Sidecars at the Royale were a spectacular site. Without the modern day fairings etc you could see all the action and re action between the rider and passenger and the sound of  the mighty Vincent Twin's exhaust note reveberating around the Showground arena was music to the ears.

In FEB.     "Chook" Hodgekiss held the 1 lap Flying start record   at  21  1/5 seconds  
1963   Jim Davies held the 2 laps Flying Start                        at  41  4/5 seconds        Av.   57.41 MPH
                  Jack Bissaker held the 3 laps Gate Start                      at  64 seconds                       56.25 MPH
 

 3 laps Gate Start on a Solo was  59 seconds,  Lionel Levy and Jack Parker.            60 mph.
                 3 laps Rolling Start in  a Speedcar was   58  3/5 seconds. Dick "Jet" Brown  (USA).  
1966 Australian Sidecar Champions, Bob Levy with Col Lewis in the chair up high on Pit turn.  Bob broke the lap record during a heat in his title win . He circulated  the 3 laps in 63 1/5 seconds.
Bob had shared the 1962 Aust.Title with Bill Bingham when he rode as passenger on the Burdus Vincent. 
This is what it was all about.
l to r. 
Ern Hughan,  Doug Robson and  Bob  Levy
Brian "Bluey" Barnes and passenger Tony Harrison. Brian and Tony lost their lives at Westmead Speedway on 19-8-1956 in a dual fatality.
Jack Bissaker and passenger. Jack lost his life in a speedcar at the Royale on 21-10-1961. Jack held the 3 lap record at the Royale for many years.
Right, a young Billy Bingham and passenger. Bill won the 1962 Australian title in Brisbane with Bob Levy as passenger
Doug Robson was Australian Champion in 1967, 1974 and 1975.
Les Stacey
Jim Davies with passenger Peter Speerin.  Jim was Australian Champion in 1947, 1948, 1950 and 1951. When Jim won the New Zealand Championship in 1956 his passenger was Les Moore.  Les was the father of multi World Solo Champion Ronnie Moore. 
Doug Tyerman.  
Mick Michael. Mick lost his life at Liverpool Speedway on 12-4-1969
Photos from Des Lawrence Collection, courtesy of  Mrs Rita Lawrence 
home
Graham Young was Australian Champion in 1969.
It's 30 years on.........1996
30 years down the track from our first photo of Bob Levy (top of page) and his son Reed Levy with passenger Mark Strachan make their way around the Royale on the Final evening, 27/ 4 /96.
It's family speedway in the  90s, husband and wife team, Geoff and Wendy Rowe circulate the Royale on the last night.
Chris Pym,  Grant Bond and Reed Levy fight their big "1100s" through Pit turn for one of the last sidecar races at the historic Royale.
A re union of some of the early Sidecar "Gladiators"   
      L to R: Arthur Lincoln, Bob Levy (hidden behind Arthur) Rob Lewis, Doug Robson, Peter White, Geoff Grocott, Doug Tyerman and Ray Murray at the Royale final night . 27/ 4 / 96
Ray Murray passed away in early 2005. 
Mick Pearson with brother John in the chair, riding Geoff Grocott's Vincent HRD outfit.
(Good on you, Mick ! )
Ern Randel