Sydney Showground Speedway
Encyclopedia
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
venue at the old Sydney Showground
used from 1926 until 1996.
were first to race at the showground they were soon joined by sidecars
and Speedcars
(also known as Midgets but called Speedcars in Australia). In the 1950s stock cars 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
such as Wembley) to improve traction but this never happened. The only other major complaint about the track itself was that it was very narrow compared to other speedways. Where some tracks allowed three wide racing even in the corners, at the Speedway Royale 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 one time announcer and racer Rex Mossop
once described the pits at the Royale as being like "Dantino's Inferno".
Although the Showground was later universally known as a Speedcar track, from the late 1920s until the 1950s the speedway was known for its motorcycle racing, hosting many Australian Solo Championship
and Australian Sidecar Championship meetings as well as Solo test Matches between Australia
and various visiting nations. The first test at the Showground was held on 15 December 1934 between Australia and Great Britain
with Australia winning 35-19 in front of 50,000 paying fans.
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 promotor, John Sherwood, 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
stippers
as trophy girls.
From 1947 until 1974 the Speedway hosted the annual Australian Speedcar Grand Prix
, following which the race moved to the Liverpool Speedway
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
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
or Security
, this streaker rode out of the pits on a Solo motorbike completely naked other than a full faced helmet
and shoes. He did a quick lap of the circuit 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 solo rider Reg McCarthy.
The Speedway ran continuous Saturday night meetings until the close of the 1979/80 season. Like other suburban based speedways around Australia such as Rowley Park
in Adelaide
, the local residents around the showground began to complain not only about the noise but also 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
council who made increasingly demanding restrictions on noise and parking, demanding that meetings be finished by no later than 10:30pm, along with the advent of World Series Cricket
in 1977 attracting a lot of the spectators, the speedway was closed for regular meetings after 1980.
The showground enjoyed a brief revival in 1988 as a Bicentennial
Solo Test Match was held between Australia
and Great Britain
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. 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
. 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 Sprintcar
legend and 10 times Australian Champion Garry Rush from western Sydney. It was his second win in the Grand Prix as he had won the 1977 event held at the Liverpool Speedway
.
One week later 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.
Visiting American driver Jay Drake
set the Showground lap record at the 20 April Grand Prix meeting when he ran the 509m oval in 16.876 seconds.
and although it now has a paved surface the track, and its narrow width, is still clearly visible.
The 28 who lost their lives at the Speedway Royale are
† - Deceased
Frank "Satan" Brewer was actually from New Zealand
but promoters advertised him as being from the United States
to bring in larger crowds
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 at the old Sydney Showground
Sydney Showground (Moore Park)
The former Sydney Showground at Moore Park was the site of the Sydney Royal Easter Show in New South Wales, Australia from 1882 until 1997, when the Show was moved to the new Sydney Showground at Homebush Bay, which was built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics...
used from 1926 until 1996.
History
In 1937, The Showground was claimed to the fastest speedway in the world by the tracks promoters. The 509 metre (0.316278722954752 mi) egg shaped track was also the site of some spectacular crashes, some unfortunate deaths and a lot of spectacular racing. Although solosMotorcycle 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...
were first to race at the showground they were soon joined by sidecars
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....
and Speedcars
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...
(also known as Midgets but called Speedcars in Australia). In the 1950s stock cars 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
Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales
The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales is an Agricultural society based in New South Wales, Australia. They run many of the agricultural shows around New South Wales including the Sydney Royal Easter Show....
, to mix in shale and clay (as used on tracks in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
such as Wembley) to improve traction but this never happened. The only other major complaint about the track itself was that it was very narrow compared to other speedways. Where some tracks allowed three wide racing even in the corners, at the Speedway Royale 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 one time announcer and racer Rex Mossop
Rex Mossop
Rex Peers Mossop was an Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer—a dual-code international, and an Australian television personality from 1964 until 1991.-Rugby union career:...
once described the pits at the Royale as being like "Dantino's Inferno".
Although the Showground was later universally known as a Speedcar track, from the late 1920s until the 1950s the speedway was known for its motorcycle racing, hosting many 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...
and Australian Sidecar Championship meetings as well as Solo test Matches between Australia
Australia national speedway team
Australia are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by former rider, three time Australian Champion and 1994 World #3 Craig Boyce and captained by three time Speedway World Champion Jason Crump...
and various visiting nations. The first test at the Showground was held on 15 December 1934 between Australia and Great Britain
Great Britain national speedway team
The Great Britain national speedway team are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by Poole Pirates manager Neil Middleditch and the captain is Chris Harris of the Belle Vue Aces....
with Australia winning 35-19 in front of 50,000 paying fans.
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 promotor, John Sherwood, 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
Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
stippers
Stripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
as trophy girls.
From 1947 until 1974 the Speedway hosted the annual Australian Speedcar Grand Prix
Australian Speedcar Grand Prix
The Australian Speedcar Grand Prix is an annual dirt track racing meeting held 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 at Perth's Claremont Speedway, not long before the 1/3 mile Showground...
