Gillman Speedway 4.75

Gillman Speedway is a purpose built, 300m long motorcycle speedway located in the Adelaide suburb of Gillman in South Australia. The track opened in 1998 and runs approximately 13 meetings per season from October to March/April.Gillman Speedway is currently managed and promoted by former Rowley Park Speedway Sidecar racer David Parker.HistoryThe sudden and forced closure of the North Arm Speedway at the end of the 1996-97 season left Adelaide without a weekly operating venue for motorcycle speedway for the first time in almost 80 years. North Arm was located on land owned by the Government of South Australia and the land was reclaimed in mid-1997. David Parker, the President of the Speedway Riders' Association of South Australia and Motorcycling SA President Ivan Golding inspected many sites for a new speedway before settling on the Heini Becker Park Motorsport Complex at Gillman, adjacent to the Heini Becker Motocross track and only 2 km from where North Arm was located. The only equipment they had to start building the new venue was an old water truck, an old Gallion Grader and a Massey Ferguson tractor (which is still going, whereas the other machinery has since died and been replaced).Gillman Speedway, located on what was the car park of the motocross track, held its first official practice on Sunday, 19 October 1997 on a small 213m track formed using Dolomite from the old North Arm track. The track ran north-south with the start line located approximately where turns 1 and 2 for solos now stand, and held regular monthly practice meetings while a larger 400m dirt track was constructed (running east-west). The original safety fence of the 213 metre track consisted of used car tyres (painted white) stacked three high. After monthly practice meetings were held on the larger track, the first meeting was held on 16 May 1998.