Shane Bowes
Encyclopedia
Shane Bowes is a former Motorcycle speedway
rider. Bowes was a finalist in the 1990 Under-21 Speedway World Championship
, finishing in eighth place. He also rode in the United Kingdom
between 1987 and 1997, most notable spending seven seasons with the Glasgow Tigers
.
. Bowes graduated into the senior ranks in March 1985 and quickly set about becoming one of South Australia's better young riders.
During his career, Bowes set numerous track records at his home track (North Arm Speedway
) and had his best years in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993. In 1990 he represented Australia
against a "Rest of the World" touring team that included Shawn Moran
of the USA
and Gary Havelock
of England
. Then in 1991 he was selected to represent Australia in Test Matches against the visiting Swedish team
who included the 1990 World Champion
Per Jonsson
and future six time World Champion Tony Rickardsson
. Bowes also represented Australia in matches overseas during his career.
After acquitting himself well against the visitors, Bowes went on to his biggest career win to date when he defeated World #3 Todd Wiltshire
and 1980 World Champion
Michael Lee
(who was making a comeback to the sport after a 5 year sabbatical) in the West End Speedway International at Adelaide's Wayville Showground.
During the 1990/91 Australian season Bowes was considered the favourite for the South Australian Championship held at the Riverview Speedway
in Murray Bridge on December 29, 1990 after breaking track records there less than a month earlier. Unfortunately Bowes lodged his entry forms a day after nominations closed and although officials considered letting him ride, his fellow riders insisted he be kept out. This resulted in him missing qualification for the 1991 Australian Championship
in Alice Springs. Because a number of top riders had actually missed qualifying across the country, a special qualification round was held just a week before the title. Bowes showed his class (and current form) by easily winning the Qualifying Round before finishing equal fourth in the Australian title (fourth on points, sixth due to finishing last in a 3 rider ride-off to determine 4th place).
Shane Bowes failed to make the 1992 Australian Championship held at his home track of North Arm but would place a fine 3rd in 1993 behind Victoria
n riders Leigh Adams
and Jason Lyons
at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
in what was his only podium finish in the Australian titles.
in 1987. He then moved on to the Glasgow Tigers in 1988 where he made his UK home for the next six years, winning both the Speedway Premier League
and the Premier League KO Cup
in 1993.
Bowes left Glasgow for Reading
in 1994 but returned to the Tigers in 1995. After a single season with Glasgow, Shane moved again, this time to the Coventry Bees
for 1996 and 1997, winning the Craven Shield
with the Bees in 1997.
in Lviv
(then Russia
, now the Ukraine
) where he finished 8th on 7 points with a win and two 2nd placings.
business continuing from the business that his father had started in 1986, Seaton Mowers on Port Road, Adelaide
.
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
rider. Bowes was a finalist in the 1990 Under-21 Speedway World Championship
1990 Individual Speedway Junior World Championship
-World final:*September 9, 1990 Lviv...
, finishing in eighth place. He also rode in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
between 1987 and 1997, most notable spending seven seasons with the Glasgow Tigers
Glasgow Tigers (speedway)
The Glasgow Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team from Glasgow, Scotland. Formed in 1928, the club adopted the Tigers nickname in 1946 and compete in the British Premier League...
.
Australia
Shane Bowes, the son of 1962, 1964 and 1974 South Australian and 1968 Australian Sidecar champion Len Bowes, began speedway racing at the Under-16 Sidewinders Speedway in the Adelaide suburb of WingfieldWingfield, South Australia
Wingfield is a suburb situated north of Adelaide and is located on Grand Junction Road. The suburb borders Gepps Cross and Dry Creek.- Government :The suburb of Wingfield is in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield local government area....
. Bowes graduated into the senior ranks in March 1985 and quickly set about becoming one of South Australia's better young riders.
During his career, Bowes set numerous track records at his home track (North Arm Speedway
North Arm Speedway
North Arm Speedway was the first dedicated motorcycle speedway ever built in Adelaide, South Australia and was located in the industrial suburb of Gillman...
) and had his best years in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993. In 1990 he represented Australia
Australia national speedway team
Australia are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by former rider, three time Australian Champion and 1994 World #3 Craig Boyce and captained by three time Speedway World Champion Jason Crump...
against a "Rest of the World" touring team that included Shawn Moran
Shawn Moran
Shawn Moran is a retired former professional speedway rider who was one of the most popular and talented riders ever to race for Sheffield Tigers who also represented USA....
of the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Gary Havelock
Gary Havelock
Robert Gary Havelock is a speedway rider who currently captains the Redcar Bears in the British Premier League...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Then in 1991 he was selected to represent Australia in Test Matches against the visiting Swedish team
Sweden national speedway team
Sweden are one of the major teams in international speedway. They have been managed by Mats Olsson, who is currently in his 2nd spell, since 2005 after he quit in 2000...
who included the 1990 World Champion
1990 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1990 Individual Speedway World Championship.-Continental Final:*August 12, 1990 Norden, Motodrom Halbemond-North American Final:*June 2, 1990 Long Beach, Veterans Memorial Stadium-Scandinavian Final:*June 9, 1990 Linköping, Motorstadium...
Per Jonsson
Per Jonsson
Per Jonsson is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1990, and finished runner-up in 1992.In 1985, his second season with the Reading Racers, the team won six major trophies...
and future six time World Champion Tony Rickardsson
Tony Rickardsson
Tony Rickardsson is a retired Swedish motorcycle speedway rider. He is widely acknowledged as being the most successful speedway rider of the current era, having won six Speedway World Championship titles in 15 attempts. He has two daughters, Michelle and Natalie with his wife Anna...