, following which the race moved to the Liverpool Speedway
Liverpool Speedway
Liverpool Speedway was located in Green Valley, Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool was opened by Frank Oliveri, the mayor of Liverpool at the time, and ran until its sudden and unexpected closure in 1989...
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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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
Streaking
Streaking is the act of running nude through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
at sporting events who jump the fence and run around on the field until caught by either Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
or Security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
, this streaker rode out of the pits on a Solo motorbike completely naked other than a full faced helmet
Motorcycle helmet
A motorcycle helmet is a type of protective headgear used by motorcycle riders. The primary goal of a motorcycle helmet is motorcycle safety - to protect the rider's head during impact, thus preventing or reducing head injury or saving the rider's life...
and shoes. He did a quick lap of the circuit 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 solo rider Reg McCarthy.
The Speedway ran continuous Saturday night meetings until the close of the 1979/80 season. Like other suburban based speedways around Australia such as Rowley Park
Rowley 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...
in 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...
, the local residents around the showground began to complain not only about the noise but also 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
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, Australia...
council who made increasingly demanding restrictions on noise and parking, demanding that meetings be finished by no later than 10:30pm, along with the advent of World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
in 1977 attracting a lot of the spectators, the speedway was closed for regular meetings after 1980.
The showground enjoyed a brief revival in 1988 as a Bicentennial
Australian Bicentenary
The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent European settlement.-1970:...
Solo Test Match was held between Australia
Australia national speedway team
Australia are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by former rider, three time Australian Champion and 1994 World #3 Craig Boyce and captained by three time Speedway World Champion Jason Crump...
and Great Britain
Great Britain national speedway team
The Great Britain national speedway team are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by Poole Pirates manager Neil Middleditch and the captain is Chris Harris of the Belle Vue Aces....
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. 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
Fox Studios Australia
Fox Studios Australia is a major movie studio located in Sydney, Australia, occupying the site of the former Sydney Showground at Moore Park...
. 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 Sprintcar
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....
legend and 10 times Australian Champion Garry Rush from western Sydney. It was his second win in the Grand Prix as he had won the 1977 event held at the Liverpool Speedway
Liverpool Speedway
Liverpool Speedway was located in Green Valley, Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool was opened by Frank Oliveri, the mayor of Liverpool at the time, and ran until its sudden and unexpected closure in 1989...
.
One week later 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.
Visiting American driver Jay Drake
Jay Drake
Jay Scott Drake is an American auto racing driver.-Racing career:Drake won the 1998 Turkey Night Grand Prix midget car race. Drake was the USAC National Sprint Car Champion in 2004. He also competed in 14 Indy Pro Series races in 2004 and 2005 with a best finish of third and finishing 9th in the...
set the Showground lap record at the 20 April Grand Prix meeting when he ran the 509m oval in 16.876 seconds.
Present day
The old Sydney Showgrounds and the Showground Speedway is now owned by and is part of Fox Studios AustraliaFox Studios Australia
Fox Studios Australia is a major movie studio located in Sydney, Australia, occupying the site of the former Sydney Showground at Moore Park...
and although it now has a paved surface the track, and its narrow width, is still clearly visible.
Fatalities
The Sydney Showground Speedway, like other speedways of the era, saw its unfortunate share of competitor fatalities. In total there were 28 deaths at the speedway between 1926 and 1973. In December 2000, a plaque was unveiled at the Fox studios site of the former Speedway. The plaque overlooks the former starting tapes, alongside the Suttor Stand (built in 1909) which is now a cafe restaurant.The 28 who lost their lives at the Speedway Royale are
- Stanley Tyler - SoloMotorcycle speedwayMotorcycle 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...
(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)
- Jack Skelton - Sidecar (4 January 1947)
- Norm Hardy - Sidecar (12 April 1947)
- Kev Gallagher - SpeedcarMidget car racingMidget 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...
(7 December 1949) - Jim Hansbury - Solo (7 March 1953)
- Brian Moles - Speedcar (3 November 1956)
- Bob Staples - Solo (15 December 1956)
- Merv Dowling - Sidecar [passenger] (3 March 1957)
- Sam Stanton - Speedcar (24 January 1959)
- Peter Johnson - Speedcar (7 January 1961)
- Jack Blssakar - Speedcar (21 October 1961)
- Barry Robinson - Speedcar (30 November 1963)
- Nick Collier - Speedcar (27 February 1965)
- Barry Hopkin - Solo (13 November 1965)
- Ted Preston - Sidecar (5 February 1966
- Dennis Duggan - Sidecar [passenger] (29 October 1966)
- Lionel Levy - Solo (10 February 1968)
- Ken Mapp - Solo (29 September 1968)
- Roger Browne - Solo (15 February 1969)
- Jeff 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:- Jack BrabhamJack BrabhamSir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
(
) (Speedcar) - John Harvey ( ) (Speedcar)
- Garry Rush ( ) (Super Modified/Speedcar/Sprintcar)
- Barry Butterworth (Speedcar)
- Ole Olsen (
) (Solo) - George Tatnell ( ) (Super Modified/Speedcar) †
- Jack ParkerJack Parker (speedway rider)Jack Parker was an international speedway rider who made his debut at the Whitsun meeting at High Beech in 1928. He was born in Birmingham England.-Brief career summary:...
