And so it goes on....

October 6

Although it may not appear so at times, but for a driver to retain a World title is very rare but for three of them to do so in the same season – and there is still the Superstox World to come – is very rare.  So, well done to Tom Harris, Rob McDonald and Sid Madgwick in BriSCA F1, National Hot Rods and National Bangers respectively.  All three were very convincing wins, the latter coming in what were appalling looking conditions at Ipswich on Saturday night.

Whilst on the subject of firsts in threes, I am fairly sure there is such in my home state of South Australia currently where at Murray Bridge Speedway on Saturday night three sisters raced in the same (adult) class at the same time.  I am not sure this has been seen or done anywhere and is history for us in this little corner of the globe. So, well done to Tamika, Sharni and Kirra-Lee Pitcher who were all on track together in the Wingless Sprints.

The racing season should have started across most of Australia by now, with the eastern and south-eastern parts of the country moving from winter to spring. I am fortunate that where I am, it has, albeit with restrictions but for New South Wales and Victoria it is looking that, as with last year it will be Christmas at least before things get going. The country is in a tangled Covid web with all the states and territories in different stages of vaccination rollouts, case numbers and restrictions that are apparently required for both.  For the bikes, although I have not read anything official rumours are that some if not all the solo titles across the country will be scrapped and for my local venue of Gillman, the only hope of getting meetings in for the first part of the season is that enough local interest from the small population of SA can be garnered.

Much the same applied to the Sprint Cars at Murray Bridge on Saturday, just as was the case this time last year with it only being the home-based teams and drivers able to attend, despite several others with cars sat idle in workshops who were willing to come shut off behind closed borders. It was a quality entry though, the sights and sounds of the 410’s were great and Matt Egel, who was unstoppable in Darwin in August trounced the opposition on his home track this time. Schedules are planned and printed for all the venues, but that small print subject to change is the thing, when heath authorities have the power to “change the rules” at the click of the finger or twitch of a pen.

For that reason, expect an announcement that The Ashes Cricket tour will go ahead has been greeted with surprise today. The Tour Down Under bike event, scheduled for late January (yes!) was canned last week. I do not doubt that the England team have been "spun a yarn" to use an Aussieism and quite what they are are expecting and what they will find when they get here remains to be seen.  Hope they are not expecting stadia full of 'Barmy Army' fans, even taking into account the large English/UK population in Australia. Fact is, until it sorts itself out from said tangled Covid web of border closures, quarantine and different rules in different states and territories, not to mention inflicting human rights breaches on its own people my view is that Australia is incapable of properly hosting international sporting events and tours.

The vaccine rollout was slow but has now ramped up to the point is not far off where the United Kingdom was on “freedom day” in July.

Australia, where the bloody hell are you * The people are and have been doing as you requested. Now is the time for the governments and health authorities to do theirs.

• A reference to a 90’s TV ad that is attributed to the now Prime Minister Scott Morrison

September 7

Can it really be four months since I last wrote on this blog? Clearly the answer to that is yes.  That will be the winter in Australia, then, and what a winter it has been.  There are winters of discontent and then there was 2021.  Not that I am any sort of prophet, but I am a realist, if you scroll down below you will see that I feared that the policy of the Australian government/s to the Covid situation last year and very early this year would likely have a sting in the tail and so it has come to be.  Any gains that there were here in 2020 have been totally squandered by poor policy and attitude.  To compound this, certain individuals have sought political gain from the situation.  The upshot is a complete mess.  I cannot and will not say too much on here, given I have a job in the corporate sector, other than for those overseas reading this, everything you may have seen, read or heard about Australia is currently true.  “Advance Australia Fair” is the national anthem here.  It is neither advancing or fair.  And we are certainly not “one and free”.   

The Speedway season is going ahead as planned as I write this, but I am sceptical that it actually will come the time, given that the country is a long way behind where it was 12 months ago, and it started late then and proceeded with a lot of changed dates and fixtures. My thoughts are it will start but it will be under similar circumstances to that in the United Kingdom when the season started in May.  Restricted crowds, mandatory mask wearing and so on.  These restrictions did huge harm to the sport, particular the two wheeled variety in England with the Eastbourne Eagles in particular pointing to that as a large contributor into the reason they sadly folded last month.   I refer mainly to my own state of South Australia, as with New South Wales and Victoria appearing to be in endless lockdowns – and unlike the UK the leaders are point blank refusing to set any kind of end dates and setting unrealistic vaccination targets – I am totally unsure of what is going to happen there.  The new Sydney Speedway at Eastern Creek, a government funded replacement for Paramatta was due to open in a few weeks’ time but that has now been put off until December.  At least.  The Sprint Car World Series is still scheduled to start in December and travel across the country over the weeks that follow, but with the authorities in Western Australia insisting on a covid-free isolation behind a hard internal border until, well, whenever is that really going to happen. 

