SIDECAR LOCALS STAR FROM RESERVE BERTH AT GILLMAN SPEEDWAY!

Dean Hobbs and Daniel Low in action. (Judy Mackay Photo) 

BY MARK NEALE

Local team of Dean Hobbs and Passenger Daniel Low were first reserve for 2022 Australian Sidecar Championship qualifying meeting at Gillman Speedway Saturday night, April 16, and put in one a performance for the record books in only four races.

Hobbs (51) and Low (31) have only been together as a team for about one-and-a-half seasons after Hobbs’ regular Passenger Glen Zaworski was sidelined with back problems.

Hobbs has been on the Adelaide scene riding at Gillman week in, week out for the last seven seasons. Prior to that, he spent four years as a passenger.

By the end of the night the Hobbs/Low combination scored a very creditable 10 point haul from four rides (two wins and two seconds) as original reserves.

They started the meeting with two seconds behind meeting winner Kym Menadue (heat 5)and third placegetter Shane Rudloff (heat 11) before rounding out the night with a fine win over top qualifier Kym Menadue (heat 13) and fourth placegetter Max Howse (heat 17) to finish with a whopping 10 point tally.

The 10 point tally must be close to a record by a solo rider or sidecar team as a reserve in a state or Australian Championship.

The closest I have found searching through the record books is by former Australian and eight times Western Australian Champion Russell Mitchell/Tina Karan when they scored seven points from three rides in the 1988 Australian Sidecar Championship at Perth’s Claremont Speedway.

Mitchell, who is back building frames (Mitchell’s new company name is WWiK and Hobbs got in contact him he noticed how quick Hudson was and he has been a big help to Hobbs.

“I re-positioned the engine and put everything where it should be,” Mitchell said.

“Basically cut up the frame. Also chopped up Shane Hudson’s bike as well,” Russell said.

The Hobbs/Low team have been rewarded for that very impressive performance with the third reserve spot for the 2022 Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship at Gillman Speedway.