sprintcar)
- Terry Wigzell ( ) (Speedcar/Sprintcar)
- Shawn MoranShawn MoranShawn Moran is a retired former professional speedway rider who was one of the most popular and talented riders ever to race for Sheffield Tigers who also represented USA....
( ) (Solo) - Phil March ( ) (Speedcar/Sprintcar)
- Mark KinserMark KinserMark Kinser is a retired American sprint car racing driver. He hails from Oolitic, Indiana.Cousin to Steve Kinser, Mark won the 1996 and 1999 World of Outlaws championship and the 1996, 1999, and 2000 Knoxville Nationals....
( ) (Sprintcar) - Ron "Sleepy" TrippSleepy TrippRon "Sleepy" Tripp is an American Hall of Fame midget car driver. Tripp got his nickname as a youth when he would fall asleep in his quarter midget car while waiting for his next race to start. -Midget car career:...
( ) (Speedcar) - Brad Scotcher ( ) (Super Sedan)
- Billy SandersBilly SandersWilliam Robert Sanders 'Billy Sanders' was an Australian international Speedway rider who won six Australian Championships and was a five time Speedway World Championship finalist with a career best second place in Germany 1983.-Australian Speedway:Billy Sanders bought his first speedway bike from...
( ) (Solo) † - Max DumesnyMax DumesnyMax Dumesny is an Australian professional Sprintcar driver. Dumsney was born and raised in Victoria but has resided in Nelson, New South Wales since the mid-1990s, although his Sprintcar carries the number V5 that he has used throughout his career, although he has changed that to Australia 1 when...
( ) (Sprintcar) - Phil CrumpPhil CrumpPhilip John "Phil" Crump in Mildura, Victoria is a retired Australian Motorcycle speedway rider who attained 3rd place in the 1976 World Championship...
( ) (Solo) - Trever Green ( ) (Sprintcar)
- John JørgensenJohn JørgensenJohn Jørgensen is a former international motorcycle speedway rider who won the 1988 Speedway World Team Cup...
(
) (Solo) - Wally Francombe ( ) (Super Sedan) †
- John BoulgerJohn BoulgerJohn Boulger is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. After he retired from riding Solo's, Boulger raced in Speedcars from the mid-1980s until the mid-1990s...
( ) (Solo/Speedcar) - Peter Carr ( ) (Solo)
- Steve Brazier ( ) (Sprintcar)
- Adam Clarke ( ) (Speedcar)
- Mitch ShirraMitch ShirraMitchell Owen Shirra is a former motorcycle speedway rider who rode with the Coventry Bees, Reading Racers, Swindon Robins and Ipswich Witches in the British League.-Career summary:...
(Solo) - Phil Herreen ( ) (Speedcar)
- Donny SchatzDonny SchatzDonny Schatz is a World of Outlaws sprint car driver. He was the 2006 World of Outlaws sprint car champion. He also won the 2006 Knoxville Nationals. In 2007 he won The King's Royal at Eldora Speedway, as well as the 2007 Knoxville Nationals for the second time...
( ) (Sprintcar) - Chris Blunden ( ) (Super Sedan/Sprintcar)
- Danny LasoskiDanny LasoskiDanny "The Dude" Lasoski is a race car driver from Dover, Missouri.Most of his experience is in the World of Outlaws series, winning the WoO championship in 2001, and finishing second four times, in 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2004. He won the premiere event in sprint car racing, the Knoxville...
( ) USA (Sprintcar) - Cary McCarthy ( ) (Super Sedan/Grand National)
† - Deceaced
Lap Records
as of 22 May 2011. All have a 1 lap rolling start.- Open SprintcarsSprint car racingSprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
: 0:11.744 - Matt Egel, 6 November 2010 - 360 Sprintcars: 0:12.39 - Mark Caruso, 24 April 2011
- Super Sedans: 0:15.057 - Michael Gee, 8 April 2006
- Street Stocks: 0:18.32 - Darren Flatman, 23 March 2010
- Wingless Sprints: 0:15.29 - Keke Falland, 15 March 2011
- AMCA Nationals: 0:16.45 - Brian Chadwick, 14 March 2009
- Formula 500: 0:14.22 - Austin Farley (USA), 5 December 2009
- V6V6 engineA V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...
SprintsSprint car racingSprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
: 0:14.60 - Nick Hall, 2 April 2011