SIDECAR SPEEDWAY CHAMPIONS p.SSC.2
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- Internationals;
Test Matches & Individual Events
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- United Kingdom - Australia - New Zealand
- South Africa - Denmark - Germany - France
n.b: There is a dearth of detail amongst speedway archivists in both N. & S. hemispheres relating to sidecar events.
All known data is presented, with a view to expanding as and when more comes to light.
This 'Speedway Champions' website was initially produced to collate solo speedway riders' successes in individual competitions world wide, with their Test Match team history well documented elsewhere. No equivalent archive for sidecar speedway racing has existed, hence the retrospective addition to the site in early 2017 of a Sidecar Champions page, listing national sidecar speedway championship winners, including sidecar 'Track' Championships.
But Test Match and other international individual sidecar tournament results, as well as UK Sidecar leagues, remained to be documented. Such data has been more difficult to uncover, and though incomplete at this point, is presented now below. As further information comes to light the page will be updated: contributions welcomed. Unless otherwise stated, most events were 'unofficial' competitions.
Rt: 5th Test, 1989, Swindon
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United Kingdom
Many sidecar second-half feature races had been staged on league speedway tracks in the UK over the decades following WW2 as well as integral parts of 'Cavalcade of Speed' meetings.
In the 1951/52 winter a Midland Sidecar League was started, (run in conjunction with a Midget Car League,) comprising teams from Coventry, Cradley Heath, Birmingham and Leicester. At the time of its premature conclusion, brought about by race damage to midgets and non-availability of spares after the Boxing day meeting at Leicester, the Leicester team stood unbeaten, with Coventry at the foot of the table.
In the summer of 1968 a British Sidecar League commenced, with a 5-man, 8-heat formula, run as the 2nd-half event to solo speedway. It was to comprise teams from the 5 Mike Parker-promoted tracks of Wolverhampton, Newcastle, Newport, Nelson and Crayford, but after a 'S.Wales v. Midlands' opening Challenge match the Newport side rode just 2 league matches, away at Wolves and at Nelson, while Newcastle, - though initially drawn with H&A fixtures against Crayford - , failed to track at all.
Paul Pinfold meanwhile was proving unbeatable for Wolves, and was responsible for putting them at the top of the table. However the competition once more fizzled away, uncompleted. Full details, - fixture grid, league table and chronology, plus 1952 data - , can be found HERE.
But even though many top Australian pairings traveled to the UK during these times, the first known sidecar speedway Test Match series in the Northern hemisphere was not held until 1989. Then, and in the subsequent years, as 'Australia' or as the 'AllStars' when joined by Kiwis, the antipodeans proved superior, winning with ease, including when riding in individual Internationals such as the Empire Classic and Super Cup meetings, which they dominated both then and in more recent times with riders such as Darrin Treloar and the late Gary Moon.
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United Kingdom
Many sidecar second-half feature races had been staged on league speedway tracks in the UK over the decades following WW2 as well as integral parts of 'Cavalcade of Speed' meetings.
In the 1951/52 winter a Midland Sidecar League was started, (run in conjunction with a Midget Car League,) comprising teams from Coventry, Cradley Heath, Birmingham and Leicester. At the time of its premature conclusion, brought about by race damage to midgets and non-availability of spares after the Boxing day meeting at Leicester, the Leicester team stood unbeaten, with Coventry at the foot of the table.
In the summer of 1968 a British Sidecar League commenced, with a 5-man, 8-heat formula, run as the 2nd-half event to solo speedway. It was to comprise teams from the 5 Mike Parker-promoted tracks of Wolverhampton, Newcastle, Newport, Nelson and Crayford, but after a 'S.Wales v. Midlands' opening Challenge match the Newport side rode just 2 league matches, away at Wolves and at Nelson, while Newcastle, - though initially drawn with H&A fixtures against Crayford - , failed to track at all.
Paul Pinfold meanwhile was proving unbeatable for Wolves, and was responsible for putting them at the top of the table. However the competition once more fizzled away, uncompleted. Full details, - fixture grid, league table and chronology, plus 1952 data - , can be found HERE.
But even though many top Australian pairings traveled to the UK during these times, the first known sidecar speedway Test Match series in the Northern hemisphere was not held until 1989. Then, and in the subsequent years, as 'Australia' or as the 'AllStars' when joined by Kiwis, the antipodeans proved superior, winning with ease, including when riding in individual Internationals such as the Empire Classic and Super Cup meetings, which they dominated both then and in more recent times with riders such as Darrin Treloar and the late Gary Moon.
