Welcome to the SA Road Race Bulletin, your weekly round up for South Australian motorcycle road racing news.
Around 50 South Australian competitors will head to Phillip Island this weekend to mix it up on track with some of Australia’s best road racers in Round 3 of the Webb Plastics SA Road Race Championship & Pirelli Motul Victorian Road Race Championship. With the Australian Superbikes Phillip Island round approaching in a month’s time, it’s no surprise to see some big names on the competitor list taking advantage of some crucial practice time - including Ant West, Troy Herfoss and Glenn Allerton.
#64 Michael Kemp currently leads the SA championship and will be looking to extend his championship lead. #39 Dwayne Tosen will be one to watch, just 7.5 points behind Kemp in the championship and hungry for that top step, taking advantage of recent practice opportunities at the famous island circuit.
#61 Arthur Sissis does not regularly compete in the SA series, instead committing his efforts to the ASBK, but excitingly will be making an appearance this weekend along with the Unitech Racing team, and giving the rest of the SA boys a tough challenge.
#39 Dwayne Tosen aboard the Yamaha R1. Image: Pit Lane Studio
#8 Charles Holding leads the SA Supersport championship heading into this round, and will have his work cut out for him with the likes of #85 Ty Lynch, #3 Cameron Dunker (NSW) and #279 Hayden Nelson (NSW) joining him on the packed grid.
#135 Jayden Plowman will be putting his best foot forward in the Supersport class after a tough, injury plagued season so far which nearly saw him sidelined for the remainder of the year. He made the announcement on Facebook last week to the delight of his supporters. Joining Jayden will be #57 Cooper Rowntree, who is returning from a brief hiatus from the series with a renewed focus as a Supersport 600 competitor.
We have a strong female representation in the Supersport 300 class this round, with #95 Tara Morrison and #22 Georgia Stephens both making the trek across state lines. Tara has been performing well in her debut season of the ASBK, and has recently returned from a wildcard appearance overseas at IDM Assen. Georgia has been competing in the South Australian championship this year, and teamed up with Ty Lynch in June's CAFNIX Adelaide 2 Hour event where they took 2nd place.
The action kicks off with a practice day this Friday before diving into racing from Saturday, and with around 250 entries across all classes this event is sure to be memorable. If you can't make it in person, head to computime.com.au from Friday to follow along with the live timing.
#333 Xayvion Amoy will compete in the Junior class. Image: Pit Lane Studio
Darrin Webb of Webb Plastics, the series title sponsor. Image: Pit Lane Studio
#22 Georgia Stephens is ready to shine in the Supersport 300 class. Image: Pit Lane Studio
The 2023 Shannon’s Insurance Collingrove Hillclimb will return this Sunday September 17th, an exciting annual event in which solo racers and sidecars compete in timed uphill runs, with the Laurie Boulter Solo and Hec Henderson Sidecar trophies up for grabs.
The track is located around 8km out of Angaston, and winds its way up a 70m climb, set among lush greenery and native trees. The event is often a hit with spectators, with the beautiful venue and excellent vantage points making for an ideal picnic setting and a perfect family day out. The weather is looking spectacular this weekend, so if you're at a loose end, head for the hill! Spectator entry is $10 for adults payable at the gate, with children under 14 free.
For more information, head to the Atujara MCC website.
Image: Atujara MCC
Round 4 of the Australian FIM MiniGP Series was conducted over the weekend of August 26th-27th in Monarto.
#11 Judd Plaisted took the overall win in the 160cc class, backing up his efforts from Round 3 in QLD with another emotional victory. Judd’s efforts across the last two rounds have put him in championship 4th, with his eyes firmly set on a top 3 season finish with a single round remaining. The series top performers will have the opportunity to compete at the World Series final later in the year.
#36 Rikki Henry fought his way to two 3rd places, giving him overall 2nd for the round and extending his championship lead, whilst MiniGP debutant #69 Archie Schmidt gave an impressive performance, leading the first race before an unfortunate DNF, and finishing Race 2 in 4th position.
In the GP-2 category, we saw #57 Cooper Rowntree make his return to the track. After qualifying in 9th, Coop put in a brilliant effort which secured him overall 5th (4th place tie) for the round. Coop shared the GP-2 grid with fellow ASBK regulars Olly and Jordan Simpson; Olly showing us yet again there really isn’t anything he can’t do, taking out 2nd place overall, and Jordan finishing right behind Cooper in 6th.
#45 Olly Simpson, who currently leads the ASBK Supersport championship, backed up his successful weekend effort with 4/4 wins in the Supermoto class ahead of crowd favourite #60 Joshua Mclean. Brothers #66 Mitchell Simpson and #33 Jordan Simpson tussled across the 4 races for 3rd and 4th, with Mitchell beating Jordan to the round’s podium by 2 points.
The final round will take place in Oakleigh, Victoria at the end of September.
