Claremont Speedway
[4] After 72 years of operation, the Speedway closed after the 1999/2000 season and the sport moved to a new, 500 metres (550 yards) venue at the Quit Motorplex, near Kwinana which opened in 2000.The departure of the speedway at Claremont allowed the main showground arena to be redeveloped into a more open area, suitable for large music events such as the Big Day Out and other festivals as well as for sports such as Australian rules football and cricket.Through its history, Claremont was home to a number of Australia's best speedway riders and drivers, including Sig Schlam, Chum Taylor, Glyn Taylor, David Cheshire and Glenn Doyle (Solo's), Keith Mann, Johnny Fenton, Neville Lance, Tom Watson Sr and Michael Figliomeni (Speedcars), Dennis Nash, Ed Blakeney Sr, Rod Lang and Russell Mitchell (Sidecars), Noel Bradford, Alf Barbagallo and Bunbury's Ron Krikke (Sprintcars), and Allan Blake, Ben Ludlow, John Singleton, Bert Vosbergen and Craig Vosbergen (Sedans), Johnny Andersson, Bill Broadwood, Vince Chapman, George Higgs, Ken Nielson, Bryan Mullings (Formula 500, TQ's) In the 1970s and 1980s, the speedway took the name of various sponsoring business, most notably from cigarette brand Winfield[5] Claremont Speedway unfortunately saw its share of competitor fatalities and spectator death.CLAREMONT SPEEDWAY14 May 1927 - 31 March 2000The world-famous Claremont Speedway operated on this site and is recognised as the longest running dirt track in the history of the sport in Australia.The first meetings featured solo and sidecar motorcycles and car racing and the first racing under electric lights was held on 19 September 1927.Over the years, the Claremont Speedway was promoted by John S Hoskins, Peter Panizza, Jim Davies, Ossie Michelsen, George Milne, Mick Tilby, Aub Lawson and the longest serving manager Con Migro.The track was the venue for Australian Championships in all major speedway divisions, including speedcars and sprint cars and for many international fixtures, including official solo motorcycle Tests between Australia, England and many other countries.This plaque was erected by the Veteran Speedway Riders Association of Australia to commemorate the home of Western Australian speedway and to honour the 17 competitors who were fatally injured at this site.Unveiled by Dr Don Robertson, the president of the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia Inc., on 31 August 2003.The text for the plaque was written by author, publisher, patron of the VSRA and long time Sydney Showground Speedway track announcer Jim Shepherd.