NEWS 2014

                                                                                                                                                          ( 2013 News )

Gordon Butler  15.1.1982 - 20.12.2014, R.I.P.
    It is with deep regret that we report the death of 32 year old Gordon Butler, WSRC member and active sidecar rider on Saturday 20th. in a road traffic accident on his road bike. The thoughts of all are with his wife Fiona and their 2 children, to whom condolences are sent, and with parents Gavin & Elise and younger brothers Edwin & Donovan.
    The funeral will take place on Tuesday 30 Dec. 2014 at 10:00hrs, at Morester Gemeete, (behind the HTS High School, next to the N12 highway.)
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7.12.2014  Walkerville, Gauteng:  Pettit re-takes the SA National Championship.
     21-year old Neil Pettit took his 4th S.African National solo speedway championship at this the 3rd and final round meeting of the WSRC season at the Walkerville Oval this weekend. Over the 3 rounds during the course of the year he dropped just one point to accumulate a 35pt total whilst last year's winner Gio Nunes scored 20 pts. to take the second place position. U21 winner from within a diminishing field of competitors was Brad Devine.
     In the Sidecar class the husband & wife team of Edwin & Estelle Butler went unbeaten through this final round of the National competition for a total of 34 points overall, with Britz senior taking the season's runner-up spot. One point behind was Donovan Butler, his total secured from just 2 round appearances: he was unable to partake in today's meeting, else the outcome may have been different.    RESULTS
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WSRC FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Sunday Dec. 7th -
Final Round of the
S.AFRICAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP,
sponsored by DOT Engineering.
Start time 12:30pm.

FRIDAY Dec. 12th -
 
YEAR END AWARDS EVENING

There will be a year-end awards evening on Friday 12th December at 6.30 for 7pm.

This will be held at  'Pappa Joes',
corner of Gerrit & 2nd Avenue in Alberton North.

It is a Bring and Braai; salad and rolls will be supplied. Please, no cooler boxes, as it is a licensed venue.
Please let Pat know if you will be attending in order to finalise numbers for the catering.
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30.11.2014, Walkerville, Gauteng:
Bekker retains the Henry Long Trophy and adds the Buddy Fuller Silverware

   The line up for this month's Sunday meeting saw the return of some familiar faces to the Walkerville Oval plus a new start to speedway make a promising debut.
The first event of the day was the one-lap speed timed race against the clock, where former Scunthorpe and Dudley Heathens rider Byron Bekker came first in a time of 15.39 seconds, with Neil Pettit taking 2nd place with a time of 15.45 seconds. Both riders' times were faster than the previous year. Gio Nunes was unfortunate to injure his foot when he looped at the start of his timed heat and had to forego all his subsequent rides.
   Heats for the Buddy Fuller and Dudleigh Long trophies were next run, - no Sidecar races were staged - , new boy Mario v.d.Merve, riding the former Lyle Kotze machine off scratch took 2 heat wins and a second before the rain that cancelled the bike events at the previous day's Rustenburg Showground descended on Walkerville at around 3pm. The cancellation of the three Finals thus denied
spectators of the head-to-head between back-markers (150m) Pettit & Bekker, but it was agreed with all parties that the trophy winners be decided by the riders' accumulated points over their heats. The Buddy Fuller Trophy therefore went to the unbeaten Byron Bekker, and the Dudleigh Long 'A' trophy to the returning Shawn Nell.  RESULTS

   The WSRC riders make a quick return to the Walkerville Oval, racing again next week, Sunday Dec. 7th. in the final round of the DOT Engineering-sponsored S.A. National Speedway Championship.
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NEXT WSRC MEETINGS: 
    Nov. 29th @ Rustenburg,              Nov. 30th @ Walkerville.
.
    The next outings for racers of the Walkerville Speedway Riders Club will be at the Rustenburg Oval on SATURDAY November 29, when speedway and sidecar bikes form part of their massive 2-day 'Meltdown Weekend'.
Rustenburg Showgrounds, SATURDAY 29th:
McGregor and Oliver Thambo St.,  Rustenburg 0299.
Event Director: Wendy Kinnear,   wendy.kinnear33@gmail.com,  tel. 083 9606 148.

Saturday's programme:
  (R70.00 per Adult, R40.00 per Child U.12.)
10:00 to 12;00 lap timing
10:00 to 16:00 Scrutineering
14:00 to 15:00 Speedway bikes Sidecars
15:00 to 15:30 Troue
15:30 to 16:30 Sidecars/Speedway bikes finals
16:30 to 17:00 Driver's Briefing
17:00 to 17:30 Grand Parade
17:30 Auto Races Commence, - 10 Classes.

