WHAT THEY AREN'T TELLING YOU ABOUT THE EKKA: 100 Years of Grassroots Motorsport culture erased

BRISBANE EXHIBITION SHOWGROUNDS, QLD

In recent public statements securing the future of the RNA Showgrounds for the 2032 Olympic Games, political leaders highlighted a century and a half of agricultural tradition while completely overlooking a major milestone on the exact same dirt: 100 years of Australian grassroots motorsport.

Addressing the public on social media, David Crisafulli MP stated:

"We've secured the future of The Ekka to 2032 and beyond... The Ekka kicks off today for its 150th year at the RNA Showgrounds. Not only have we secured the event that brings the country to the city, we're going to make it bigger and better than ever. When this year's Ekka finishes, works will begin on the new 20,000 seat main arena, upgraded grandstand and horse pavilion."

While political announcements celebrate 150 years of show tradition and promote multi-million dollar arena upgrades, the upcoming Speedway Centenary (1926–2026) has been entirely omitted from the official public narrative.

A Century on the Dirt

On October 16, 1926, the Brisbane Exhibition Speedway officially launched at the RNA Showgrounds. For nearly eight decades, dirt-track racing was the weekly lifeblood of the venue, drawing tens of thousands of working-class Queenslanders every Saturday night. Speedway did not simply share the grounds—it built the venue’s sporting identity and generated the patronage that sustained the RNA for generations.

Yet, despite this 100-year legacy, the upcoming 2026 speedway milestone remains absent from permanent redevelopment master plans.

"This Was Their Ekka": Documenting the Forgotten History

The deep connection between Queensland families and the Exhibition dirt track was made clear during the 2025 Ekka Show, inside the Channel 7 Pavilion Room.

The exhibition, titled "This Was Their Ekka: Voices from a Lost Speedway Era"—presented by Jocelyn Dare (author of Big Bad Johno and founder of Nomad Dirt Culture)—displayed archival photos, racing memorabilia, and public testimony from generations who grew up on the terraces:

"Families going every Saturday night at the speedway... It gave the fans somewhere to go and enjoy the team's racing. The grandstands were packed." — Robert McCulloc

"My father, Ron Johnson, rode this track and spent 45 years to earn the title 'The King of the Ekka'... This memorial is for them and for those who remember." — Jocelyn Dare

Despite thousands of patrons visiting the Channel 7 Pavilion exhibit to honour this history, no permanent physical marker acknowledging speedway exists on the showgrounds today.

12 Lives Lost: WWII Veterans and Fallen Gladiators

The silence surrounding the centenary is particularly painful for families of the fallen. Over decades of racing, at least 12 competitors lost their lives on the Exhibition clay. Many were World War II veterans who survived overseas combat, only to perish while competing for everyday Queenslanders:

• Tommy Maher (1927 — Speedway Bike)

• Curly Ryland (1953 — Speedway Speedcar)

• Des Simon (1962 — Speedway Bike)

• Kev Jefferson (1963 — Speedway Speedcar)

• Ray Sharpe (1965 — Speedway Bike)

• Des Kelly (1967 — Speedway Speedcar)

• Ray Laird (1970 — Junior Speedcar)

• Bob Holmes (1975 — Speedway Speedcar)

• Christer Sjösten (1979 — Speedway Bike)

• ...along with others whose names remain unrecorded in official archives.

An original historical plaque previously displayed on site was taken down during past developments and never returned. To date, there is no official monument, roll of honor, or memorial on the grounds recognizing these 12 men.

The Unanswered Golden Plaque

To ensure these men and their sport were not forgotten, a specially commissioned golden commemorative plaque was created and displayed in the Channel 7 Pavilion Room during the 2025 Ekka.

Following the exhibition, formal requests were submitted to venue authorities to permanently mount the golden plaque on the RNA Showgrounds perimeter ahead of the 2026 centenary.

To date, community organizers have received no formal response or commitment regarding the installation, leaving the plaque sitting in a box while official 2032 master plans move forward.

World Champions Abroad, Forgotten at Home

The erasure of speedway heritage is even more glaring when contrasted with the sport's global reach today. Far from being a relic of the past, Australian dirt-track culture remains a powerhouse on the world stage.

Without local showground tracks to race on, Australia’s premier solo and sidecar riders are forced overseas, packing out 50,000-seat stadiums in speedway-obsessed nations like Poland and regularly standing on World Championship podiums. Simultaneously, top Australian Sprintcar drivers travel to North America year after year, taking on the world's elite on American dirt.

Australia continues to produce global motorsport legends who are revered internationally—yet back home on the very grounds where dirt-track racing was pioneered, their heritage is being quietly erased.

A Call for Permanent Respect Ahead of 2026

Allowing small, temporary pop-up displays during show week while ignoring a 100-year legacy in master redevelopment plans falls far short of honouring those who gave their lives to the track and those who served in WWII such as Ron Johnson (Jocelyn Dare’s Father)

Nomad Dirt Culture is calling on state leaders, venue planners, and the RNA Board to acknowledge the 1926–2026 Speedway Centenary by formally approving a permanent home for the golden memorial plaque before the 100-year milestone passes.

“The new generation deserve safe tracks to race and  the heritage should be respected, not selected” - Jocelyn Dare, Founder of Nomad Dirt Culture.

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