(
) (Solo) † - Brooke Tatnell ( ) (Speedcar)
- Nigel BoocockNigel BoocockNigel Boocock is a former speedway rider who appeared in eight Speedway World Championship finals and was a reserve in one other .-Career:...
( ) (Solo) - Lionel Van PraagLionel Van PraagLionel Maurice Van Praag, GM was an Australian motorcycle speedway champion, who won the inaugural Speedway World Championship in London on 10 September 1936.-1932 UK National League Champion:...
( ) (Solo) † - Eric BoocockEric BoocockEric Boocock is a former Speedway rider who appeared in three Speedway World Championship finals.-Career:...
( ) (Solo) - Marshall Sargent (
) (Super Modified) † - Bruce PenhallBruce PenhallBruce Lee Penhall is a retired American motorcycle speedway racer who also starred in television and in film. He was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and rode for the successful Cradley Heath Heathens speedway team in the United Kingdom...
( ) (Solo) - 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) - Jack YoungJack Young (speedway rider)Jack Ellis Young was a Motorcycle speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1951 and 1952...
( ) (Solo) † - Jimmy DaviesJimmy DaviesJimmy Davies was an American racecar driver in Champ cars and midgets. He was the second man to win three USAC National Midget Championships....
( ) (Speedcar) † - Ivan MaugerIvan MaugerIvan Mauger, OBE, MBE, is a retired motorcycle speedway rider. He won a record six World Championships, a feat only equalled by Tony Rickardsson of Sweden...
(Solo) - Merle BettenhausenMerle BettenhausenMerle Bettenhausen is a former American race car driver. The second oldest member of the Bettenhausen racing family, he is the son of Tony Bettenhausen and the brother of Gary Bettenhausen and Tony Bettenhausen Jr and was born in Tinley Park, Illinois.Merle's USAC Champ Car racing career was brief...
( ) (Speedcar) - Bluey WilkinsonBluey WilkinsonArther George "Bluey" Wilkinson 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:Wilkinson was nicknamed "Bluey" because of his red hair...
( ) (Solo) † - Bill Wigzell ( ) (Speedcar/Super Modified)
- Ken McKinlayKen McKinlayJohn Robert Vickers McKinlay 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 twice, second in 1964 and third in 1965...
(
) (Solo) † - Ray Revell ( ) (Speedcar)
- Barry BriggsBarry BriggsBarry Briggs MBE from Christchurch, New Zealand is a former Speedway rider.He won the World Individual Championship title four times - in 1957, 1958, 1964 and 1966. He appeared in a record 17 consecutive World Individual finals , and a record 18 in all, during which he scored a record 201 points...
(Solo) - Bob "Two Gun" Tattersall ( ) (Speedcar) †
- Jim AireyJim AireyJames Sydney "Jim" Airey is a former 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 the 1971 Speedway World Team Cup in Wrocław, Poland.-Australia:Jim Airey started racing Speedway in the early-1960s,...
( ) (Solo) - "Leadfoot" Len Brock ( ) (Speedcar) †
- Wilbur LamoreauxWilbur LamoreauxWilbur Lamoreaux was a former international motorcycle speedway rider who qualified for three Speedway World Championship finals and never finished lower than fifth place.-Early life:...
( ) (Solo) † - 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) - Doug Wolfgang ( ) (Sprintcar)
- Ove FundinOve FundinOve Fundin is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship five times...
(
) (Solo) - 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) - Jeff Freeman ( ) (Speedcar) †
- 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) † - 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) - Johnny Stewart ( ) (Speedcar) †
- 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) - Sammy SwindellSammy SwindellSamuel Alan "Sammy" Swindell is a three-time World of Outlaws champion, winning the title in 1981, 1982, and 1997, with hundreds of A-main victories to his credit. He also competed in the CART series in 1985 and 1986 and failed to qualify for the 1987 Indianapolis 500 in a March-Pontiac...
( ) (Sprintcar) - Howard Revell ( ) (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) - Jay DrakeJay DrakeJay Scott Drake is an American auto racing driver.-Racing career:Drake won the 1998 Turkey Night Grand Prix midget car race. Drake was the USAC National Sprint Car Champion in 2004. He also competed in 14 Indy Pro Series races in 2004 and 2005 with a best finish of third and finishing 9th in the...
( ) (Speedcar) - Gordon GuascoGordon GuascoGordon Guasco is a former Australian Motorcycle speedway rider who was a favourite at both the Sydney Showground Speedway and Liverpool Speedway...
( ) (Solo) † - Frank "Satan" Brewer (/ ) (Speedcar) †
† - Deceased
Frank "Satan" Brewer was actually from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
but promoters advertised him as being from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to bring in larger crowds