Congratulations to Chris Burgoyne on his second F2 World title at Skegness Raceway over the weekend, coming 19 years after his first.  Not quite the record of the longest gap between titles, Bill Batten still holds that but Chris does remain the youngest winner aged 18 when he took that first one at Cowdenbeath in 2002.  It is good to know I no longer have the “commentators curse” too as last week, friend and fellow scribe Pete Randall asked me who my money would be on for the win and without hesitation I said 647.  It does of course carry a human story too, given that he had what was thought at the time to be a career ending crash in 2017 when he suffered a severe back injury.  Not only did he bounce back but took the British title at Mildenhall 9 months later. I was right there on track to witness the rare emotion for Chris and his family that comeback win meant and now this and whatever happens going forward he has cemented his own place as an all time Stock Car racing great in the UK.

On the subject, the GOAT – Rob Speak – who raced in the event he promoted, on the track he owns on Saturday has now officially called time on his (F2) career.  Yes, he has said that before, I remember talking to him at King’s Lynn 21 years ago when he said as much, but given the obvious, this is it this time.   Or is it?!   But, whatever, he leaves a record and a legacy that will almost certainly never be beaten.  Even those who have never really been signed up members of his fan club cannot and indeed do not deny him that.

May 3

I was saddened to read of the passing of Marion Farrow last week.  The sport, indeed any sport or any pastime is nothing without those that pull the strings in the background and Marion was certainly one of those.  She was not just in the background of course, for I am sure that like me many will have the vision and memories of her on the centre of tracks, particularly at Swaffham, Kings Lynn and Skegness, in her red wellies waving flags and as clerk of the course telling drivers what for, on track if that is what was required.  In latter years she was known as almost the mother of the Saloon Stock Cars, doing a huge amount behind the scenes and it was during my time of being the editor of their magazine, unloaded 7.3 that our paths crossed more and then during my times working at both Kings Lynn and Skegness.  She once reminded me, during a race meeting to plug a particular sponsor (that she had sourced) as much as I possibly could because doing so could, would and should attract more if they can see and hear an actual return for their investment.  True words and she will be sorely missed and near impossible to replace.

It is sobering just how many friends and faces are now no longer with us, since the Sunday of the Speedweekend at Skegness in 2019 which was the last time I was at/working at a UK oval and were there that warm summers day.  I said see you next time and that will not now be the case.  It is a fact of life, but a tough one nevertheless.

Time does fly and Graham Woodward and I reminded each other of this as we were preparing for Look Back Live on Spedeworth TV on Sunday evening, that the show/segment had had an incredible nine month run, give or take a small break late summer last year, what with there being a lack of real racing and nothing at all obviously since December of last year.  I have enjoyed being part of the show, looking back on some great footage from the much-missed Wimbledon as well as some classic moments from Wisbech and Arlington.  Talking over a controversial moment from 1988, when Graham and I were both literally kids in the crowd was not easy, but hopefully the balanced view on the infamous Rob Perry and Roy Eaton moment came across as I intended it to.  Let us not lose sight of the fact that they ended up as good friends towards the end of their race careers.   The features that Graham and producer Tom have incorporated in the magazine style format deserve praise too with many legends that had never given such personal interviews to camera previously having done just that.   With racing now slowly returning, the TV channel will revert more to what and how it was intended with footage from the race meetings and live streams when and where applicable.  Well worth the GBP12 and then some, I would say.  I certainly look forward to having it as my go-to when things in the UK resume, because as much as I would like to just for a trip, I cannot leave Australia, as per my previous entries below.

Whether any footage and coverage from non Spedeworth/Incarace and associates can or will be covered I do not know, but it was great to see and hear of a large entry of BriSCA F2’s at Birmingham on Saturday, behind closed doors as the season got underway two months later than it otherwise would have.  It looked quite like old times with a three-heat meeting, variety of winners, competitors from far and wide and great on track action too.  Note that Birmingham Wheels is now promoted by PRI, formally the promoters at Swaffham and of course, prior to that (under different ownership) Arena Essex and if you want to go back even further Crayford, Rayleigh, Brands Hatch and others.  I was never a fan of the white on black door numbers though…

