Riverview Speedway
| Racin' by the River South Australia’s Action Track |
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|---|---|
| Location | Kennett Road, Murray Bridge, South Australia |
| Coordinates | 35°7′3″S 139°17′35″E / 35.11750°S 139.29306°ECoordinates: 35°7′3″S 139°17′35″E / 35.11750°S 139.29306°E |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Owner | Murray Bridge Sporting Car Club and Motorcycle Club |
| Operator | Murray Bridge Sporting Car Club and Motorcycle Club |
| Broke ground | 1958 |
| Opened | 1958 |
| Former names | Riverview Speedway |
| Major events |
Australian Sprintcar Championship Australian Speedcar Championship Australian Super Sedan Championship World Series Sprintcars Australian Solo Championship Australian Sidecar Championship Australian Formula 500 Championship Australian Under-21 Solo Championship Australian Modified Production Car Championship National Super Sedan Series Speedcar Pro Series |
| Oval | |
| Surface | Dolomite and Clay |
| Length | 0.223 mi (0.360 km) |
| Lap record | 00:10.96 (Brooke Tatnell, , 2010, 410 Sprintcar) |
The Murray Machining & Sheds Murray Bridge Speedway (formerly Riverview Speedway) is a Dirt track racing venue that is located in the town of Murray Bridge, South Australia, only 66 km from Adelaide. Racing at the speedway generally takes place between September and May meetings are held every second Saturday night. Racing has been held at the venue continuously since opening in 1958
Murray Bridge based car dealer, and known South Australian speedway identity Kevin Fischer, along with Les Schulz, a dry cleaner, started Riverview Speedway in 1958 on the relatively unpopulated eastern side of the Murray River. The track was cut into the side of a hill which provided spectators with an unimpeded view of the entire track.
The speedway itself has changed significantly over the years, gradually growing in size to cope with the speed of the cars. In 1977 the track was increased to 300 metres (330 yards). While the track was generally good, there were often complaints from the Super Sedan drivers that the tight nature of the track produced processional racing (also many believed they could not fully exploit the power of their cars on the short track). During the mid-late 1980's and through most of the 1990s this saw most of the top South Australian drivers based at Adelaide's 430 metres (470 yards) long Speedway Park rarely race at Murray Bridge. The surface of the track was crushed dolomite which suited both bikes and cars, though it wasn't uncommon to see smoke billowing from overheated car tyres in a 15 or 20 lap feature race, especially from the Hot Rods. Also during the 1980s, the small size of the track saw the sports most popular category Sprintcars not race at Riverview.
Riverview would remain a 300-metre track until 1999 when the Murray Bridge Sporting Car Club and Motorcycle Club decided that to compete successfully it needed a track long enough to attract Sprintcar and Speedcar racing, as well as one capable of top level sedan racing. In order to do this the track was lengthened and widened to its present 360 metres (390 yards) length with 6° of banking, and clay was added to the dolomite surface. Due to the location of the track, a massive amount of earthworks was needed to fill in what was a 15m drop beyond the back straight (western side) to allow for the addition of 60 metres worth of track. During this time the pit area (located outside of turns 3 & 4) was enlarged to be able to house more cars for the expected championship and high profile meetings of the future.
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