Speedway has been part of the Hunter's DNA for almost a century and the tradition continues at Kurri Kurri Speedway this Summer starting with the Boxing Day Invitational on December 26.
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The big guns including local stars Sam Masters and Josh Pickering will be competing for NSW 500 Speedway Solo Title on Sunday, January 2, 2022.
While the Australian championship series will not be run this year, the NSW title will be hotly contested with a number of Australia's international stars including Masters, the 2017 Australian champion and 2012 NSW champion, back in Australia to race.
Speedway fans were reminded this week that their sport has come a long way since its infancy at Maitland Showground on December 15, 1923.
Recognised as the official start of speedway in Australia, the meeting was organised by Johnnie Hoskins who had been elected charity carnival organiser for the Hunter River Agricultural and Horticultural Society.
Hoskins was a true entrepreneur and he convinced the committee to allow motorcycle races around the showground's trotting track.
The rest as they say was history and Hoskins ensured it was a colourful one. He moved on to Newcastle, then Sydney and Perth before moving to the United Kingdom. where he was asked by the chairman of Wembley Stadium to promote motorcycle racing at the venue in 1929.
Ironically many of the current stars of speedway have followed the same route and Masters returned after a busy and successful season in the Britain and Europe.
He was the No.1 rider for Wolverhampton Wolves in the Premiership League as well as the No.1 rider for the Edinburgh Monarchs in the Championship League.
Nominations for the NSW title include: Bradley Page, Jacob Hook, James Pearson, Josh Macdonald, Masters, Matthew Gilmore, Jack Miles, Peter White, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Jye Etheridge, Liam May, Brayden McGuiness, Josh Pickering, Kane Lawrence, Maurice Brown, Mitchell Cluff, Michael West, Harrison Ryan and Jack Holder.
The Summer of racing also includes the NSW Under 21 500 Speedway Solo and the NSW Under 16 250 Speedway Solo titles in a double header on Wednesday, December 29.
The Boxing Day Invitational will feature the elimination series for the NSW title. sidecars, outlaw karts and dirt bikes on an action packed program. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children aged 10-16