On a mixed note, I was sorry to hear that ‘Wheelspin’ magazine will cease at the end of the season.  The Spedeworth “in-house” magazine was the first publication that I had work published in.  The then editor, the late-Rod Tanswell took a chance on a keen 13-year-old who reminded him one day (at a Lawn mower racing event no less!) that Superstox were not getting anywhere near the coverage that they warranted.  And so, he gave me a go and that was that.  It did not last long.  When the old Aldershot Stadium closed just a couple of years later, Rod left the company as a full-time employee and with it went the magazine.  I continued on in Short Circuit and when it was resurrected I was no longer involved with Spedeworth (actually editor of unloaded 7.3, as noted earlier)  Paul Huggett, a legend of the written and spoken word in oval racing and a lot more held sway for a number of years before most recently Dean Cox took over, but as with so many things in this post-Covid world, and one that the printed word has a huge uphill struggle in regardless of the genre, he has decided 2021 will be its last run.  However, when you can obtain the May copy, in a real case of life going full circle, I have written an article on some of the racing I have seen the past season in South Australia.   I hope you enjoy, and support that, and as many tracks and streaming services as you can, however you can when things do get going over the next few weeks.  We do not want to be talking in the past tense indefinitely…

April 20

The popularity of Rugby League is in Australia has often surprised me.  In some parts of the country, it is the sport.  A friend of mine here was equally surprised when I told them that in England the code only really has popularity along what is known as the M62 corridor.  I played Rugby Union at school (in the south of England – badly), league was a version they played ‘up north’.   Of course, the two codes came about over a split whenever it was and that was it, they have remained separate since.  Players have switched between the two but not often.  Splits and breakaways happen but rarely work out. We could all probably list several off the top of our heads in various sports that have weakened them consequently.   I am not a Football (Soccer) fan by any stretch, but totally appreciate the outcry this week in Europe with some serious self-just to go and play on their own, amongst themselves.  Is that not what the big kids did the corner of the school playground?

It has been a while since I updated on here.  Easter has been and gone.  It was a very warm and sunny Easter in my part of Australia, I was part of a great meeting at the Riverland Speedway which was sadly the last of the season there.  We all left wanting more. Autumn has since arrived, the days a shorter and a lot cooler.  The racing season is drawing to a close and whilst it has had some bumps, and there are some creases to iron out going into next season in my opinion, at least on the car side of things, it did at least happen and that is the main thing.  The Sprint Car World Series has been announced as happening at the end of the year and into early next, whether there are any overseas competitors remains to be seen.  Hopefully, all divisions will be able to stage state and national titles too across the country as in most cases there were none of the latter and few of the former, with internal borders closed to keep the possible spread of Covid-19 at bay.

That is now the big issue for Australia (and New Zealand) I have long maintained that there would be a sting in the tail with the completely different situation with the virus here than in most of the rest of the world.   The closed borders are like staying in bed on a cold and wet morning.  You are safe and warm, but, you cannot stay there forever.  Yes, the Antipodean countries are essentially Covid free and that is great for our lives that are (still) far more ‘normal’ that most of the rest of the world.  But, staying shut away behind closed international borders is getting now growing old.  Unless you are rich or important or receive dispensation from the government – and willing to pay whatever the airline decides to charge on any said day – it is not possible to leave the country.  I would love to use the flight voucher I have sat in my drawer from last year’s planned trip to attend the Ipswich and Skegness Speedweekends, Saloon World Final, BriSCA F1 and F2 Worlds or even the Superstox World as far off as October, but I just cannot see that being the case.  I don’t really have the answers.  I do not think the experts do either. They had previously relied on a quick and successful vaccine program but that has swiftly gone awry.  Like I say, safe and warm under the covers, but….

It is a case of what will be will be, and the overused it is what it is.  That will be the theme going forward as the UK, Europe and the United States as examples start to find a path to normality.  It took many by surprise I think that the British Speedway Grand Prix, scheduled for Cardiff in July was cancelled late last week.  Can we really blame the organisers?  Yes, by then it is fabled that there will be little or no restrictions in the UK by then, but equally no actual guarantee.  The event is an extremely expensive one to put on and unless there was that cast iron promise that it could go ahead with the right about of bums on seats then it was not viable. 

Talking Speedway, I was honoured to join Trevor Scott on the mic at Gillman Speedway in Adelaide for the Oceania Sidecar championship on Saturday.  What an exciting sport and if UK readers get the chance to catch any there when the season starts, I highly recommend it.   Again, it was the last of the season here, until the new one gets underway in October and although it finished in an un-forecast burst of rain it is fair to say the large crowd left happy and wanting more.  I hope to be back for more in that new season.  On the same night and in an unfortunate clash (yes, they happen here too) there was an 123 car demolition derby at Murray Bridge in front of a sell out crowd, albeit restricted.  ‘The Bridge has had a bit of an up and down season, finding itself on the front line of some of the covid restrictions the authorities were dishing out but a strong finish such as this one, and with a much more usual looking schedule planned for the 21/22 season, rather than the pop up and play that ended up being the case in the one just gone there is scope and hope looking ahead.  Even if it is just ‘us’ amongst ourselves, again.

