Maitland celebrates 100 years of speedway motorcycle racing, and a place in international sporting history
Speedway rider Allan Whitfield Roper on a motorcycle he would have ridden at Maitland Showground in 1923. (Supplied: Maitland and District Historical Society Inc)
Four competitors on light-weight motorcycles skidding around an oval track, kicking dirt at fellow competitors, racing to the finish line — that pretty much sums up speedway.
These days the sport is particularly popular in Europe, but did you know Maitland in the New South Wales Hunter is widely considered the birthplace of speedway competition?
Exactly 100 years ago on December 15, 1923, a speedway race meet was held at Maitland Showground.
While not the first motorcycle race of its kind, historians say the event was a catalyst for transforming speedway into the international sport we know today.
Where it all began
In the early 1920s, New Zealand man Johnnie Hoskins, who is now regarded as a significant promoter of speedway, moved to Maitland from Sydney.
"It was a sliding doors moment as far as I can see," said Jennifer Buffier, from the Maitland and District Historical Society.
"He was broke in Sydney, he had a few bob in his pocket, he plunked it on the counter at Central Station and said something like 'give me a ticket to wherever this will take me'.
"And by chance he was given a ticket to West Maitland."
Johnnie Hoskins (left) ran regular motorcycle race meets in Maitland. (Supplied: Maitland and District Historical Society Inc.)
Before long, Mr Hoskins secured a job as secretary of the West Maitland Agriculture Society.
Membership of the organisation was down and it was Mr Hoskins' job to revive it.
"He tried many events over the first year of his secretarial-ship and nothing was really working," Ms Buffier said.
He proposed motorcycle racing at the showground, but the idea was initially rebuffed by the committee.
"As a last resort he got some of the boys who rode motorbikes together on a quiet Sunday morning and decided to race on the [showground's] sacred trotting track," Ms Buffier said.
"Now that got people out of their beds. Or if they were on their way to church they deviated and came down."
Two riders at Maitland Showground circa 1925. (Supplied: Brian Darby)
Because of the large crowd that was drawn in, committee members agreed to host a proper race event at the showground.
Maitland speedway
On Saturday December 15, 1923, the first official motorcycle race meet was held at the showground.
The event saw a huge crowd and, due to popular demand, weekly race meets were held at the showground thereafter.
Large crowds gathered at Maitland Showground for the first speedway race on December 15, 1923. (Supplied: Johnnie Hoskins' Speedway Walkabout)
"There were other speedway tracks and motorcycle races before Maitland," Ms Buffier said.
"But they never developed into regular race meetings.
"What we had was the consistency of weekly races and we paid regular prize money so the guys could actually turn professional."
Jennifer Buffier has been researching the history of speedway in Maitland for several years. (ABC Newcastle: Keely Johnson)
Mr Hoskins stayed in Maitland for two seasons before heading to Sydney, then Perth, to promote speedway.
In 1928 he decided to take the sport overseas.
He and 13 Australian riders sailed from Perth to England on the passenger ship Oronsay to introduce speedway solo motorcycle racing to the UK.
"Johnnie took speedway to the world stage," Ms Buffier said.
Speedway today
Motorcycle speedway has developed into a hugely popular sport in central and northern Europe, and to a lesser extent in America and Australia, with several bodies governing the sport around the world.
Joshua Pickering is a professional international speedway rider originally from Heddon Greta in the Hunter.
He said the contribution Maitland had on the sport today is "pretty special".
"Considering [the sport] started right here in Maitland and it's now one of the biggest sports in Europe, it's amazing," he said.
Professional speedway rider Joshua Pickering. (ABC Newcastle: Keely Johnson)
Unlike the 1920s, the sport now has clear rules and guidelines, including compulsory protective wear.
Speedway bikes also have strict features including no brakes, just one gear, a clutch, and 500cc engines which run on methanol fuel that can accelerate 0-60 miles per hour (97kph) in just three seconds.
Mr Pickering said he loves the thrill of the racing.
"You've got 75 horsepower engines on a 77 kilogram bike so the power-to-weight ratio is just as quick as a Formula One car, which is pretty crazy," he said.
"And to top it all off, you are all going for the same piece of track and it's only a short, fast, intimate race that goes for one minute.
"But that one minute can seem to put a lot of people on the edge of their seat."
As part of a two-day event celebrating the centenary of speedway in Maitland, on Saturday Mr Pickering will go up against several other highly acclaimed international riders racing for the Founders Cup at Kurri Kurri Speedway.
On Friday, Maitland Showground is hosting a community event celebrating the history of both motorcycle and car speedway in Australia.