Rowley

Managing Director ( 1955-56 Season ) Mr Kym Bonython

Track Circumference 440 yards. ( 402.33 Mtrs)

Track Records in 1955-56.

SOLO : Jack Young - 3 laps Clutch Start, 49- 4/5 secs.

SIDECAR: Jim Davies - 3 Laps Clutch Start, 56- 2/5 secs.

Don Willison - 4 Laps Clutch Start, 75 secs.

SPEEDCAR: Joe Blow ( Gordon Schubert )- 4 Laps Rolling Start, 1 min 10-1/5 secs.

Roy Sands- 10 Laps Rolling Start, 2 min 56-3/5 secs.

STOCKCAR: Ted Fulgrabe - 20 Laps Rolling Start, 7min 23-3/5 sec.

Harry Neale in the Repco Holden SA1. The ex Frank Brewer # 99.

Rex Sendy in Repco Holden SA56

Bruce Rickard in Repco Holden SA34. The Repco Holden engine out of SA34 went into my car , Bill Goode's Q5

Ray Huppatz in SA5

Len Golding in the ex Brabham twin SA3 runs with Ray Revell in the Australia 1 ex Johnny Balch, ex Perry Grimm Offy

The 1966 Australian Solo title winner Chum Taylor (on bike) with Jimmy Gooch 2nd. ( left) Dennis Gavros 3rd, and Jack Scott at Rowley Park.

Charlie Monk (SA) ( who's real christian name was Warren , not Charlie ) on the outside of Jim Airey (NSW) during the title.

Joe Braendler in Holden SA 25.

Rowley Park regular, Gordon Benny.

Max Monk, brother of Charlie, rides the wall in car # 21 at Rowley.

Len Bowes runs into Gary Innes at Rowley 1970.

Charlie Monk.

Max Cunningham leads Len Bowes at Rowley Park.

"The Boss" takes a big one. Rowley Park Promoter, Kym Bonython, an excellent midget driver, stands SA1 on it's nose in a big shunt at the Coglin St end of the Park. Bonython had three meetings in succession where he had crashes like this. Sat. Feature Race 29-11-55. Billy Wigzell on the inside and looks like Dave Cooper on the fence.

Rowley Park Speedway operated from 21-12-1949 to 6- 4-1979

Bonython in the ex Hank Green Offenhauser Roadster SA1, he imported from the States. The car is now restored and runs in vintage demonstrations in Queensland.

The ex Bonython Roadster as it ran in 2001 in Qld. Arthur Sollit, owner driver.

Jim Silvy in the ex Bonython Holden.

Ray Skipper in 25 runs the outside of Summers in 2.

Brian Whaley runs the inside line on Jimmy Gooch.

Local favourite and "battler" Harley Dillon in # 66 lost his life at Rowley Park on 25-2-1966.

17- 2 -67...Gote Nordin of Sweden holds out Charlie Monk in the 1967 Australian Solo Championship at Rowley. Jack Scott went on to win the title.

I hope you have enjoyed the trip down Rowley Park's memory lane. The closest we can come to re living those days is our National Vintage / Classic meeting at Riverview Speedway, Murray Bridge in April each year. The meeting is run on the old Rowley Park formula, even down to the music that is played when the officials march onto the track at the start of the meeting.

Nine competitors lost their lives at Rowley Park in those 30 years, they were:

15-11-1957...Brian Bennett.... Sidecar

02-01-1959...Steve Howman.. Speedcar

23-01-1959...Arn Sunstrom.... Speedcar

06-03-1959...Gerry Hussey.... T.Q.

09-11-1962...Kon Lang...........T.Q.

17-12-1965...Peter Stirling......Solo

25-02-1966...Harley Dillon.......Speedcar

03-11-1967...Harry Denton......Solo

23-01-1970...Jimmy Gavros.... Solo

This commemorative plaque, laid at the old site reads:

The place where Champions gathered.

1949-1979

Placed by the S.A. speedway supporters, this plaque serves as a reminder that Rowley Park Speedway operated on this site for thirty years. Unveiled jointly by Kym Bonython A.C. D.F.C. A.F.C. and the Mayor of Hindmarsh, Florence Pens. 14th September 1991.

Photo by Gordon Benny 2002.