Welcome to the SA Road Race Bulletin, your weekly round up for South Australian motorcycle road racing news.
Huge congratulations are in order for South Australian Billy McConnell, taking out his first win for the year in the British Superstock National Championship, and announcing the arrival of a baby boy, all in one week!
Billy is based in the UK for the majority of the year, where he has competed in British racing series since 2006 and took out the British Supersport Championship in 2014. As of 2023, Billy competes in the Pirelli Superstock National Championship on board the C&L Fairburn Properties Jackson Racing Honda CBR1000RR-R. Billy took the win in a thrilling last lap battle during Race 1 at Thruxton, and followed up with a 3rd place in Sunday’s Race 2 in another strong performance.
Meanwhile at home in Adelaide, Billy and his partner Nadine publicly announced the arrival of a beautiful baby boy, Charlie Billy McConnell, born 6 weeks early on August 3rd, and reportedly growing stronger and healthier by the day.
Image: BikeSportNews.com
Image: LS2 Helmets UK
Levi Day has joined us back on Australian shores for two short weeks, bringing with him his popular On Track Rider Training program. Riders joined coaches Levi Day and Ty Lynch for a weekend of training at Mac Park, Mount Gambier, with many taking up the opportunity to build their wet weather skills. For those that preferred to stay dry, Sunday brought beautiful sunshine and plenty of track time for all. Levi and the team will conduct another coaching clinic in Tasmania this weekend before heading back to the UK.
For those that missed out, Levi will be back during the Australian Summer with more coaching clinics, we will keep you up to date as new events are announced.
Image: Pit Lane Studio
Coach Ty Lynch with junior racer Ghage Plowman. Image: Pit Lane Studio
Round 4 of the FIM MiniGP Australia Series will hit The Go Kart Club of SA, Monarto, in less than two weeks, on the weekend of August 26-27. Entries are still open until this weekend, and with an array of support classes on offer it’s well worth checking out if you're up for a bit of challenging small track fun.
Classes include: FIM MiniGP - 160cc, FIM MiniGP - 190cc, Ohvale Open, Ohvale Veterans, SA bLU cRU Junior Cup, and Supermoto Pro / Clubman.
To view entry information click HERE.
Round 4 will be the opportunity to catch locals #36 Rikki Henry and #11 Judd “Rocket Ronny” Plaisted in action, Judd fresh off the back of his Round 3 victory and with plenty of laps at Monarto up his sleeve, and Rikki the current championship leader and winner of last year’s bLU cRU SA Junior Cup. Spectator entry is free all weekend, with racing from 9am each day.
Speaking of the bLU cRU, we’ll be seeing them in action over the weekend too for their Round 4 as a supporting category. We’ll bring you a more in-depth preview of the bLU cRU round next week.
#36 Rikki Henry in training earlier this month. Image: Pit Lane Studio
#7 Xayvion Amoy will be one to watch in the bLU cRU SA Junior Cup. Image: Pit Lane Studio
#11 Judd Plaisted leading the charge at Monarto earlier this year. Image: Pit Lane Studio
The National BEARS series including the Roaring Sporties have been invited to to Christchurch, NZ in February 2024 to compete in a Trans-Tasman Challenge. Competitors will have the opportunity to have their bikes shipped together from Melbourne in early January, and have them back in time for Easter racing. Keen racers should join the OZ BEARS RACING Facebook group for more info.
Roaring Sporties at The Bend in July. Image: Pit Lane Studio
South Aussie competitors are encouraged to get their entries in ASAP for Round 3 of the combined SA/VIC Championship, with grids filling up already for the highly anticipated Phillip Island race weekend.
Login into Ridernet, and then click HERE to view the entry form and supp regs.
Image: Pirelli Motul VRRC
The Ducati Owners Club of South Australia (DOCSA) along with the Historic Motor Cycle Racing Register of South Australia (HMCRRSA) will be hosting another combined ride day for their members at The Bend’s East Circuit on September 27th, and are encouraging novice riders and first time track riders to come out and have a go. There will be more announced about this opportunity soon, and interested riders should check out the event link for more info.
The 2023 Shannon’s Insurance Collingrove Hillclimb will run on 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 at stake.
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. Spectator entry is $10 for adults payable at the gate, with children under 14 free.
The event is hosted by the Atujara MCC, with entries currently open and closing on September 8th. For more information and to enter, head to the Atujara MCC website.
Image: Atujara MCC
Dion McKiernan at the 2022 Hillclimb. Image: Pit Lane Studio
To finish off this week's news here's a round-up of upcoming ride days in South Australia.
AREA 99
Ride Day Saturday @ Southern Go Kart Club, Bolivar - August 19th
Ride Afternoons - fortnightly on Tuesdays, next August 22nd, September 5th
Join the AREA 99 Facebook group for info.
MAC PARK Monthly Ride Day - August 26th
All the info you need is on the Mac Park website, and bookings are via Ridernet.
CAFNIX Mallala Ride Day - September 2nd
Booking is via the Mallala website.
CHAMPION'S RIDE DAYS @ The Bend - September 3rd
For details check out their 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.
