| Location | 65 Wilkins Road, Gillman, South Australia 5013 |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Operator | Speedway Riders' Association of South Australia Inc. |
| Broke ground | 1997 |
| Opened | 16 May 1998 |
| Major events | Australian Solo Championship Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship Australian Under-21 Championship South Australian Solo Championship South Australian Sidecar Championship Jack Young Solo Cup Harry Denton Memorial Shield |
| Speedway | |
| Surface | dolomite, crushed granite and clay mix |
| Length | 0.186 mi (0.300[1] km) |
| Lap record | 0:54.90 (4 laps clutch start) (Leigh Adams, , 2009, Motorcycle speedway) |
| Junior Speedway Track | |
| Surface | dolomite, crushed granite and clay mix |
| Length | 0.068 mi (0.111 km) |
| Lap record | 0:41.55 (4 laps clutch start) (Max Fricke, , 2011, 125cc Junior Solo) |
Gillman Speedway is a purpose built motorcycle speedway located in the Adelaide suburb of Gillman in South Australia.
The closure of the nearby North Arm Speedway at the end of the 1996-97 season left Adelaide without a venue for motorcycle speedway for the first time in almost 80 years. David Parker, the President of the Speedway Riders' Association of South Australia Inc. and Motorcycling SA President Ivan Golding inspected many sites for a new motorcycle speedway before settling on the Heini Becker Park Motorsport Complex at Gillman. The only equipment they had to start building the new venue was an old water truck, an old Gallion Grader and a Massey Ferguson tractor (which is still going, whereas the other machinery has since died).
Gillman Speedway held its first official practice on Sunday, 19 October 1997 on a small 213 metre track formed using dolomite from the old North Arm track and held regular monthly practice meetings while a larger 400m dirt track was constructed. After numerous practices on the larger track, the first meeting was held on 16 May 1998.
Meetings were held at the circuit for the next two years while continued improvements were carried out. Temporary lights were installed in November 1999 and on 7 January 2000, the first meeting under lights was held which was the South Australian Solo Championship.
Over the winter during 2000, the Speedway Riders' Association of SA Inc. was given financial help and also had the manpower help of the local riders and their family and friends. This allowed the Association to level both existing tracks and to build the international standard track that is in use to this day.
The current track is 300m long and is 13m wide on the straights and 15m on corners with slight camber. The surface is a dolomite, crushed granite and clay mix while the Safety fence is constructed of 1.2 metre high rubber belting, suspended on high tensile wire strands. The speedway has eight 15m high light poles with each having three x 2000 watt metal halide lights. The track opened on Australia Day (26 January) 2001 with the staging of the Jack Young Solo Cup and the Harry Denton Memorial Shield for Sidecar.
Since its opening, Gillman has been regarded as one of the premier motorcycle speedways in Australia. Since 2005 has held at least one round of the Australian Solo Championship[2] and is set to host the final round of the 2012 championship. Gillman also held the Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship in both 2008 and 2011[3] and it held the Australian Under-21 Solo Championship on 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007.
In 2006 a Junior track was built on the infield of the main track to encourage junior development and was opened on 21 October by legendary Rowley Park Speedway promoter Kym Bonython. Other distinguished guests on the night included six time World Champion Ivan Mauger (who gave a demonstration ride at age 67), former captain and later manager of the English and Great Britain teams Nigel Boocock, twice Australian and nine time South Australian champion from the 1960s and 70s John Boulger, South Australian speedway legend Bill Wigzell who is more known for driving Super Modifieds and Speedcars but actually got his start in speedway as a Solo rider at Adelaide's old Kilburn Speedway as well as former flagman/Clerk of Course at Rowley Park and the Australian Grand Prix, Glen Dix.[4] Like its big brother, the 111m long "sidewinders" track is a dolomite, crushed granite and clay mix and has no safety fence although the shortest run-off area is 17m giving riders time to stop before hitting the fence on the main track.
On 11 May 2011 it was announced that Gillman Speedway would hold the third and final round of the 2011/12 Australian Solo Championship on 21 January 2012.[5]
Nine days later on 20 May 2011 it was announced that Gillman Speedway would hold the final round of the new 13 round 2011/12 Speedway Sidecar Grand Slam, The series, the first of its kind in Australia for Sidecars, starts on 14 October at the Pioneer Park Speedway in Ayr, Queensland will be headlined by five times Australian champions Glenn O’Brien from Western Australia and Darrin Treloar from New South Wales as well as current World Champions Mick Headland and Paul Waters. The provisional date for the final at Gillman Speedway is 7 April 2012.[6]
To increase the safety of the riders, the Speedway Riders Association will have an air-fence installed at Gillman Speedway by the start of the 2011-12 season.[7]
as of 7 June 2011