Walkerville Showground, SUNDAY 30th:
      The next day at home track Walkerville Oval, a full bikes & quads programme for the  'Legends of the Past' meeting will be staged.
This race meeting will incorporate the speedway fastest lap for the Henry Long Floating trophy. 
Spectators entry only R20 per adult, - U12's admitted free.
.
Don't miss it, -  Come along early and make a day of it ! 
Plenty of secure parking.
Restaurant & Pub on site, as well as take-away outlets for drinks & food, - Please note the premises are licensed.
Walkerville Showgrounds,  GPS co-ordinates :   S26 24 17,   E27 57 48.


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9.11.2014, Western Cape:  George Showgrounds to Pine Hill ?

     The 'Fast Friday' Bike & Quad Oval Shows promoted by Allied Speedway’s Bobby Hack appear to have reached the end of the road as far as being able to use the oval track at the George Showgrounds. Last February the members of the George Motor Club voted in favour of a private promoter taking over the running of the Stock Car operation, since when the Club have made known their opposition to Allied Speedway using the track for their events.
    A new home base for the Bike & Quad Shows is actively being sought, and Bobby Hack is currently negotiating with the promoters of the Pine Hill MX track,
some 30km west of George, to build a speedway oval at their Jonkershoek Farm complex. Such sharing of facilities would be another in the long line of many similar arrangements that have occurred in South African speedway history, for instance at the Tarlton and Idube Raceways.  Reporter: David Austin.
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Sat. 1.11.2014, Walkerville, Gauteng: Syndicate Sidewinder Bash
   Racing returned to the Walkerville Oval this weekend following track re-laying as part of the Syndicate MC's 10th. anniversary celebrations. The Showground venue hosted trade stands and a flea market, bars and a beer garden as well as multiple food outlets and a DJ in support of live bands, and the race meeting featured a full twenty heats of speedway, sidecars and VMX competitions.
   Lyle Kotze emerged eventual winner of the speedway class, having taken the chequered flag in each of his 4-lap qualifying heats, Neil Pettit's 4 individual lap wins of the main Final being insufficient for him to retrieve top spot. It was a bad day for current champ Gio Nunes who suffered engine failure in his first ride and had to withdraw from the meeting.
   In the sidecar heats Edwin & Estelle Butler returned to form to claim top money, despite being pushed back into third place by the Britzs, son Konrad following father Kallie over the line taking the 3-wheelers' final flag.  RESULTS
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NEXT WALKERVILLE RACE MEETING

There will be no meeting Sunday Oct. 26th, as work continues on the track.

The next speedway racing will be at the
Syndicate Sidewinders' Biker Day Bash,
        on
SATURDAY Nov. 1st,  
(Entry price for this special event is R60/person.)






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16.9.2014:   The complete  'Henry Long Collection'
    The concluding chapters of  'The Henry Long Collection', covering the final riding years, 1957 to 1962, of South Africa's finest speedway star can now be read on
this website page.
    In total the sixteen chapters, together with accompanying slideshows of photographs, give an insight not before seen of speedway racing in the Union, from its re-emergence in the immediate post-War days of 1946 on dirt tracks dug out by hand, through the glory days of the mid-'fifties when international  teams from Europe and its antipodes challenged the Springboks in Test Match series in the capitol Pretoria, in Cape Town, and at the famous Wembley Stadium in Johannesburg, climaxing in the great dispute between authorities for control of the sport at the end of that decade and which ultimately brought about the drastic decline of speedway in the new Republic. Press articles submitted by protagonists of both camps, - SCB/NSU and SRA/NDTA: Bunton and Fuller - , are featured.
   As well as photographs of almost all South Africa's dirt riders of the period, - portrait and/or in action - , and of league and Test Match team line-ups, in the Collection there are appendices covering league table results and scores, riders' rankings, and trophy and title winners, national and regional. A separate 'Speedway Panorama' adds magazine-type articles and interviews, both from the 'fifties and later, to conclude the exercise of archiving the extensive collection of press cuttings and photographs donated by Henry Long in his 87th year to Speedway-SA, for which grateful thanks are extended.
    During the course of this exercise the health of Henry has deteriorated and he has relocated from Cresta, Jo’burg, to the Western Cape to be near to family. As well as our thanks, we wish him well in his new surroundings.  CCJ

