Sydney Showground Speedway
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Sydney Showground Speedway, originally known as the Speedway Royal and later the Speedway Royale but often referred to as just The Royale or The Showground, was a dirt
Dirt track racing Dirt track racing is a form of motorsport held on clay or dirt surfaced oval race tracks often used for thoroughbred horse racing. Dirt track racing started in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 1930s ...
venue at the old Sydney Showground used from 1926 until 1996.


History

In 1937, The Showground was claimed to be the fastest speedway in the world by the tracks promoters. The egg shaped track was also the site of some spectacular crashes, some unfortunate deaths and a lot of spectacular racing. Although solos were first to race at the showground on 21 July 1926, they were soon joined by
sidecars A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...
and Speedcars (also known as Midgets but called Speedcars in Australia). In the 1950s
stock cars Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
began to appear joined much later by demolition derbies and jumping motorcycles over buses and the Royale would attract huge spectator attendance. The track had a dolomite surface, which the speedway drivers and riders continually asked the owners, the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, to mix in shale and clay (as used on tracks in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
such as
Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
) to improve traction but this never happened. A long stated reason for this was that the Showground was also used year-round as a
harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...
venue (though this excuse wore thin after the 'trotts' moved permanently to the
Harold Park Paceway Harold Park Paceway was a harness racing track in Forest Lodge, New South Wales, in use from 1890 to 2010. It was a half-mile track (804.5 metres) but was just 739 metres in circumference until some changes in its later years. Races at the tra ...
in the late 1940s). The only other major complaint about the track itself was that it was very narrow compared to other speedways. Where most tracks allowed three wide racing even in the corners, at the Showground there was barely enough room for two cars. The speedway's pits were located under the Martin & Angus Stand at the southern end of the track. This created a unique atmosphere with the place often filling with cigarette smoke and the smell of oil and petrol. Former dual Rugby international and part-time announcer at the speedway
Rex Mossop Rex Peers "Moose" Mossop (18 February 1928 – 17 June 2011) was an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s – a dual-code international, and an Australian television personality from 1964 un ...
once described the pits at the Royale as being like "Dantino's Inferno". The start / finish line at the Showground was on the eastern side of the track in front of the Suttor Stand. Running anti-clockwise as most speedway divisions do, the track then moved into the Bull Pens for turn 1, so called as this was where the cattle would enter the arena during the Royal Easter Show. The track announcers box was located close to the track above the Bull Pens. They then continued past the double decked Members Stand and the famous clock tower sitting on the roof, and into what riders called "The Armpit", a tight turn leading onto the back straight where the Coronation Stand stood. Turns 3 and 4 went past Martin & Angus Stand and the pits before passing the Sinclair Stand in turn 4 and coming onto the main straight to finish the lap. Although the Showground was later universally known as a Speedcar track, from the late 1920s until the 1950s the speedway was more well known for its motorcycle racing, hosting many
Australian Solo Championship The Australian Solo Championship is a motorcycle speedway championship held each year to determine the Australian national champion. It is organised by Motorcycling Australia (MA) and is the oldest continuously running national speedway champion ...
and Australian Sidecar Championship meetings as well as Solo test Matches between
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and various visiting nations. The first test at the Showground was held on 15 December 1934 between Australia and
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
with Australia winning 35–19 in front of 50,000 paying fans. In March 1933, The Royale hosted the unofficial
Speedway World Championship The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest-ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world, run under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The first official championsh ...
, won by
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
's
Harry Whitfield Harry Whitfield (born c.1909) was a British motorcycle speedway rider who went on to manage Middlesbrough Bears. Originally from Middlesbrough, Whitfield was one of the top British riders of the early 1930s, riding for Wembley Lions and also ...
from Australian's Billy Lamont and future World Champion
Bluey Wilkinson Arthur George "Bluey" Wilkinson (27 August 1911 – 27 July 1940) was an international speedway rider. Wilkinson was Speedway World Champion in 1938 after narrowly missing out on winning the inaugural Championship in 1936. Early life Wi ...
. During the 1960s and 1970s the Showground was Australia's best known and best attended speedway regularly drawing crowds on a Saturday night in excess of 10,000 and often over 30,000 making speedway one of the best attended spectator sports during the Australian summer. The speedway's promoter, John Sherwood (Empire Speedways who also promoted the Brisbane Exhibition Ground), was always looking for ways other than the racing itself to keep the crowds coming in. One of the more popular was the addition of Kings Cross
stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...
s as trophy girls. From 1947 until 1974 the Speedway hosted the annual
Australian Speedcar Grand Prix The Australian Speedcar Grand Prix is an annual dirt track racing meeting held in Australia for Speedcars. The meeting has traditionally been held in Sydney, but on occasions has been held on tracks in Victoria and in 2000 the race was held a ...
