For some of the best speedway riders to grace Olympic Park Speedway, life is very different from your average 9-5 job. The lifestyle of a full time rider can be very challenging, whether you are from the Northern Hemisphere coming south or from Australia and heading north. But there are perks, as Wade Aunger writes. Picture: Wade Aunger
IT hardly seems fair.
When Mildura’s best speedway riders jet out each month to race overseas, they leave the balminess of the Aussie autumn for the freezing tail end of a European winter.
And it takes some time to thaw out during spring.
When the European riders come here to Mildura to compete it’s the other way around.
Right now in Denmark, Poland and the UK it’s a chilly zero degrees each day compared to the mid-thirties in the Sunraysia.
No wonder they love coming here.
The racing is something else entirely.
For Denmark’s Emil Grondal, Poland’s Szymon Szlauderbach, Germany’s Ben Ernst and Englishmen Charles Wright, Kye Bickley, Tom Brennan and Dan Bewley, the chance to trade frostbite for sunburn is a no brainer.
Last Sunday, fresh off riding at Adelaide’s Gilman Speedway for the inaugural Oceania Champs, the European visitors spent the afternoon basking in the sunshine and the warm Sunraysia hospitality.
The Sedgmens and the Stewarts in particular accommodate the internationals during their time here while ironically their sons race them on Saturday nights.
“It’s a huge bonus for speedway fans in this region to have boys like this riding with us,” says club stalwart Jason Stewart.
“We’re only too happy to offer them a bed and help them with their bikes even if they are racing against Jordy (Stewart) Justin (Sedgmen) and Jaimon (Lidsey). It’s a win win for all of us.”
Not as much as it is for someone like Dane Emil Grondal.
Trying out the biscuit behind the Stewart’s ski boat he conceded that there are major differences between his homeland and Mildura.
“I love it here,” he smiles.
“The sun is warm, the people are friendly, and the racing is great. How can I complain?
“I can’t ski in any rivers in Denmark, we have to use the ocean for that but even then, it’s not the same. We become good friends with the riders and the families, and we can do things like today.”
Grondal first raced in Mildura four years ago.
He became friends with Jordan Stewart when the Mildura youngster went to Denmark to try to make a name for himself.
“Australian speedway is really strong,” he says.
“It’s a great chance for us to get some laps in during the European winter while our rivals are taking time off.”
For Englishman Tom Brennan, it’s not rest and recuperation he’s after, it’s time on the track.
The young hard charger was badly injured in May this year and has been off the bike ever since.
“A lot of people come here to get off the bike, but for me I need to get back on it,” he says.
“I’ve spent the past six months injured so for me this is a great chance to get some race fitness and to get my confidence back.”
British champion Charles Wright comes to Australia with a huge reputation but will only be here until next week before he heads home to prepare for 2020.
“I love it here, how can you not love this,” he says, standing in the cool shallows of the Murray River at Johnson’s Bend as he sips a beer.
“But I can’t be here much longer. I need to get home and start working on my program for next year already. It’s been good to get some laps in down here, but I know I have plenty to do at home.”
Dan Bewley is a rider that many believe has the talent to go big places.
His riding style has been likened to explosive young Aussie Darcy Ward before the superstar on the rise’s career was ended through injury.
Bewley’s bright green and gold riding gear makes the similarities even stronger.
“I don’t see the comparison but it’s a huge compliment,” he explains.
“Darcy was a fantastic rider. I’m having fun racing down here in Mildura and I can’t thank everyone enough for the way they treat us. I really enjoy racing at Olympic Park, it’s a fantastic track. I’m going to miss it here when we go.”
He might miss his suntan too.
The red-haired rocket who cops a ribbing for “getting sunburnt at night by the track lights” was doing his best not to turn as red as the sunglasses he was wearing on the river.
The inclusion of the internationals into the field at Olympic Park’s regular line-up is a major shot in the arm for fans and Aussie rivals alike.
“It’s great that these boys are here,” says Justin Sedgmen.
“Any time you can ride against guys of this calibre it makes you work that little bit harder. It raises the bar for all of us and it gives the fans an extra boost too.”
Sedgmen took it upon himself to welcome Dan Bewley personally to river life on Sunday when he shared a ski biscuit with the Pommy star on the rise.
“We take this life a bit for granted when we’re here, but when we get back to the UK you quickly realise how lucky we are,” Sedgmen says.
“No wonder these lads love it here so much.
“The pressures are very high on the track in Speedway,” explains Grondal, “but getting to travel the world and make the friends we do is pretty cool.
“Places like Mildura make it all worthwhile. In a few weeks we’ll be back in our home countries getting bikes ready and trying to stay fit in the freezing cold. Then I’ll be wishing I could be here until March like Justin, Jaimon and Jordan.”
For Jaimon Lidsey it’s not just the weather and the family he misses when it’s time to head back to Poland, it’s also the food.
“You’d be amazed how much you miss something like great coffee and a good chicken parmy,” he muses, “the Polish have schnitzel but it’s cooked very differently and they sure don’t have parmies. You get used to the food over there but it’s always good to come home.”
All three Mildura-based internationals are busy locking down their 2020 contracts for the various clubs in various countries.
“When you come home you can take a bit of time off but a lot of it is still spent planning,” says Justin Sedgmen, “you negotiate with your current club or a new one. It’s not always easy to do on the other side of the world.”
Sitting on a riverbank in Mildura with family and friends is not something that any of the Aussies take for granted, even if most of them have done it their whole lives.
“As much as it’s great at the time you know it only lasts a couple of months and it’s time to head back,” says Jordan Stewart. “It’s good to be able to show these international lads what it’s like to live in the best country in the world.”