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31.8.2014  Walkerville, Gauteng:  Boet Strydom's BEST PAIRS
    It was a close thing between the Hays Printing team of Pettit & deJager and the Quickloader pairing of Bekker & Damien Devine in the Boet Strydom Best Pairs meeting at Walkerville on Sunday. Going in to the final heat of the day, Bekker & Devine needed a 5-1 to take the spoils, and although the former Scunthorpe and Heathens rider held off a determined Pettit in a fast time bettered only in the opening race 33 heats earlier, and the latter's partner took a fall, a 4-2 for the Quickloader pair was not enough and Hays Printing were the winners with 23pts to Quickloaders' 22. Third was Old Ouens – Bobby Devine and Lyle Kotze; 4th place team Dot Engineering – Gio Nunes and Brandon Devine.  Individual top points scorer was Kyle Kotze with 11, and Bekker and Pettit on 10, each from 4 rides.
   In the Sidecar races for Boet's Golden Boot trophy, (postponed from the June meeting,) Gordon Butler led the field after 3 rides with 2 wins, brother Edwin's invincibility not being the same since blowing his motor two meetings ago. In their final heat younger brother Donovan smashed into the tyre-wall on lap 2, with jockey Kosie Harmse and himself taking a nasty looking spill which has written off their combination, though the pair were able to walk from the track with only scratches and bruises. The heat was declared void and the trophy thus awarded to Gordon Butler & Johan Herbst.
    There were no Quad races this month: in the VMX Gauteng series round 2, both classes were won by Paolo de Couto, with Bruno Kausch in 2nd place and 3rd place spot going to Trevor Genis. 
   
Many thanks to the team sponsors, and to their riders for supplying the exciting racing. Thanks also go to the ongoing sponsors Dot Engineering, Slipstream Irrigation, Loud on Labour, Ansley Racing, Buff's Biltong, Mibern Medicall.      SPEEDWAY RESULTS
     
               Photo sequence courtesy of TGT Photos.
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3.10.2014 George Showgrounds, Western Cape:  Hack is back, -  but no speedway !


      Allied Speedway promoter Bobby Hack has had a change of heart and decided to continue with his Bike & Quad Oval shows. The first of a summer season of meetings was staged at the George Showgrounds last Friday evening,(3rd). Whilst there were the usual MX Flat Track and Quad Bike classes, a solo speedway division was not scheduled. Its absence can almost certainly be attributed to disquiets expressed by several of the speedway fraternity as to the organisation of meetings and rider safety etc. Only time will tell if these concerns can be alleviated and smooth the path for a return of speedway to the Southern Cape.  Reporter: David Austin
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25.9.2014

Next Sunday's meeting of 28th Sept. for the Golden Helmet event has regrettably had to be CANCELLED because of the adverse condition of the track.  



24.8.2014   Site Update, SA Season 1956/57, plus Slideshow,

     The publication of further chapters of the 'Henry Long Collection' takes us up to 1956/57, the season of South African speedway's greatest dispute, fought out with threats of violence between the SRA under Buddy Fuller, - promoting with a squad enhanced by the addition of a team of British tourists lead by Alan Hunt - , and the SCB and the Trevor Redmond squad of visitors. The former staged Tests between South Africa and England, the latter a series titled 'Commonwealth v. Europe'. Two disparate leagues operated, with differing efficacy.
      The dispute came to a head at the RAC/ACU headquarters in London, and compounded by the fatal injury to the England, Birmingham and Durban skipper Hunt at Wembley (Jo'burg) in February, was responsible for the loss of speedway in England's second city and the down-turn of the sport in
Africa.
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NEXT MEETING

Sunday August 31st

Speedway Best Pairs,
sponsored by
Boet Strydom

Don't miss it, -
- Come along early and
make a day of it !


Walkerville Showgrounds
GPS co-ordinates are:
    
S26 24 17,   E27 57 48.






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REVISED 14
th
13.8.2014. Speedway Equipment: Bike Sales and  Tyres Supply
 
Speedway Bikes for Sale:

(i) 889 Jawa laydown in very good condition, going for R15,000-00.
This bike is at Clyde Devine's house,  contact him on 082 750 6225, or Hansie 083 292 5355 if you are interested.
(ii)  2010 Jawa laydown for R37,000. Contact Mac Magill directly on 072 186 3495 if  interested.
     Withdrawn, - Mac will continue riding.
Tyres Order
Pat is placing an order for Mitas speedway tyres. Please let her know if you are interested in joining the order;   tel.
082 578 5941  
The suppliers prices have increased due to the exchange rate, (rear – R750 each (incl VAT); front – R550 each, incl VAT), BUT the good news is that
a sponsor has offered to carry the cost of R200-00 per tyre.

