ADELAIDE (SA)
*********************************************************************************************************************************
1968 - VIRGINIA FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY
Construction on the dirt oval Speedway started in 1968 by the Bevan family and on the 4th of May of 1969 the first race meeting had been held, the concept of the speedway was to be a winter track that would compliment the near-by Rowley Park summer time venue.
By 1971 the promotion of the venue had changed and Doug Sunstrom had taken over, the name of the venue was changed to Thunderbird Speedway and the main focus was on car racing only, Dougs farther Arn Sunstrom was killed at Rowley Park Speedway during the 1958 - 1959 season.
|
Ian Gear 56 - Leon Hall 9 and Peter Glassenberry.
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1969 - GEOFF MEINERS Production Car's
1969 - Geoff Meiners winner of the Winter Production Car Championship. Research and Photo: Carolyn Webb.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1969 - PRODUCTION CARS
1969 - Jim Baker and Adrian Airde in the pits at Virginia. Photo: unknown.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1969 - 1970 - BILL WIGZELL Supermodified's
1969 - 1970 - Bill Wigzell South Australian champion. Photo: Lindsay Newton.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Smart Sedan car feature
1969 - Sedan Car action from Virginia Speedway. Photo's Brian Smart Rowley Park Speedway facebook.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Smart TQ feature
1969 - TQ action at Virginia Speedway with SA1 Viv Wilks. Photo's: Brian Smart.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1969 - DEAN HOGARTH Speedcar's
1969 - Photo: Dean Donovan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Smart Supermodified feature
1969 - John Moyle 69 - . Photo: Brian Smart. Rowley Park facebook.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1969 - VIRGINIA FAIRGROUND SPEEDWAY 25th May 1969Sadley this was the race meeting that Ray Foot was to loose his life in a racing accident.
Ray was a true champion in the world of tq racing and traveled extensivley.
He gained a reputation as a take no prisoners type of driver and enjoyed many championship wins.
|
26th May 1969
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1970 - AUSTRALIAN SPEEDWAY WORLD MAGAZINE REPORTED
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1970's - SEDAN CAR ACTION
Sedan action Tony Orlando 99 - Norm Moore 31 - Alan Kempster 15 - Jim Baker 42 - Photo: Jim Baker.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1970 - VIRGINIA FAIRGROUNDS SPEEDWAY SLIDESHOW
(use controls to pause - forward or reverse 7 images)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1971 - THUNDERBIRD RACEWAY
In 1971 the Virginia Fairgrounds Speedway under the direction of new promotor Doug Sunstrom moved away from bike racing to concentrate on car racing and changed its name to Thunderbird Raceway.