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Australia
In their own Southern hemisphere, where sidecar speedway racing not only originated but thrives still, sidecar Internationals and Test Matches are thought to have been raced as early as the '60s. In 1978 Australia defeated New Zealand 5-0 in an official Test Match Series widely-staged across 4 States. The British Tigers, touring in parallel with the British Lions solo team in 1994, lost 3-1 in a series at NSW and SA venues.
The lack of serious outside competition for the experienced Australian riders and the consequential loss of crowd appeal, along with corresponding financial results, is believed to be the reason for the sparsity of International sidecar tour promotions within Australia. Conversely, their draw as visitors means that in practically all international sidecar events elsewhere on the globe, it has been Australian riders, alone or in conjunction with others from a third nation, that have been the opposition.
1994 Test match, Australia v. British Tigers @ Gosford; (Lt.>Rt,) Bernie Koppe AUS, Ivor Matthews GB, Rob Wilson GB.
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New Zealand
As the initiators' near neighbours, New Zealand has hosted many visits from Australian sidecar crews. Three visits are known to have been made to the North Island in the 'sixties, when the first tourists took part in Auckland v. Australia matches, which progressed to nations' match series subsequently.
Between the 'seventies and the 'nineties further NZ v. Australia unofficial test series were staged, (sometimes concluding with a race for the individual riders' Australasian Championship title.) In the 21st century, as well as the team Tests, tours to New Zealand have extended to include GP-style individual events, with Kiwis winning the Tests and Aussie riders dominating the individual meetings.
Note that as part of composite programmes featuring 2-, 3-, and multi-class 4-wheel 'speedway' meetings, most Internationals were of a limited number of heats: note also that heat scoring was not always the usual 3,2,1,0.
Forerunner of the NZ-Aus Tests: the Auckland v. Australia teams of 1962 :
Lt. Auckland: Lyle Cooper, Allan Cooper, Ken Worth, John Bloomfield, Alan Clark, Warwick Cowie.
Rt. Australia: Ivan Grant, Bob Levy, Peter Stockdale, Les Stacey, Mick Mitchell, Chick Green.
NZ Test team of 1967, (Lt.>Rt.):
stdg. - Peter Tribble, mechanic Bryan Hull, Grant Jones, Alan Clark, Bill Buckley.
knlg. - Barry Antam, on bike, Brian Evans.
Australia tourists to NZ, 1969/70:
stdg. – Geoff Grocott, Graham Young, Dick Tyreman
knlg. – Warren Sullivan, Ray Murray, Dick Kelly
Australian tourists to New Zealand, 2017/18:
L>R: H.Golding, S.Hudson, (hidden C.Bell, T.Headland, D.Whetstone), L.Cox, B.Pitt, N.McFadden;
(flag space,) L.Tulloch, (hidden M.Radford, B.Halls), M.Wilde, J.Hinton, T.Green.
L>R: H.Golding, S.Hudson, (hidden C.Bell, T.Headland, D.Whetstone), L.Cox, B.Pitt, N.McFadden;
(flag space,) L.Tulloch, (hidden M.Radford, B.Halls), M.Wilde, J.Hinton, T.Green.
Note: Top-of-page banner header action, Oreti Park : Buchanan Tulloch Golding L.Thwaites Nov. 2017, Oz tour of NZ, L > R : & D.Cox & Green & L.Cox & Chalmers.
Heat points details of all five 2017 events HERE
1966/'67 and 1967/'68 Auckland Test programmes
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1973 1st Test @ Christchurch: Gary Treloar & Julian Johnson lead Doug Tyreman & Jeff Henderson.
Australia tourists to NZ, 1992
stdg: - Steve Hawtin, Gary Moon, Gary Forgan, Warren Stantion, Alan Kurtz,
front: - Deon Wooley, Darrin Treloar, Alan Griffiths.
front: - Deon Wooley, Darrin Treloar, Alan Griffiths.
Action from Oreti Park, 2017:
Golding & Cox(B) chasing Sharp & Jefcoate(R) winners Shane Hudson & Cameron Bell
Golding & Cox(B) chasing Sharp & Jefcoate(R) winners Shane Hudson & Cameron Bell
1973/74 NZ v Aust. Series @ Christchurch @ Wanganui @ Wellington
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South Africa
In 1979 a squad of Australian riders were invited to South Africa in a private capacity to re-introduce sidecar speedway in the Republic. Because of the recent change of authority status in Australia, ( the ACCA, MA's forerunner, had just taken up direct affiliation with FIM,) there was only limited local publicity and no global awareness, hence detail and results are lacking. A programme of 16 to 18 meeting was proposed, starting late March '79 at Kimberley.