. Bowes also represented Australia in matches overseas during his career.
After acquitting himself well against the visitors, Bowes went on to his biggest career win to date when he defeated World #3 Todd Wiltshire
Todd Wiltshire
Todd Wiltshire is a retired Australian motorcycle speedway rider who competed at the highest level of the sport, finishing a career best third in the 1990 Individual Speedway World Championship at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford, England.-Australia:Todd Wiltshire started racing in 1979 at the Lake...
and 1980 World Champion
1980 Individual Speedway World Championship
The 1980 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 5, 1980 Göteborg, Ullevi...
Michael Lee
Michael Lee (speedway rider)
Michael Andrew Lee is a former international speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1980...
(who was making a comeback to the sport after a 5 year sabbatical) in the West End Speedway International at Adelaide's Wayville Showground.
During the 1990/91 Australian season Bowes was considered the favourite for the South Australian Championship held at the Riverview Speedway
Riverview Speedway
Riverview Speedway, sometimes referred to as Murray Bridge 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...
in Murray Bridge on December 29, 1990 after breaking track records there less than a month earlier. Unfortunately Bowes lodged his entry forms a day after nominations closed and although officials considered letting him ride, his fellow riders insisted he be kept out. This resulted in him missing qualification for the 1991 Australian Championship
1991 Australian Individual Speedway Championship
The 1991 Australian Individual Speedway Championship was the 1991 version of the Australian Individual Speedway Championship organised by Motorcycling Australia. The final took place on January 27 at the Arunga Park Speedway in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory...
in Alice Springs. Because a number of top riders had actually missed qualifying across the country, a special qualification round was held just a week before the title. Bowes showed his class (and current form) by easily winning the Qualifying Round before finishing equal fourth in the Australian title (fourth on points, sixth due to finishing last in a 3 rider ride-off to determine 4th place).
Shane Bowes failed to make the 1992 Australian Championship held at his home track of North Arm but would place a fine 3rd in 1993 behind Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
n riders Leigh Adams
Leigh Adams
Leigh Scott Adams is an Australian motorcycle speedway rider. He is a multiple Speedway Grand Prix winner and World Team Champion...
and Jason Lyons
Jason Lyons
Jason Rodney Lyons is an Australian international Motorcycle speedway rider currently riding for the Redcar Bears in the British Premier League. Jason is the son of former rider Rod Lyons...
at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground
Brisbane Exhibition Ground
The Brisbane Exhibition Ground , is a showground established in Brisbane during 1875 especially for Ekka . The Exhibition ground is owned and operated by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland...
in what was his only podium finish in the Australian titles.
United Kingdom
Shane Bowes first rode in the United Kingdom when he signed with the Newcastle DiamondsNewcastle Diamonds
Newcastle Diamonds are a motorcycle speedway team who compete in the British Premier League. The club has a reputation of importing young foreign talent and have given starts to the British careers of six times World Champion Ivan Mauger, three times World Champion Ole Olsen, 1974 World Champion...
in 1987. He then moved on to the Glasgow Tigers in 1988 where he made his UK home for the next six years, winning both the Speedway Premier League
Speedway Premier League
The Premier League is the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom and goverened by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The Premier League was founded in 1995 when it replaced the British League as the first division...
and the Premier League KO Cup
Premier League Knockout Cup
The Premier League Knockout Cup is a motorcycle speedway competition in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . The teams from the second tier of league racing, the Premier League, take part...
in 1993.
Bowes left Glasgow for Reading
Reading Racers
Reading Racers were a British motorcycle speedway team. Formed in 1968, they won four British League titles during their history...
in 1994 but returned to the Tigers in 1995. After a single season with Glasgow, Shane moved again, this time to the Coventry Bees
Coventry Bees
The Coventry Bees are a motorcycle speedway team based at Brandon near Coventry, England. A Coventry team was first formed in 1928 and competed in the Southern League and then the National League in the pre-war era at Brandon stadium. There were also meetings at a stadium in Lythalls Lane...
for 1996 and 1997, winning the Craven Shield
Craven Shield
The Craven Shield is a Speedway cup competition in the United Kingdom governed by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association...
with the Bees in 1997.
International
Shane Bowes made numerous appearances for Australia in Test Matches against various national and composite teams. He also appeared in the 1990 Under-21 Speedway World Final1990 Individual Speedway Junior World Championship
-World final:*September 9, 1990 Lviv...
in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
(then Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, now the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) where he finished 8th on 7 points with a win and two 2nd placings.
Present
Bowes retired back to Adelaide after finishing his speedway career. He currently lives with his wife and children and runs a thriving Lawn MowingLawn mower
A lawn mower is a machine that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a lawn at an even length.Lawn mowers employing a blade that rotates about a vertical axis are known as rotary mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a horizontal axis are known as cylinder or reel...
business continuing from the business that his father had started in 1986, Seaton Mowers on Port Road, Adelaide
Port Road, Adelaide
Port Road is a major road in Adelaide, South Australia connecting the central business district with Port Adelaide. It is 12 km long and exceptionally wide, approximately 70 m. When first conceived upon the establishment of Adelaide, it was designed to be able to accommodate a standard road, a...
.