, following which the race moved to the
Liverpool Speedway Liverpool Speedway (also known during its life as Liverpool International Speedway and Liverpool City Raceway) was located in Green Valley, Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool was officially opened by Frank Oliveri and the O ...
in western Sydney before returning to the Showground in 1990. NSW drivers Ray Revell and Andy McGavin won a record 5 Speedcar Grand Prix's at the Showground while Bob "Two Gun" Tattersall of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
won the race four times in 1960, 1962, 1966 and 1969. One of the more unusual things at the speedway happened on 28 December 1975 when the so-called "Speedway Streaker" made his only appearance. Unlike the usual streakers at sporting events who jump the fence and run around on the field until caught by either
Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
or
Security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...
, this streaker rode out of the pits on a Solo motorbike completely naked other than a full faced helmet (to protect the guilty) and riding shoes. He did a quick lap of the track before laying the bike down on the infield. He was last seen jumping over the fence being chased by laughing policemen. Years later the streaker was revealed to be local solo rider Reg McCarthy. The Speedway ran continuous Saturday night meetings until the close of the 1980/81 season with Sydney fans spoiled for choice with the
Parramatta City Raceway Sydney Speedway (known commercially as Valvoline Raceway and formerly as Parramatta Speedway, and often referenced as Sydney Speedway I to differentiate with its successor) was a dirt track racing venue on the site of the Granville Showgrounds in ...
running on Friday nights and the Showground as well as
Liverpool Speedway Liverpool Speedway (also known during its life as Liverpool International Speedway and Liverpool City Raceway) was located in Green Valley, Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool was officially opened by Frank Oliveri and the O ...
both running on Saturday nights. Like other suburban based speedways around Australia such as Rowley Park in
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, the local residents around the showground began to complain about the noise and also regarding the cars parking on the streets as the showground had very little in the way of designated car parks. With some residents having powerful friends on the
City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...
council who made increasing restrictions on noise and parking and demanded that meetings be finished no later than 10:30pm (meetings traditionally finished around 11:30pm). This, combined with the advent of
World Series Cricket World Series Cricket (WSC) was a commercial professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 which was organised by Kerry Packer and his Australian television network, Nine Network. WSC ran in commercial competition to establishe ...
in 1977 attracting a lot of the spectators, forced the speedway to close for regular meetings after 1981. What was hard to take for the promoter of the Showground,
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
based speedcar driver Ron Wanless, was that noise tests were conducted which proved that speedway meetings were actually quieter than sporting events at the neighbouring
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
, the Royal Easter Show and open air music concerts held at either venue. Traffic was also reportedly less of a problem on speedway nights than for the Easter Show or when sports such as
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
or
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
used the SCG. The showground enjoyed a brief revival in 1988 as a
Bicentennial __NOTOC__ A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to: Europe *French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...
Solo Test Match was held between
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
attracting around 15,000 spectators. Unfortunately for the local fans, Great Britain defeated Australia on the night. The last ever Solo Test Match to take place at the Showground was held on 1 January 1994 with Australia taking on
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Like the first ever Test at the Showground in 1934, Australia dominated and won 68 points to 40 in front of a crowd of just over 17,000. After 13 races held at the Liverpool Speedway, the Australian Speedcar Grand Prix returned to its traditional home as the Speedways only annual car racing event from 1990 until 1993 when the event was moved from the Speedway due to the same complaints that closed the Showground as a speedway in 1980, but returned for one last time in 1996 as the Showground was to be closed and turned into
Fox Studios Australia Disney Studios Australia (formerly Fox Studios Australia) is a motion picture and television production facility in Sydney that has operated as part of The Walt Disney Company since 2019. Occupying the site of the former Sydney Showground at ...
. The 46th Australian Speedcar Grand Prix was held on 20 April. The race was won by the only competitor who had previously raced at the speedway, Australian speedway legend and 10 times Australian Sprintcar Champion Garry Rush from western Sydney. It was his second win in the Grand Prix as he had won the 1977 event held on the asphalt at the
Liverpool Speedway Liverpool Speedway (also known during its life as Liverpool International Speedway and Liverpool City Raceway) was located in Green Valley, Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool was officially opened by Frank Oliveri and the O ...
. On Saturday 27 April 1996, approximately 25,000 fans saw Garry Rush win the last ever race held at the world-famous Sydney Showground Speedway when he took out the World Derby for Speedcars in a fitting end to the Showgrounds life as a speedway. Rush's wins in the last two main events at the Showground were for the same team with whom he had raced for at the venue some 30 years previously. Visiting American driver Jay Drake set the Showground lap record at the 20 April Grand Prix meeting when he ran the 509 metre oval in 16.876 seconds. When asked what he thought of the famous track, Drake described it as "Awfully narrow".


