SUMMERLING / McFADDEN NSW SIDECAR CHAMPIONS

By: Mark Neale

Jack Summerling and passenger Nathan McFadden are the 2023 New South Wales Sidecar Champions.

There is a new name on the New South Wales Sidecar Championship honour roll as twenty four times winner, and victor of seven of the last eight titles as a team Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox, did not contest the event due to motor problems which they were unable to get fixed in time to ride.

In a night full of action and drama, the Summerling and McFadden combination won the five rider, five lap final at Oakburn Park Speedway,Tamworth on Saturday February 18 ahead of Broken Hill youngsters Max Howse/ Riley Commons,fellow Broken Hill resident Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien, much travelled Shane Hudson/Adam Constable and semi final winner Jake Treloar/Eli Wright.

The win qualifies them for the Australian Sidecar Championship at Pinjar Park in Western Australia over the Easter long weekend, along with newly crowned Queensland champs Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell, who won the title for the first time earlier this season.

After the twenty action packed heats it was the experienced team of Stephens /O’Brien and former Australia number three Hudson/Constable sat at the top of the score chart with 14 points apiece (made up of four wins and a second placing from their five rides).

Stephens/O’Brien were beaten by youngsters Howse/Comons (in heat 9),while Hudson/Constable were defeated by Stephens/O’Brien when they clashed in heat 15.

Summerling/McFadden and Howse/Commons finished with 13 points apiece (made up of three wins and two seconds) from their five outings to qualify directly through to the final. Summerling/McFadden were beaten by the top two points corers Hudson/Constable (heat 1) and Stephens/O’Brien (heat18), while Howse/ Commons were beaten by Summerling /McFadden (heat 6) and Hudson/Constable (heat 19).

Jake Treloar/Eli Wright (8 points),won the semi final ahead of Damien Niesche/Jack Spear (10 Andrew Buchanan/Drew Buchanan (10 points), Steve Saunders/ Isaac Mitchell (8 points) and Jackson Bond/Marty Wilde (7 points) to qualify for the five rider final.