March 15

A large part of motorsport history left us with the passing of Murray Walker at the weekend.  For so many he simply was the voice of the sport and although over two decades had passed since he was in the role full time, the fact that he is remembered by so many from many different eras speaks volumes of the man and personality he was.  There is even a little pun there.  He simply changed the way that television sports commentating or broadcasting was done.  Coming from an advertising and promotional background, he brought it to a much more personal level that so many of those watching on and/or listening had a repertoire with.  Even now, I hear far too many commentators and presenters talking at their audience rather than to it.  Murray set the standard for the latter.

Long before my time, but I do not believe he had it easy though as his books did indeed outlay in that he, like so many of us now in the business, come up against the “rusted on” ones who are not wanting change to the way things are done.  Oblivious to the situation often being broken and in need of fixing.   To many, Murray was of course the voice of Formula One Grand Prix and although yes, he did commentate for the BBC on the very first Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1950, which featured John Bolster’s big roll where he was thrown from the car, he actually was a voice on the radio on motorbike racing – where he took to the mic alongside his father Graham – and other forms of two wheeled motorsport, rallycross, and Saloon car racing.  On my social media I linked a great race he called from Crystal Palace in 1971 which culminated in him excitedly saying “spin spin spin” when a race long battle came to a spectacular conclusion on the last lap.   He had commentated on a few Grand Prix, but mostly during the 1960’s and into the 70’s they were called by Raymond Baxter (if on the BBC) and Anthony Marsh or latterly Andrew Marriott (if on ITV) I believe it is a Le Mans that Murray broadcast where a decision maker within the BBC decided to place Murray alongside Jackie Stewart for the British Grand Prix in 1975.  When the BBC decided to start showing every race following James Hunt’s championship winning season in 1976 (which itself was carried by ITV) Murray was then tasked of covering every race and the rest was history, until he retired in 2001 but was still very much part of the scene.   He was one of those where it was so easy to overlook his age, such was his enthusiasm and young outlook – that repertoire I was referring to above.  His commentary and broadcasting career was a secondary one that came about almost by accident and after he had retired from his job in marketing and promotions.  He was on the mic travelling the world well into his 70’s and 80’s and died aged 97.   I saw him a few times in person, most recently at the 50^th anniversary of Thruxton which seems a long time ago but was only on a warm sunny afternoon in June of 2018.   I met him once, where he happily signed a copy of his autobiography, which sits on my bookshelf here in Adelaide.  RIP Murray Walker.  You were simply an inspiration and will never, ever be forgotten.

Elsewhere in the world, I was utterly puzzled but ultimately not surprised to see a huge crowd, shoulder to side, cheek to cheek, no face masks et al watching a World of Outlaws meeting in Louisiana at the weekend.  My mind boggles.  Here in Australia, despite having ‘no covid’ and if there is it is a one or two off case linked to the hotel quarantine system, we are still under heavy restrictions on crowd numbers.   This too is puzzling though.  I have been having a great time at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and will be again later this week and although there are mandatory QR codes to enter venues and so on, the crowds gathering fly in the face of the restrictions at sporting events.  But, to use the phrase, it is what it is.  And hopefully the vaccine roll out will be the golden ticket out of this Covid-hole.  Not that it will be for this year. 

It is great to hear and see plans in the UK and Europe for the racing season to get going in either April or May – depending on the type of venue – and a view that by the summer, things might or will hopefully be as normal as they will get.  I still hold out hopes to be able to be present at some point, but with the vaccine rollout already showing potential signs of farce in Australia where there simply isn’t the appetite for the call to arms that there has been in the United Kingdom (for example) simply because, well, as stated above I'm still not holding out too much hope of this year.  But, great to see and hear of so many new and refreshed cars set to take to the track.  

As for down here down under.  We are now running out of weekends!  With the season having started later than usual for some venues and areas, and there have been dates lost with the snap lockdowns that have taken place in Australia, there does now seem a bit of a scrap to get the season completed the best way possible and the upshot is that there are several clashing meetings in my state of South Australia alone going forward to the end of the season that winds up in May and/or June.   Hopefully by the time October comes around we can be “back to normal” and by that, I mean a proper schedule rather than pop-up fixtures, proper championship dates and a return to the Sprint Car World Series.