Present day

The old Sydney Showgrounds and the Showground Speedway is now owned by and is part of
Fox Studios Australia Disney Studios Australia (formerly Fox Studios Australia) is a motion picture and television production facility in Sydney that has operated as part of The Walt Disney Company since 2019. Occupying the site of the former Sydney Showground at ...
and although it now has a paved surface the track, and its narrow width, is still clearly visible.


Lap records

* Speedcars: 16.876 - Jay Drake, 1996 *
Sprintcars Sprint cars are high-powered Open-wheel car, open-wheel race cars, designed primarily for the purpose of running on short Oval track racing, oval or circular dirt track racing, dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular primarily in the U ...
: 16.90 - Jimmy Sills, 1980/81 *
Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
: 18.80 - Bill Landels (flying start) *Solo: 19.80 -
Jim Airey James Sydney Airey (born 19 August 1941 in Earlwood, New South Wales) is a former Australian international motorcycle speedway rider who rode in the 1971 World Final in Göteborg, Sweden and was a member of the Great Britain team that won t ...
(clutch start) *
Sidecars A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...
: 20.20 - Doug Tyerman (clutch start) *Sedans: 20.80 - Ray Solway


Fatalities

The Sydney Showground Speedway, like other speedways of the era, saw its share of competitor fatalities. In total there were 29 deaths at the speedway between 1926 and 1973. In December 2000, a plaque was unveiled at the Fox studios site of the former Speedway by longtime track announcer Jim Shepherd. The plaque overlooks the former start line alongside the Suttor Stand (built in 1909) which is now a cafe restaurant. The 29 who lost their lives at the Speedway Royale are *Stanley Tyler -
Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
(13 November 1926) *James Donaghy - Solo (26 February 1927) *Keith Mackay - Solo (22 December 1928) *Stuart Cobcroft - Solo (6 October 1930) *Frank Harris - Solo (6 December 1930) *Bert Brennan - Solo (3 December 1932) *Frank Elms - Solo (21 December 1935) *Leonard Behrmann -Solo (5 June 1945) *Jack Skelton -
Sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...
(4 January 1947) *Norm Hardy - Sidecar (12 April 1947) *Kev Gallagher - Speedcar (7 December 1949) *Jim Hansbury - Solo (7 March 1953) *Brian Moles - Speedcar (3 November 1956) *Bob Staples - Solo (15 December 1956) *Merv Dowling - Sidecar assenger(3 March 1957) *Sam Stanton - Speedcar (24 January 1959) *Peter Johnson - Speedcar (7 January 1961) *Jack Blssacker - Speedcar (21 October 1961) *Barry Robinson - Speedcar (30 November 1963) *Nick Collier - Speedcar (27 February 1965) *Barry Hopkins - Solo (13 November 1965) *Ted Preston - Sidecar (5 February 1966) *Dennis Duggan - Sidecar assenger(29 October 1966) *Lionel Levy - Solo (10 February 1968) *Ken Mapp - Solo (29 September 1968) *Roger Browne - Solo (15 February 1969) *John Dunne - Sidecar (24 October 1970) *Geoff Curtis - Solo (15 December 1973)


