MITCHELL-CARTER TOP SIDECAR DUO

Mark Mitchell and Tony Carter celebrate their win. Photo: Judy Mackay.

By Mark Neale

Former Australian Champion Mark Mitchell and New Zealand born passenger Tony Carter emerged as the surprise winners of the Bob White Sidecar Cup final at Gillman Speedway in South Australia on Saturday March 12.

Three times Queensland Champion Brodie Cohen and local passenger Jesse Headland were second with former Victorian champion Byren Gates/Eli Bock(third) and New South Wales number two Shane Hudson/ Adam Constoble fourth after going infield just after the tapes went up for the decider.

Hudson/Constable and Cohen/Headland topped the score chart after the 20 qualifying heats with 14 points apiece-made up by four wins and a second.

Hudson was surprisingly beaten by Mitchell in heat four, while he(Hudson) defeated Cohen in heat 14.

The two were expected to fight it out for the final, but it only lasted a few metres once the tapes went went up when Hudson/Constable went infield.

Mitchell/Carter scored 13 points made up of three wins and two seconds to have third pick of the Gates for the final.

They were only beaten by Cohen(heat 7) and Gates(heat 10)

Mildura’s Byren Gates/Eli Bock emerged as the fourth highest point scorer with 11 points – two wins, two seconds and a costly third place which saw them relegated to the semi final- which they won to make the final.

The fourth running of the Bob White Sidecar Cup in memory or a great, hard working official Bob White was rocked mid afternoon by the news that defending and three times winner Darrin Treloar, his son Jake and passengers Blake Cox and Eli Wright were stuck in the middle of the Hay Plains near Balranald as the A frame of the trailer carrying the bikes and all the spares had  broken away from the tow vehicle.

They were forced to spend over three hours in a parking bay fixing it. They had plans to continue their trip, but it took a bit longer than they had expected to complete repairs and they would have arrived about 8pm local SA time.

“I heard a bang and pulled over straight away,” Darrin said.

“We were lucky the trailer didn’t drift away into bushes or any other on coming vehicles.”