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Australian Speedway Pre-War History 1920's -
1930's |
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1926 - Speedway Comes to the Sydney Showground. |
It was announced in an Australian
sporting publication on Wednesday, June 23, 1926, that Johnnie Hoskins had
secured a lease of the Royal Agricultural Ground in Sydney with the intention of
staging regular speedway meetings there. Hoskins had previously been involved
with staging speedway when working as Secretary to the Hunter River Agricultural
and Horticultural Association in Maitland, and also when manager of the Hamilton
track in Newcastle. He was well known in Sydney as he'd held a responsible
position in that city on the staff of the Royal Automobile Club of Australia. He
held this post prior to his acceptance of the position of manager at Newcastle
Speedway.
Hoskins' first Sydney programme was presented on Saturday afternoon July 31. For
this opening meeting, Hoskins had top-dressed the track surface with a covering
of loose sifted ashes which he hoped would facilitate broadsiding and also make
conditions safer for competitors.
The Golden Gauntlet match race contest, an event which Hoskins proposed to stage
once a month during the duration of the season, was held over a distance of 2
miles. The holder of this trophy was to receive 5 pounds per week until
defeated. The competitor recording the most number of victories would be
presented with the trophy at season's end. The first Golden Gauntlet winner was
Newcastle rider Ernie Buck aboard his Douglas.
The Invitation Handicap was a keenly contested event which offered a total of
100 pounds prizemoney, with the winner receiving half of the purse. Artie
Wardell won the final from Tommy Benstead.
Two West Maitland ladies contested a match race that afternoon at the
Showground. Mrs Lee defeated Miss Stacey.
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| Above: Mrs. Lee and Miss
Stacey. Inset features Johnnie Hoskins decorating Ernie Buck with the Golden
Gauntlet. |
Tommy Benstead
- versatile motorcycle racer.
Photograph
courtesy of Jan Grainger. |
Some of the other riders attracted
to the meeting by the substantial prizemoney on offer were the Datson brothers
(Charlie and Jimmy), Billy Lamont, Roy Hindle, Leo Melville, Syd Bayley, Gus
Clifton, Pat Hamilton, Ted Rees, Moss Williamson and Paddy Dean.
Hoskins' second Showground meeting was a night event staged on Saturday August
7.
"The track was brightly lit, and every indication was given of a very successful
season."
The above comment on the first night meeting appeared in the Sydney press the
following week. The star on the night, riding his new 348 cc single cylinder
Harley Davidson, was experienced motorcycle racer Tommy Benstead. It proved to
be a highly successful evening's work for Benstead as he won six races from six
starts and pocketed 175 pounds. He won the final of the handicap beating Charlie
Datson and Syd Bayley. His victory in the final of the 75 pounds match race
event was over Roy Hindle.
Following are more extracts from my press reports of that August 7 meeting: -
"The experiment of promoting night motor cycle racing at the Speedway, Royal
Agricultural Ground, was more successful than a great many followers of motor
sport anticipated ...."
"There was some very fine competition between the leading riders engaged, of
whom the outstanding on the night were T. Benstead, C. Datson (Newcastle), and
R. Hindle. Benstead was in the form which made him the champion rider of the
State three years ago ............... Benstead was as skilful as ever at
negotiating the turns of the track, and it was noticeable that he could steer a
more even course and keep closer to the grass without trailing his inside foot,
than any of the other competitors."
"When it was announced that the track was to be covered with fine ashes for
safety's sake, it was feared that this would result in clouds of dust arising,
and causing dangerous obscurity. These fears, however, proved groundless, and
the dust raised rarely was higher than the back wheel of a motor cycle, and
seemed to settle down again immediately....."
The following refers to the final of the handicap event staged that evening: -
"The three Newcastle riders who qualified, C. Datson, S. Bayley, and R. Hindle,
were on the mark waiting for a long time before Benstead came out, but it
appeared that he had so badly damaged an inner tube that he had to borrow
another and replace it. He expressed his appreciation of the sportsmanlike
conduct of representatives of a rival machine, the Douglas, in lending him a
tube, without which he could not have started."
The third meeting on the Speedway Royale took place the following Saturday
evening. It was at this meeting that a teenager from the Hunter Valley had the
10,000 spectators present at the ground looking on in amazement at his riding
exhibition. His name was Billy Lamont. The following is from the meeting report:
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"W. Lamont did some sensational riding in the events decided at the Speedway
Royale, Agricultural Ground, on Saturday evening, and repeatedly rounded the
low-banked turns of the small track at an angle which seemed to defy all laws of
gravity."
At the August 21 meeting, Artie Wardell, aboard his Douglas, won all his six
races. Billy Lamont's new two-mile track record set the previous week fell to
the flying Wardell. The ladies returned to the track with Miss Nora Stacey
defeating Mrs. W. Mills in a match race.
The following week an event advertised as the "Women's Championship of
Australia" was staged. Determined over five laps using the match race format,
the championship was won by Mrs Lee (2 3/4 hp AJS) from Mrs. Cridland (Rudge).
Artie Wardell won the Golden Gauntlet.
During the season, the Showground promotion, Messrs Hoskins and Brown Ltd, had
to contend with fierce competition for riders. Other tracks which raced that
season in the Sydney and Hunter Valley region included Maroubra, Newcastle,
Cessnock, Penrith and Maitland.
By early 1927, Johnnie Hoskins was looking for a new challenge. He showed great
interest in returning to the Maitland Showground, and even applied for the lease
to stage racing there. However, it was Western Australia which eventually
attracted him. During April, news broke that Hoskins had been granted the lease
at the Claremont Showground.
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Thanks to Ross Garrigan for this report. |
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