Famous competitors

Some of the more famous competitors who raced at the Sydney Showground Speedway include: *
Leigh Adams Leigh Scott Adams (born 28 April 1971 in Mildura, Victoria)Oakes, P.(2004). ''British Speedway Who's Who''. is an Australian former motorcycle speedway rider. He is a multiple Speedway Grand Prix winner and World Team Champion. He also w ...
() (Solo) *
Jim Airey James Sydney Airey (born 19 August 1941 in Earlwood, New South Wales) is a former Australian international motorcycle speedway rider who rode in the 1971 World Final in Göteborg, Sweden and was a member of the Great Britain team that won t ...
() (Solo) * Grenville Anderson () (Sedans) * Merle Bettenhausen () (Speedcar) *Bill Bingham (Sidecars) *
Kym Bonython Kym may refer to: * River Kym, in Cambridgeshire, England *Kym (singer) (born 1983), or Jin Sha, Chinese singer and actress *Know Your Meme, an internet meme documentation blog * Kpatili language's ISO 639 code People with the given name * Kym Bony ...
() (Speedcar) *
Eric Boocock Eric Boocock (born 28 February 1945 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, England) is a former Speedway rider who appeared in three Speedway World Championship finals. Career Eric Boocock started his career with the Middlesbrough Bears in 1961 and stayed the ...
() (Solo) * Nigel Boocock () (Solo) *
John Boulger John Boulger (born 18 June 1945 in Adelaide, South Australia) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider. After he retired from riding Solos in the early 1980s, Boulger raced somewhat successfully in Speedcars (Midgets) from the mid- ...
() (Solo) *
Jack Brabham Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver who was Formula One World Champion in , , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name. Brabham was a R ...
() (Speedcar) *Frank "Satan" Brewer (/) (Speedcar) *
Barry Briggs Barry Briggs (born 30 December 1934) is a New Zealand former speedway rider. Career He won the World Individual Championship title four times – in 1957, 1958, 1964 and 1966.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedw ...
() (Solo) *
Mike Broadbank Michael Broadbank (also known as Broadbanks) (born 23 September 1934 in Hoddesdon, England) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider who made 560 appearances for the Swindon Robins, scoring over 4,200 points. Rye House Broadbank was ...
() (Solo) *"Leadfoot" Len Brock () (Speedcar) *Barry Butterworth () (Speedcar) *
Kenny Carter Kenneth Malcolm Carter (28 March 1961 – 21 May 1986), was a British world class speedway rider. He rode for Newcastle Diamonds (1978), Halifax Dukes (1978–1985) and Bradford Dukes (1986). On Wednesday, 21 May 1986, he shot dead his w ...
() (Solo) * Peter Collins () (Solo)* *
Phil Crump Philip John Crump (born 9 February 1952) in Mildura, Victoria is a retired Australian Motorcycle speedway riderLawson,K (2018) “Riders, Teams and Stadiums”. who attained 3rd place in the 1976 World Championship. He also won the 1976 Spee ...
() (Solo) *Bryan Cunneen () (Speedcar) * Peter Cunneen () (Speedcar) *
Jimmy Davies James Richard Davies (August 8, 1929 – June 11, 1966) was an American racecar driver in Champ cars and midgets. He was the second man to win three USAC National Midget Championships.Jay Drake () (Speedcar) *
Max Dumesny Max Dumesny (born 12 July 1959, in Nullawarre, Victoria) is an Australian professional Sprintcar driver. Dumesny was born and raised in Victoria but has resided in Nelson, New South Wales since the mid-1990s, although his Sprintcar carries t ...
() (Sprintcar/Speedcar) *
Sprouts Elder James Lloyd Elder, known as Sprouts Elder (born 4 August 1904 in Fresno, California, United States – died 8 August 1957 in Fresno, California) was an international motorcycle speedway rider.Bamford, R. & Stallworthy, D. (2003) ''Speedway – ...
() (Solo) *Jeff Freeman () (Speedcar) *
Ove Fundin Ove Fundin (born 23 May 1933) is a Swedish former professional motorcycle speedway rider. He competed in the Speedway World Championships from 1951 to 1970. Fundin is notable for winning the Speedway World Champ ...
() (Solo)* *
Max Grosskreutz Max Octavius Grosskreutz (born 27 April 1906 in Proserpine, QueenslandBamford, R. & Stallworthy, D. (2003) ''Speedway – The Pre War Years'', Stroud: Tempus Publishing. - died 20 September 1994) was an Australian speedway rider. Speedway car ...
() (Solo) *
Gordon Guasco Gordon Guasco (born 24 November 1940 in Sydney, New South Wales - died, 16 November 1970 in Sydney) was an Australian motorcycle speedway rider who was a favourite at both the Sydney Showground Speedway and Liverpool Speedway. Guasco also r ...
() (Solo) *
John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics * John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician * John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture ...
() (Speedcar) *
Steve Kinser Steve "The King" Kinser (born June 2, 1954) is a former professional sprint car racing driver. He has won 20 championships in the World of Outlaws (WoO) series. Kinser left the World of Outlaws in 2006 to compete with the National Sprint Tour s ...