Here’s hoping.  But for now, there are some great meetings ahead and we should enjoy what we do have because we have all seen and learned just how quickly and easily it can be taken away over the past year.

March 3

Even though summer came and went in what felt like an endless Spring in several ways (yes, really) it is now Autumn here in the southern hemisphere and the racing seasons are reaching their natural conclusions.  It was at this point last year that they were pretty much curtailed, and for many areas in Australia did not start until the beginning of this year.  At least in South Australia whilst starting later than usual they did get underway and whilst it has been a bit itty bitty and in some ways loaves and fishes we are set to get to the natural end, when it comes next month, May or even in June.  In other parts of the country, notably Sydney they have not been so fortunate.  Regional New South Wales has done what it can do with race dates, but in the capital, where the focus for many years now has been on Paramatta – or the Valvoline Raceway in more recent times – there has been nothing.   It was announced as being closed, built on and turned into a rail siding for the new light rail system late in 2019 but the state government were to find a replacement site.  With Covid restrictions in Sydney, the season was to be late starting and then there were further outbreaks and clusters of Covid-19, which were handled very well by the local authorities I will add (none of the snap lockdowns that other Australian cities have seen, yet ultimately with the same outcome) but the upshot is that the venue still sits there, the clock ticking having not run a race meeting for over a year now.  The venue was the first one I saw an Australian Speedway meeting at, the Sprint Car feature was won by Brooke Tatnell.  Work has started on the new venue at Sydney Motorsport Park and although it appears to be not clear who will be running it when it is complete, it is going to happen and whilst it will be a replacement for what will be a missed traditional venue, the fact is that it will be the first new Speedway venue built in Australia in a long while.  To put it in comparison with the UK, both Lochgelly and Aldershot (which I count as ‘new’, as it was built from scratch just in place of an existing one) have come about since the previous new one here.

These are changing times though and with the apparent fast tracking of electric vehicles, even in rev-head Australia, what future does the sport have?  I note that Formula E re-started its season over the weekend but were you watching?  I wasn’t.  I did not really know it was on until my social media feeds picked up what appeared to be a large crash involving Alex Lynn.  Thankfully, he was all okay.  Whilst the series has given work to drivers and technicians in the industry who presumably otherwise wouldn’t have any, I really cannot get into Formula E at all.   Sorry Dario.  When the South Australian government controversially canned the V8 Super Car race in Adelaide last year there was a push to replace it with a Formula E event.  I note that has gone just as quiet as their “engines” very swiftly.  It is a real shame that the V8 event has gone.  Catching a train from my house and then walking to an international motor sport event was great, but on attending last year I was disappointed to see the low number of people present.  I had not expected to easily sit in a free grandstand seat at the back of the circuit but did.  With my business brain on I feared then for the event, and sure enough, under the cover of Covid the axe fell.   The Labor opposition has allegedly inked a deal to return the race if they are elected in the local elections next year, but ever the sceptic when it comes to politics, I would take that with a pinch of salt.   Why had the crowds fallen?  The short story is that the government had handed over the running and promoting of the event to a tourism “commission” who appeared to have little or no idea what it is, or was, they were putting on.  Sound familiar?

In these changing times has become the all-ticket Speedway event and although my local venue of Murray Bridge remain adamant they are sticking with the process going forward, I cannot help but think that the very disappointing head count on the terraces the previous two meetings there – which featured great shows of Wingless Sprints but no Sprint Cars – is indicative that by in large, if they can, racer goers want to decide on the day whether they are going racing.  Fact is that you can still do that, I purchased my ticket for Saturday on Saturday lunchtime, I had the QR code scanned on my phone and in I went.  Too easy, surely?  But for some, purchasing a ticket online is not the way they want it all to go and it could hurt Promoters and clubs that are going this way.  But really, if you go to a concert or other kind of event this is the route you have to now go down.  I saw a comedy show at the Fringe Festival in Adelaide last week and had to purchase a ticket online the same way.  What is really this issue or is it that the sport is so different?   Or is that Wingless Sprints are in the same kind of vicious circle as BriSCA F2’s in that they have bigger entries, great racing but because they are not the real big loud beasts of the Sprint Cars and without some of the household names – read the same for BriSCA F1 – the die-hard punters are not interested?  A shame for the drivers and teams that did and do put on a great show that they ultimately do not capture the imagination of the race fans, let alone joe public but I do not pretend to really know the answers.  Conversely, again it could also be the changing times and a worldwide issue.  Legendary US Sprint Car commentator Jonny Gibson noted on his social media that he counted the crowd at a meeting he was working at (in Florida) last week.  He counted 91 people.   Ouch. 

