Sellicks Beach Vintage Races 2019
Words: Peter Hennekam
Photos: Andrey Moisseyev
The sand and the seaweed were flying this February when 122 solos and 12 sidecars, all built before 1963, hit South Australia’s iconic Sellicks Beach for the second historic motorcycle race meeting.
After racing returned to Sellicks Beach in 2017 - for the first time in 60 years – the success of the event, created and hosted by the Levis Motorcycle Club, led to it becoming a biennial meeting.
In its second iteration since that revival, this year’s racing, crowd and atmosphere was just as good as the 2017 event.
Most of the competitors from 2017 returned this year, too, and they were ready for some serious racing on the mile-long loop course – characterised by two long straights and hairpin bends – on the sand at Sellicks Beach.
None typified that serious racing more than South Australian racing legend, Murray Williams. Despite being 81 years old, Murray entered three bikes in three different categories this year and ended up on the podium in all three! Winning the Group D Period 2 Scratch Races on his 1945 350cc BSA, Murray placed third in both Group G Period 3 (1955 500cc BSA) and Group F Period 2 (1945 500cc BSA).
Overall, there were 56 races held over two days, the weather was perfect, and the fans were treated to some highly competitive and entertaining racing.
Fast Blokes and Blokettes
David ‘Davo’ Johnson, the fastest Aussie around the Isle of Man (a lap average of 211.8km/h on a Norton prototype V4), was also the fastest Aussie, indeed the fastest rider overall, at Sellicks Beach.
Racing commitments prevented Davo competing at Sellicks in 2017, but nothing was going to stop him bringing the 1961 ‘Kernich Triumph’ 750 this year.
A native South Aussie, Davo has some connection to Sellick’s Beach, too, as his dad, Murray, rode in a Sellicks re-enactment event in 1992. Murray won his class back then, and this year, Davo won the Group J Period 3 class on the same Triumph his dad rode to victory 27 years ago.
Dominating his class, Davo also took out the ‘Fastest Male’ on the beach with a 1m02s time for the mile course on the Kernich Triumph.
Murray was racing this year, too, placing third in Group H Period 2 on his 1942 750cc Harley-Davidson.
Fastest Female was Bianca Bonner, also on a 1942 Harley-Davidson 750, with a time of 1m29s.
Three Wheels on the Sand
The sidecars provided plenty of beachfront action and entertainment, too.
Max Hooper and Mike Engberg were setting the beach on fire until their 1959 Harley-Davidson 1000cc outfit hit a terminal mechanical issue.
With that duo out of action, the Twin Cylinder Sidecar category was eventually taken out by a team from Renmark (in South Australia’s Riverland); Paul Dempsey and Carey Deschamps on their 1950 650 Triumph that was also voted ‘Best Presented Sidecar’.
In the Single Cylinder Sidecar class, the father/daughter team of Mark and Kelly Schuppan were back and successfully defended their 2017 title on the trusty Greg Summerton-built 1962 ESO 540cc outfit.
History for the Future
The Levis Motorcycle Club ran race meetings on Sellicks Beach from 1924 through to 1957, so it was appropriate that the same club were responsible for racing coming back to the beach. After years of negotiation and lobbying, the Club brought motorcycle racing back to its historic roots at Sellicks Beach in 2017 and followed up with this year’s event.
Buoyed by the success of the two events to date, the Levis Motorcycle Club has recently committed to running the event again in February, 2021. That event will be special, as it will also be the Club’s 100-year anniversary and a fitting way for Australia’s oldest motorcycle club to start celebrating its centenary.
For the latest updates on future Sellicks Beach events, as well as information on the Levis M/C Club, go to: levismcc.asn.au