() (Sprintcar) *
Wilbur Lamoreaux Wilbur "Lammy" Lamoreaux (born 26 February 1907 in Roseville, Illinois, United States - died 11 May 1963) was an international motorcycle speedway rider who qualified for three Speedway World Championship finals and never finished lower than f ...
() (Solo) *
Aub Lawson Aubrey "Aub" Lawson (born 5 April 1914 in Kelly's Gully, Warialda, New South Wales - died 20 January 1977) was an Australian international speedway rider who featured in ten World Championship finals including the 1939 final which was never run ...
() (Solo) *
Ivan Mauger Ivan Gerald Mauger (4 October 1939 – 16 April 2018) was a New Zealand motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships (Finals), a feat equalled only with the inclusion of the Speedway GP Championships by Tony Rickardsson ...
() (Solo)* *
Ken McKinlay John Robert Vickers (Ken) McKinlay (7 June 1928 – 9 February 2003) was an international speedway rider, captaining Scotland, England, Great Britain and Europe teams. He also finished on the rostrum of the British Speedway Championship finals t ...
() (Solo) *
Anders Michanek Anders Michanek (born 30 May 1943 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Speedway rider. In 1974 he won the Speedway World Championship in his Swedish homeland with a maximum score of 15 points. Career Michanek had a very successful career riding in the Br ...
() (Solo)* *
Cordy Milne Corydon Clark Milne (April 14, 1914 – October 15, 1978) was an American international motorcycle speedway rider who finished third in the 1937 Speedway World Championship final, behind his brother Jack and second placed Wilbur Lamoreaux. Cory ...
() (Solo) *
Jack Milne John Walter Milne (4 June 1907 in Buffalo, New York, United States – 6 December 1995 in Pasadena, California, United States) was an international Speedway rider. He became the first American to win a motorcycling world championship when he won ...
() (Solo) * Ole Olsen () (Solo)* * Jack Parker () (Solo) *
Bruce Penhall Bruce Lee Penhall (born May 10, 1957) is an American former professional motorcycle speedway racer who later starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Heathen ...
() (Solo)* *Howard Revell () (Speedcar) *Ray Revell () (Speedcar) *Garry Rush () (Super Modified/Speedcar/Sprintcar) *
Billy Sanders William Robert Sanders (9 September 1955 – 23 April 1985Oakes, P (1982). ''Daily Mirror 1982 Speedway Yearbook''. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ) was an Australian international Speedway rider who won six Australian Championships and w ...
() (Solo) *Marshall Sargent () (Super Modified) *
Mitch Shirra Mitchell Owen (Mitch) Shirra (born 27 September 1958 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a former motorcycle speedway rider who rode with the Coventry Bees, Reading Racers, Swindon Robins and Ipswich Witches in the British League. Career Shirra began ...
() (Solo) * Tiger Stevenson () (Solo) *Johnny Stewart () (Speedcar) *
Sammy Swindell Samuel Alan "Slammin Sammy" Swindell (born October 26, 1955) is an American sprint car driver. He is a three-time champion and four-time runner-up in the World of Outlaws series; he has also competed in NASCAR and Champ Car competition and attem ...
() (Sprintcar) *Brooke Tatnell () (Speedcar) *George Tatnell () (Super Modified/Speedcar) * Bob "Two Gun" Tattersall () (Speedcar) * Ron "Sleepy" Tripp () (Speedcar) * Bob Valentine () (Solo)* *
Harry Whitfield Harry Whitfield (born c.1909) was a British motorcycle speedway rider who went on to manage Middlesbrough Bears. Originally from Middlesbrough, Whitfield was one of the top British riders of the early 1930s, riding for Wembley Lions and also ...
() (Solo) *Bill Wigzell () (Speedcar/Super Modified) *
Bluey Wilkinson Arthur George "Bluey" Wilkinson (27 August 1911 – 27 July 1940) was an international speedway rider. Wilkinson was Speedway World Champion in 1938 after narrowly missing out on winning the inaugural Championship in 1936. Early life Wi ...
() (Solo)* * Freddie Williams () (Solo)* *Jim Winterbottom () (Super Modified/Sprintcar) *Doug Wolfgang () (Sprintcar) *
Lionel Van Praag Lionel Maurice Van Praag, GM (17 December 1908 – 15 May 1987) was an Australian motorcycle speedway champion, who won the inaugural Speedway World Championship in London on 10 September 1936. Van Praag's victory saw him established as Austra ...
() (Solo)* * Jack Young () (Solo)* † - Deceased
* - Speedway World Champion
''Frank "Satan" Brewer was actually from
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
but promoters advertised him as being from the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
to bring in larger crowds''


References

{{reflist


External links


Speedway Royale
* ttp://bazilbrush.tripod.com/SPEEDWAYindex-7.html Aerial view of Sydney Showground during he 1934 Royal Easter Show. Start/Finish straight is on the left of picture Sports venues in Sydney Defunct speedway venues in Australia Sports venues completed in 1926