But all that said.  Are they changing times after all?  It is a hard one for me to swallow when looking back on the 1990’s with Graham Woodward on Spedeworth TV and it being considered as “archive” and actually even looks it, when I can actually remember said days and dates well.  Reliving the childhood yes, but even so.   On Sunday we looked back at Arlington (Eastbourne) on Easter Monday 1990.  A highly spectacular day in front of what looked a capacity crowd but on track, it was clear to note the transition from what was, in the 80’s to what was to become in the 90’s, particularly in the Superstox and Stock Rods.  Progress is something that cannot be halted because it happens anyway.  

Those involve just have to make sure they all work with it, not against it.

February 4

It was Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America that first coined the phrase that nothing is certain in the world except death and taxes.  Totally true now, and we are all seeing just a bit too much of the former currently.  There is light, though as it was great to read (today) that 10 million people have already been vaccinated in the UK.  Even given the mistakes during the crisis that have been jumped on by so many, that is a mighty impressive achievement.  Here in Australia the program is yet to start.  Due to later this month.  Hopefully.  Maybe.  As one expert pointed out on ABC radio the other day, the government policy here is to watch how it is going in the UK and USA and that is that they are “getting on with it” and so should we.  Easy to fall into the trap that we do not need to here. All well and good in some respects, given that both Australia and New Zealand are essentially Covid-free, any breakouts appear to be via the hotel quarantine system, and these are then sorted by go hard, go quickly (and go silly?) approaches but it could be said that we are at the other end of the extreme here.  A large part of Western Australia has been locked down this week due to one case.  I cannot help but think that WA, which had not seen a Covid community transmission since April of last year and had hidden behind closing its internal borders at the drop of a hat since, and its leaders gloating over the fact is/was simply well out of touch with reality.  But anyways, in that overused phrase it is what it is.  Whether by accident or design, Australia (and New Zealand) are different to the rest of the world in that a de facto eradication policy is in place for Covid-19.   That is all well and good but both countries will have to wait until at least 70% of the rest of the world is vaccinated before international borders can re-open (properly).  Rita Ora can still come right now, obviously.

The inconsistencies with the ‘rules’ are also annoying here.  I know that many in other parts of the world will be saying “oh we can wish” but, on hearing that the AFL season coming up will see crowds of 40,000 (of 53,000) permitted at the Adelaide Oval and yet my local Murray Bridge Speedway is restricted to 2,200 patrons of the approx. 8,000 it can hold “indefinitely” with the pits continuing to be segregated and yes, the ticket only entrance set to be a permanent thing too.  I just cannot help but wonder whether this will do harm to the sport here.  Yes, for now and during the pandemic, what we have is (far) better than nothing – noting that there is still no racing in Sydney at all – but once the pandemic is all done I, along with many others, will hope to see that some of these things will be eased or totally reversed.

Noted that the UK, USA and Europe are starting to plan and publish dates and fixtures that is pleasing to see.  Here in Australia this season, certainly for the Sprint Cars it has been a bit of a “pop up season”.  With the World Series cancelled for all the obvious reasons, it was replaced by a three Speedway Australia backed (with government grants) mini-series.  One in WA, one in north NSW and in Queensland and then one in Victoria and South Australia.  Excellent to see and with great money on them, the only issue is/was that the latter came at relatively short notice given that many of the same drivers and teams had just done a Speedweek over the Christmas and New Year period that encompassed many of the same tracks – that would have been part of the WSS schedule had it happened.  But no matter as these new dates did include what would have been the Classic at Warnambool and the Kings Challenge at Mount Gambier went ahead (more, or less) as normal.  It gave the opportunity for Murray Bridge to run an Australia Day/eve meeting.  Unfortunately, the Bordertown meeting which would have been the previous evening was rained out.  That same rain, which came after a 43c day in SA and resulted in a serious bushfire in the Adelaide Hills did cause some track prep issues at Murray Bridge, which ultimately made the meeting what it was with a rough surface and some damaged cars and unhappy faces.  James McFadden and Monte Motorsport wrapped up the SA/Vic Super Series at this meeting by winning the feature, catching and passing Daniel Pestka on the penultimate lap.  Thus, he went into the final round at Whyalla with an unassailable lead for what was also the South Australia State title for 2021.  Like many (but not all) divisions in Australia, the 410 Sprint Car national title will not be run this year. 