#69 Archie Schmidt lead Race 1 before his DNF. Image: Pit Lane Studio
#57 Cooper Rowntree representing SA in the GP-2 class. Image: Pit Lane Studio
Another round win for #11 Judd Plaisted. Image: Pit Lane Studio
#69 Archie Schmidt made a clean sweep of victories across bLU cRU South Australian Junior Cup’s Round 4, which ran in conjunction with the FIM MiniGP round. Joining Archie on the podium were #68 Lucas Warren and #27 Cooper Pitt. Read the full recap here.
Wildcard spaces are available for the remaining 2023 rounds of the bLU cRU series, for riders aged 11-16. For more information, contact Motorcycling SA Inc. directly on (08) 8332 9000.
#69 Archie Schmidt with 4/4. Image: Pit Lane Studio
Continuing on with more fabulous news from the junior road race sector, two South Australian riders will jet off to Malaysia this coming November to partake in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup selection event. Rikki Henry and Archie Schmidt will join 13 other Australians, including previous bLU cRU SA Junior Cup wildcard Ella Mccausland, on the 7th & 8th of November at the Sepang International Circuit. A total of 89 riders from 17 countries were announced on Saturday evening. Read the full announcement here.
#36 Rikki Henry in action in the FIM MiniGP series. Image: Pit Lane Studio
Last call for entries to the upcoming Master of Mac, which will run over the October long weekend at beautiful Mac Park in Mount Gambier. This not to be missed event is a favourite amongst racers in the Southern states, and will form Round 4 of the SA Road Race Championship. Entries close THIS FRIDAY September 15th, so while you’re busily packing the car for Phillip Island, don’t forget to take a few minutes to get your next rounds entries sorted. If you have any problems with your entry, please call Mac Park’s race secretary for assistance on 0448 951 163.
Entry link: click here.
Camping is available at Mac Park for $15 per person per night, with kids under 10 free.
#61 Arthur Sissis has claimed the Master of Mac title for the past three years. Image: Pit Lane Studio
South Australia’s up and coming promoter Area 99 are hosting their first racing event this November. The Area 99 Summer Race Meeting will run over the weekend of November 4th & 5th at the Southern Go Kart Club, with the Saturday being a full practice day and loads of racing fun on Sunday. Classes on offer include Juniors, Junior Ohvale 160cc, Seniors up to 190cc, Supersport 300 and Supermoto open, with prizes on offer for all place getters.
Camping is available on Saturday night, and the canteen and bar will be open daily as well.
Entries will be open soon via Ridernet. To keep up to date with the latest info, join the Area 99 Facebook group.
Area 99 provides a low pressure track day environment for riders to work on their skills. Image: Pit Lane Studio
Exciting news from the Cafe Racer Club SA, who have purchased an Ohvale GP-0 and are looking for suitable junior candidate for a sponsored ride in 2024’s FIM MiniGP championship! With so much talent coming out of SA right now, we’re sure the competition will be fierce and that the Cafe Racer Club will have a tough decision on their hands. The club are still working on the fine details, but for now expressions of interest should be directed to club representatives Chris Peake, Chris Greene or John Snoad.
Click here to visit the Cafe Racer Club Facebook page.
Learn more about the FIM MiniGP series here.
Cameron Rende is in Spain preparing for his next round in the ESBK (Spanish Championship) series which will take place this weekend at the Circuito De Navarra.
Cameron was a high achiever in Australian road racing before making the move to international competition at the start of 2023. He finished 4th in the 2023 Oceania Junior Cup series, 3rd in the 2023 SA Road Race Championship as a junior, had multiple podium finishes across both series and earned a Motorcycling SA Inc. "Rising Star" nomination.
The event will be live-streamed via the RFME YouTube page, although we can't find a timetable of the events at present - we will update with more information when we can! If you do tune in, keep your eyes peeled for Cam on the number #80 machine in the Supersport 300 class.
#80 Cameron Rende at the Estoril round in June. Image: Motap Racing Team
Finishing off this week's news is our round-up of upcoming ride days in South Australia.
AREA 99 Ride Afternoons - fortnightly on Tuesdays, next September 19th
Join the AREA 99 Facebook group for info.
MAC PARK Monthly Ride Day - September 23rd
All the info you need is on the Mac Park website, and bookings are via Ridernet.
CHAMPION'S RIDE DAYS @ The Bend East Circuit - September 24th
For details check out their website.
DOCSA/HCRRSA Club Ride Day @ The Bend East Circuit - September 27th
Members only. Check out the event link for more info.
SOUTHWEST TRACK DAYS @ Mac Park - September 28th
Booking is via the website.
BY REBECCA BOWDIDGE
Did we miss something? If you would like to submit any road race news for our weekly round up, contact us at pitlanestudio@outlook.com, and please include credits for any images and any applicable links.