Therefore the price of the Mitas tyres WILL REMAIN THE SAME AS LAST YEAR'S PRICE,
Rear  – WAS R750 each NOW R550;     Front – WAS R550 each NOW R350.

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11.8.2014:      Mike Ferreira  1955 - 2014,     R.I.P.
   News has been received of the passing today of Mike Ferreira, former Canterbury and Wimbledon rider from Rhodesia,
   Salisbury-born Mike made his UK debut for Coatbridge, Scotland,
in 1974, the year of his Rhodesian Open Championship and Salibury Championship wins. With successes in the Salisbury Golden Helmet ('75) and Salisbury Championships ('76) he returned to the UK in '78 after National Service to race for Canterbury, (Kent, England,) where he was later joined by Springbok Denzil Kent. Ferreira blossomed there and topped the Crusaders' averages in the following three seasons, when he also doubled up for Swindon in the senior British Lge. Having won the National Lge. Riders Championship at the end of '81 he moved full-time into the top division the following year, transferring to the legendary Wimbledon Dons in '83, where he stayed until his retirement at the end of 1985, returning home to Harare, Zimbabwe, to set up in business, then latterly working for a Toyota dealership in his home town.
.
Mike Ferreira, 21.11.1955  -  11.8.2014:   
UK National Lge Riders Champion 1981;  UK Silver Helmet holder, 1980 & 1981, (see video.) 
D
ied peacefully in his sleep aged 58.
  

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10.8.2014  -  End of Speedway at George Showgrounds?
   Allied Speedway promoter Bobby Hack has called time on his Bike & Quad Oval Shows in the Cape and it appears speedway is now lost to George fans for the foreseeable future.
   The sport was first introduced to George in 2003 with a one-off staging of a round of the South African Championship but it only gained a more permanent foothold in 2009 when incorporated as part of Bobby Hack's shows. Despite rarely breaking even financially Hack, a former Rhodesian rider of the 1970's, persisted with great enthusiasm to try and establish the sport in a part of South Africa that is not traditional speedway territory. Poor attendances at the last two 'Fast Friday' meetings however persuaded Hack that now was the time to quit. It could be said that the decision to stage evening meetings in winter was not perhaps the wisest but it should not be forgotten that without Hack the sport would never have survived at George as long as it has.
   Nevertheless, there is a glimmer of hope. The riders of the Cape Crusaders Speedway team are still keen to continue racing and discussions will be held in the coming months to seek to resurrect the sport in the Southern Cape in 2015.
   News has reached us about the Southern Cape’s No.1 rider Harry Saggerson who is currently on a racing holiday in the UK. Harry is enjoying himself hugely and has had outings at Craig Branney’s Northside, Workington track and also at Belle Vue.
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1.8.2014, South Africa and the Great War Centenary,
  (- a brief digression from speedway.)
    On the eve of the Centenary of the outbreak of the Great War, (Aug.4, 1914,) Speedway-SA went to Flanders Fields to witness the 'Last Post' delivered at the Menin Gate, Ypres, in Belgium, and to the Passchendale battlefields and cemeteries.
    Local buglers have delivered this tribute at 8pm every evening since 1928. Headstones and memorials lists of lost South Africans are to be seen carved in the walls of the Gate, the names of which may be of interest to some families amongst SP-SA readers.
    CCJ
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27.7.2014  Walkerville Oval, Gauteng: S.A. National, Rd.2
Butlers take a 1,2,3  - Pettit leads the Solo Championship

     There was a good turn-out of sidecars for the 2nd round of the 'Dot Engineering' SA National at Walkerville, with the 3 Butler brothers taking the combinations' podium places. This time it was eldest sibling Gordon, with the experienced Johan Herbst in the chair, that went through the meeting unbeaten, but Edwin & wife Estelle still lead the progressive totals: Britz senior kept ahead of son Konrad.
   In the solo speedway class Neil Pettit dropped just one point to 18-yr old Lyle Kotze, who pushed defending champ Gio Nunes back into 3rd place on the day, these 2 now sitting neck-and-neck behind Pettit, who, with a 7pt lead, looks set fair to regain the title in 2014. 
 PHOTOS and VIDEOS (Finals of Solos and Sidecars,) on Gallery page.    FULL RESULTS
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NEXT MEETING   -   SUN 27th JULY,

Round 2 of the S.African National Speedway Championship,
sponsored by Dot Engineering
      -   Don't miss it  !


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4.7.2014  Rare photos of speedway in Northern Rhodesia including Buddy Fuller and Henry Long, have been added to the revised Chapter 8 of the Henry Long Collection, here 

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