The track at Whyalla, a steel mining town over a four-hour drive from Adelaide, had been due to stage a round of the WSS for the first time this season (it would have been at the end of this month) and so it was fully justified that it got a stab at this, having also run Sprint Cars on the prestigious Boxing Day date previously this season.  Regional areas like Whyalla, which is a far nicer town than many (in Adelaide) give it credit for are keen for sports such as Speedway to come to their town as they see the immediate benefits from it.  Hotels, motels, cafes…. I even spotted merch being worn in the local Woolworths.  It all helps.  The Speedway club, yes, under similar restrictions (but not the same as I could go in the pits) were rewarded with what they announced was one of the biggest ever crowds at the venue.   On what was a fast run 30 lap title race with no caution flag, JMac again showed his class by running out the winner.  Again, chasing Pestka, who ended up second in the series despite not winning a feature during it.  Only McFadden and Lachie McHugh, racing for the East Coast Pipeline team did.  The latter was left ruining a bad time trial and ended up stuck in the mid-pack in the main, proving that to have a good night it needs to start well.   This was likely the last we will see of McFadden in his home country this season now, as it was announced this week that he has re-upped with Kasey Kahne to race in the World of Outlaws and will return to the USA, albeit only after an expected new member to the family arrives.  A class act in every way and this showed when he was on home turf/clay this season, all with the greatest respect to those he was racing against. 

January 19

In my closing blog of 2020, I noted that things would likely get worse before they got better.  It is hard to be focused and positive in a number of ways at this moment, particularly with scenes coming out of (particularly) the UK right now with news of those passing away and those that we know and love are suffering with Covid-19.  I am not going to dwell on those.  Terribly sad times and my thoughts are with close family and friends of those who have passed or who are suffering.  Those who do still deny the virus’ existence, no matter how it came to be and or why; give your heads a wobble, seriously.

Obviously, I write this from the relative safety and sanctuary of South Australia.  All helped by being in a remote part of the bottom of the world with a population size similar to Surrey and Hampshire, which, of course does help.  I do not think that the governments and politicians in Australia are better than that of the United Kingdom and (largely) that of the Unites States etc, or that the health officers are better and so on.  They are not.  It is just that almost a year ago the set of circumstances at the time allowed Australia and New Zealand to dodge what was to become a huge bullet.  How long the closed border policies can realistically go on remains to be seen.  The Chief Medical Officer in Australia, whilst getting totally confused on dates almost proudly sat and announced that the international border (New Zealand aside) would remain closed throughout 2021.  It would appear this was news to the aviation and tourist industries who were banking on things starting back up again from mid-year.  I was (and still am) hoping to be in sunny Skegness for September.

The current situation with the Australian Open Tennis and its players in Melbourne pretty much sums things up.  The closed border policy referred to above was introduced last year to keep Covid “at bay” has grown to be that of keeping out totally. It largely works but has flaws, for sure and if the closed border is to continue then it will get very close to its shelf life. Everyone who comes here – everyone – must undergo a mandatory hotel quarantine of 14 days where you are shut in that room to get tested on days 1, 5 and 12 before being released into society. There has been escapes of it via the hotel quarantine, it triggered off a big second wave in Melbourne in June of last year which caused that city to be locked down for four months and then happened in Adelaide in November, where a ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown stopped it and there has since been similar in Sydney and Brisbane too. But the fact remains, the country is by in large Covid-19 free. We cannot leave the country and only Citizens/Permanent Residents and invited guests can come in, albeit with the quarantine and until we here are 70% vaccinated and the rest of the world likewise that will not change.  Invited guests… yes, the Tennis players that you might have caught on the sports news, wherever you are in the world.  With this policy should Australia, and especially Melbourne which is still raw from the four-month lockdown (far stricter than the current “lockdown” in England) be even entertaining the notion of running an international sporting fixture?  Just seems a bit of arrogance to me all round.  It is not going to bring the economic benefits it would have otherwise and it would appear many of the players and their associated folk were either not briefed by their people on the brief that they would have to do this on arrival.  They were informed that they would be permitted to practice for five hours a day, outside on site or wherever, but the very small print was that if there were any Covid positive cases on the flights they flew on this would be revoked and they would have to go into what is termed as "hard" quarantine.  At least three, or maybe four of the flights did have positive cases, hardly a shock given who rife the virus is in Europe and the USA and that was that.   So that many whilst accepting that they would not be jogging along the Yarra River thought that they would be practicing in their chosen hotel courts and working out in the hotel gym and so on.  But, no, sorry.  You spend 14 days in a hotel room.  That is it. The rules set on the quarantine are there for everyone.  The (victorious) Indian test Cricket team had to do the same thing late last year.  I do not really care too much for tennis and thankfully common sense prevailed a bit more with the Australian Grand Prix which was due to be staged in Melbourne in March.  When the March date was announced I was surprised, I was even shouted down (on LinkedIn of all platforms!) when I put forward my thoughts that it would be near impossible given the quarantine situation.  Melbourne is not Abu Dhabi….  And sure enough, it has now been moved to November.  But, given what the CMO announced yesterday will that even happen?   There is a lot of water and goodness knows what else to flow under the bridge between now and then but surely only a 50/50 chance.   

