The long wait is nearly over with motorcycle racing set to return to the Bathurst Showground on the first weekend of March.

Last time the venue hosted racing was in November 2017 – more than four years ago, over 1,500 days back– so riders and fans alike are eagerly awaiting the return of the Bathurst Long Track Masters meeting.

From the first time that the Panorama Motorcycle Club staged racing there in 1995 the annual meeting at the Bathurst Showground has become a ‘must-do’ for many riders and fans.

The best indication that riders are eagerly anticipating the meeting comes from the Race Secretary for the meeting, Lyndel Butler.

Riders are invariably slack in getting their entries in for many meetings during the year, but that was not the case when it came to Bathurst.

Butler was inundated as riders rushed to get their entries in as soon as they opened as the big programme of different classes meant that there would be a cap on entries in some of those classes.

The entry list does not have just quantity, as the best dirt track and long track riders in the country are prominent in the line-ups with some to travel from as far away as Melbourne in the south, Mildura in the west and Townsville in the north.

Queenslander Jarred Brook has been the most successful rider in the sport in recent years, and he will be out to build on his dominant showings in previous appearances at Bathurst.

The programme for the meeting is still being finalised but organisers are looking at around 110 races across the 14 classes of races with the final of those classes spread between the afternoon and evening session.

 

With such a big programme the Panorama Club will break new ground with practice sessions for all classes to be held on the Friday (March 4) starting at 3pm and going through to around 8pm.

This will leave the competition to get under way earlier on the Saturday (March 5) programme.

To help fans secure their tickets the club is making them available via the website https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/panorama-motorcycle-club-long-track-40142513283

 

Tickets for Friday cost Adult $20, Concession $15. Child under 15, $10 and a Family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children. $60.

For Saturday those tickets will cost $30,  Concession $20, Child under 15 $15 and Family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children. $75  

Championship Draws

 

250cc	Rider  Number	U21	Rider  Number
Riley Plum	1	James Pearson	1
Ashley Jansen-Batchelor	2	Jacob Hook	2
Lachlan Russell	3	Maurice Brown	3
Joshua Beetham	4	Mitch Cluff	4
Lauchlan Hayes	5	Matthew Gilmore	5
Alexander Adamson	6	Aden Clare	6
Liam Powell	7	Jack Miles	7
Broc White	8	Harrison Ryan	8
		Bradley Page	9
		Brayden McGuinness	10
		Michael West	11

                                            

For the 500cc, there will be three qualifying races; two heats of three riders and one final of four riders. 1st and 2nd of each heat go to the final, and the placings of the final 1st and 2nd into the main draw, and 3rd and 4th as reserves.                                                                  

Maurice Brown	Ist Qualifier
Jack Miles	Ist Qualifier
Liam May – SA	Ist Qualifier
Bradley Page	2nd Qualifier
James Pearson	2nd Qualifier
Michael West	2nd Qualifier
500	Rider  Number
Winner Q2	1
Sam Masters	2
Josh Pickering	3
Kane Lawrence	4
Brayden McGuinnes – SA	5
Ben Cook	6
Rohan Tungate	7
Jacob Hook	8
Harrison Ryan	9
Mitch Cluff	10
Jack Holder	11
Matthew Gilmore	12
Winner Q1	13
Josh Macdonald	14
Zack Cook	15
Jye Etheridge	16
2nd Q1	Reserve 1
2nd Q2	Reserve 2
Peter White	Support races

The recent MNSW Board elections have now concluded and we are excited to announce to all our members the 5 successful elected directors Madeleine Bowditch, David Cooke, Annaliesse Cawood, Chelsea Cheney and Darren Gossling.

This was the very first time the MA Nominations Committee was used during the election process (as voted by the club delegates and life members at the August 2021 delegates meeting). The committees role was to assess all candidates and provide their recommendation based on a set of criteria. The recommended candidates were of a very high professional standard, addressing the advertised selection criteria and more.

We received 61 returned ballots and the successful appointments were announced at the December Delegates meeting last Thursday 16th December.

“I’d like to thank every applicant who took the time to apply for one of the MNSW Board director positions – we were taken aback by the sheer number of registrations and the high professional standard of these applicants. I hope you can join me in wishing the new directors the best of luck and follow MNSW’s next chapter as we move into an action-packed 2022.” Kate Peck said.

We hope you join us in welcoming Madeliene, David, Chelsea, Annaliesse and Darren to the MNSW board – see you all around the tracks soon!

NSW Minister of Sport Natalie Ward today officially handed over the new Sydney international speedway with MNSW representatives Lauren Werrin and Adam Brook in attendance.

The 70 million western Sydney Motorsports facility features a dedicated infield motorcycle track with:

• Grandstand and terrace for up to 7000 spectators
• Workshops, garages, and trackside support services
• Over 500 dedicated spectator car spaces

NSW premier Dominic Perrottet said the venue was an exciting addition to motorsports in NSW, bringing top level racing to Western Sydney.

“we’ve consulted with motorsports experts from around the world to bring this project to life and have used the latest in track safety design and spectator experience to ensure it is a thrilling addition to our racing scene.” Mr Perrottet said.

MNSW Sport Development Manager, Adam Brook stated “having been involved in the concept and planning of this venue since its inception, it’s very exciting to see the build nearing completion. This will be a huge boost for Motorcycling in Sydney, with an FIM standard facility to foster the next generation of Speedway stars”

Interim MNSW CEO, Lauren Werrin “This project is a step in the right direction from the NSW government, in securing the future of motorcycling racing in Sydney. We look forward to working alongside Western Sydney Parklands and the state government in future projects to ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of motorcycling in the Sydney Motorsport precinct.”

With construction wrapping up in the coming weeks and a fully licensed motorcycle track, ready for testing in early in the new year, this is exciting news for Speedway and dirt track racers throughout NSW.

Dear Members,

We are writing to inform you of some changes to the licencing departments of Motorcycling Australia (MA) and Motorcycling NSW (MNSW)

As of December 1, 2021, all riding, media and crew licencing enquiries will be handled by the centralised licencing and membership team based in Melbourne at the MA head office. This team has handled these licencing enquiries for Victoria, Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania based licence holders since February 1, 2021, and will now process these enquiries for New South Wales based riding, media and crew licence holders from December 1, 2021. This process will be ongoing from this date. The contact details for these membership and licencing enquiries for these states are:

Licencing hotline – 1800 262 678 (Hours of operation are 8:30am to 5:30pm Melbourne Time, Monday to Friday)

Licencing email address – licences@ma.org.au

The centralisation of licencing allows a streamlined approach for distribution of licence cards, a central point for all enquiries for licences and club memberships, as well as enabling MA to provide a consistent message to all members and licence holders throughout all states.

All riding number queries, as well as all event registration enquiries will continue to be handled by the state controlling body (MNSW). All officials licences will also continue to be processed by the state controlling body (MNSW).

Kind regards,

Motorcycling Australia licencing team