WOFFINDEN TO COMPETE AT KURRI KURRI SPEEDWAY

Three-time World Individual Speedway Solo Champion Tai Woffinden from Great Britain will be making his debut appearance at Kurri Kurri Speedway when he competes in the 2023 Johnnie Hoskins Founder’s Cup race meeting on Saturday, December 16, 2023.

Woffinden won the coveted Championship in 2013, 2015 and 2018 and was a member of the winning Great Britain side that won the World Teams Championship, the Speedway of Nations, in 2021.

“Our club is very excited that Tai has accepted the invitation to ride in the event as part of our Centenary of Speedway program,” said Club President, Peter Campton. ”There is a truly international flavour to show how the sport has grown world-wide.”

Whilst born in Great Britain, Woffinden grew up in Australia when his parents moved to Perth where he started his career. He regularly returns to Australia to visit his parents and was keen to compete in the Johnnie Hoskins Founder’s Cup to be a part of the celebrations of 100 years of the sport in Australia.

The Founder’s Cup was sent from England by members of the Hoskins family to commemorate the speedway meeting held at Maitland Showground on December, 15, 1923.

This very special award was first presented in Australia at the Motordrome Speedway, Newcastle in 1988 and won by Englishman, Alun Rossiter. Other winners since that time at various tracks are Jon Jorgensen (Denmark) and Australian riders Todd Wiltshire, Craig Watson, Mick Poole, Shane Haggarty, Richard Sweetman and Brady Kurtz. Woffinden will be aiming to be just the third international rider to win the Cup.

Celebrations for the Centenary of Speedway will begin on Friday December, December 15 – 100 years to the day – with a Speedway Showcase at the Maitland Showground supported by Maitland City Council featuring an unprecedented collection of historic speedway motorcycles, speedway sidecars and speedway cars some of which will participate in demonstration laps. The Maitland Showground gates will open at 10:00am and be followed by the Centenary of Speedway Dinner from 7pm.

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