But life is as good as normal is here in the closed off world in the far corner of the southern hemisphere.  Speedway, be it on two, three or four wheels is doing what it can where it can dependant on where in Australia and what the restrictions are at the time.  Sad but true the clock is ticking on the historic Parramatta track in the western suburbs of Sydney, due to close and be replaced in a few months as to whether that sees any racing this year now.  I really hope so for everyone’s sake.  Elsewhere it is a bit loaves and fishes Sprint Car wise, but what would have been the Warnambool Classic this weekend is still going ahead, albeit in much truncated form as part of a Speedway Australia backed well-funded series, which will include the traditional Kings Challenge meeting at Mount Gambier.  I am giving that one a miss, as I have never been to MG in warm weather and ‘Mother Nature’ has more wins than any other on the roll of honour.  If I am not there the weather will be fine!  I am, however planning on the final two rounds at my closest track of Murray Bridge and then to Whyalla for the final. 

Just as with the Sprint Cars, there would normally be a flurry of overseas riders on the two-wheel (Solo) Speedway scene at this time of year too, but obviously not the case.  International Australian stars are present though and names that you would know well, if you follow that form of the sport overseas where in the house at Gillman Speedway in Adelaide on Saturday night.  A chilly, windy evening in front of what was announced as a great crowd, but I will say would have looked lost in Arlington or Murray Bridge (even taking into account Covid restrictions) for the 74^th running of the South Australian title, won last year by English and current Eastbourne rider Dan Bewley and this convincingly in the end by Ryan Douglas (Wolverhampton Wolves, Leicester Lions to name but two) whilst other names present on the books of UK clubs were Mildurans Justin Sedgmen and Jordan Stewart and Matthew Gilmore whilst a local young name getting better all the time, Fraser Bowes could be one to watch for the future overseas.  Gillman is a tidy venue and slick show with the Solos backed up by Sidecars and “flat track” (aka dirt) bikes and also Junior Speedway before, and during the track regrades on the small inner track.  Obviously different here than in European countries, where the emphasis is much more on the leagues and the show at each meeting goes around that a lot more, but an enjoyable evening of Speedway nevertheless.

It was a pleasure to join Graham Woodward again on Spedeworth TV on Sunday for the Look Back Live show, which this time featured the Howard Cole Memorial meeting at Wisbech, 30 years ago next month.  Yes, 30 years ago.  Ouch.  At a time when emotions are running high with everything happening in the world and in many cases within own families and doorsteps, it was hard not to get just a little bit emotional watching some of the scenes we were reviewing and looking back and remembering not only Howard, as we were then but also now three decades on the many who featured on that day who are no longer with us.  It also left us to reflect on what might have, could have been or even should have been.  I summed up my thoughts on the great F2/Superstox debate at the time and did indeed overlook that the two classes did race together twice at Arena Essex three years later, and a few at Mildenhall too.  The Race Video of one of those at Arena was doing the social media rounds only yesterday and it showed just how close the two classes really where in the early-mid 90’s, highlighted by the great battle for the lead between Peter Gilbert and the late Terry Skeef. There genuinely was talk of them getting together, but it was completely swallowed up by differing opinions at the time and that was that.  No point in dwelling and as I said on the show, I am now 100% of the view of having BriSCA F2 AND Superstox, given their long and important histories. But, no harm in having some significant crossovers and meetings together going forward?  One of the sports leading figures said to me only yesterday – 30 years on and Stock Car racing has still not glued itself together to become a stronger unit.  It took the death of someone as universally liked and respected as Howard to create a meeting like that (at Wisbech) but missed opportunities continue to populate the sport’s history.

It is not an issue unique to the UK of course.  Similar true everywhere, none more so than my adopted homeland of Australia where I could write a thesis on such.

But, let’s look at the positives so far in 2021 (for the UK)  Bradford is definitely re-opening, which is massive news for both cars (and hopefully) bikes.  And BriSCA F1 Stock Cars are set to appear at Spedeworth venues after all when the season does finally get started.  Those two things alone deserve a toast, a high five or however you wish to choose to celebrate, to the future.