England's #1 crew, Brian Ash and David McLean in their 1993 tour of SA.
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South Africa
In 1979 a squad of Australian riders were invited to South Africa in a private capacity to re-introduce sidecar speedway in the Republic. Because of the recent change of authority status in Australia, ( the ACCA, MA's forerunner, had just taken up direct affiliation with FIM,) there was only limited local publicity and no global awareness, hence detail and results are lacking. A programme of 16 to 18 meeting was proposed, starting late March '79 at Kimberley.
Further political isolation of South Africa and sensitivity about any sporting visits has meant in many cases information on tours is scant. British racers toured in 1988 and '93, winning the latter series 4-0.
.England's #1 crew, Brian Ash and David McLean in their 1993 tour of SA.
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Germany
As part of Paul Pinfold's 'World of Rebels 1000cc Sidecars' programme of meetings, the squad undertook races on mainland Europe in addition to the UK. In the newly formed Germany of 1991, though the former DDR states remained under the control of the supportive ADMV, in the West the FIM-affiliated OMK, (Oberste Motorradsport-Kommission, = Supreme Motorcycle Sports Commission,) gave permission only for 'exhibition rides'.
These were run at several tracks including the May-Day holiday celebrations event at Dingolfing, (where Pinfold, Gary Moon and Mark Newson are known to have ridden,) and at the grass meetings at Holzwickede (on 5th.) and
Ludinghausen (on 9th,) but the first official 1000cc sidecar meeting in Germany was staged at Wolfslake near Berlin in October of '91 and won by Darrin Treloar and crewman Phil Hudson.
Denmark
As Commonwealth riders were in Britain in 2002 for the first international Super Cup competition, the Danish Motor Union and the Vojens Center organised an official FIM-approved individual International event featuring British and Aussie sidecar crews. They were joined by a sole continental combo, ridden by the 10x European 500cc Sidecar Track Champion, Josef Onderka of Germany, but the change of equipment and of conditions, grass to shale, would have appeared to have been too great, and Aussies Treloar and Christopher took the top 2 places.
(n.b: In advance of the above FIM competition, in May four UK crews featured in a demonstration event at nearby Outrup for the benefit of DMU officials and Vojens organisers. The winners were Rob Wilson and Tony Miles.)
France
As a support event to the official 2003 FIM World Long Track Championship, Rd.5, in Morizes, France, an individual sidecar competition was included in the programme. The 'Sidecar Speedway International' event included British and Australian crews that were participating in the UK's 'Sidecar Super Cup' that year, and was won by Aussies Darrin Treloar & Justin Plaistead.
As part of Paul Pinfold's 'World of Rebels 1000cc Sidecars' programme of meetings, the squad undertook races on mainland Europe in addition to the UK. In the newly formed Germany of 1991, though the former DDR states remained under the control of the supportive ADMV, in the West the FIM-affiliated OMK, (Oberste Motorradsport-Kommission, = Supreme Motorcycle Sports Commission,) gave permission only for 'exhibition rides'.
These were run at several tracks including the May-Day holiday celebrations event at Dingolfing, (where Pinfold, Gary Moon and Mark Newson are known to have ridden,) and at the grass meetings at Holzwickede (on 5th.) and
Ludinghausen (on 9th,) but the first official 1000cc sidecar meeting in Germany was staged at Wolfslake near Berlin in October of '91 and won by Darrin Treloar and crewman Phil Hudson.Denmark
As Commonwealth riders were in Britain in 2002 for the first international Super Cup competition, the Danish Motor Union and the Vojens Center organised an official FIM-approved individual International event featuring British and Aussie sidecar crews. They were joined by a sole continental combo, ridden by the 10x European 500cc Sidecar Track Champion, Josef Onderka of Germany, but the change of equipment and of conditions, grass to shale, would have appeared to have been too great, and Aussies Treloar and Christopher took the top 2 places.
(n.b: In advance of the above FIM competition, in May four UK crews featured in a demonstration event at nearby Outrup for the benefit of DMU officials and Vojens organisers. The winners were Rob Wilson and Tony Miles.)
France
As a support event to the official 2003 FIM World Long Track Championship, Rd.5, in Morizes, France, an individual sidecar competition was included in the programme. The 'Sidecar Speedway International' event included British and Australian crews that were participating in the UK's 'Sidecar Super Cup' that year, and was won by Aussies Darrin Treloar & Justin Plaistead.