SPEEDWAY SIDECARS: TITLE TRIO MEET IN GILLMAN OCEANIA

Feature photo by: Judy Mackay… Mark Plaisted / Ben Pitt.

The only riders to win the Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship over the last eight years — Darrin Treloar, Mark Plaisted and Trent Headland — will go head-to-head in the Paintmaster SA FIM Oceania Sidecar Championship at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway Saturday night, March 9.

The action will be on from the start, with Plaisted/Ben Pitt and Headland/April Cottrell meeting in heat four, then to the final heat when Plaisted/Pitt meet Treloar/Blake Cox.

Photo by: Judy Mackay… Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox.

It is hard to imagine all three won’t make it through to the final, but the possible semi-finalists, and finalists if any of the top three falter, is wide open. Amongst the leading challengers are Shane Hudson/Jack Spear, Byren Gates/Michael O’Loughlin, former Australian Champion Mark Mitchell (passenger tba), and in-form locals Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan and Dean Hobbs/Daniel Low. Also in the line-up are Western Australians Josh Wells/Corey Blackman, Victorians Chris Walker/Connor Curran, New South Wales’ Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien and Stephen Saunders/Isaac Mitchell, and local teams Shane Rudloff/Scott Morris, Josh Pascoe/Greg Black, Aaron Silvy/Jaron Silvy and Thomas Adams/Seth Pascoe.

Gates will open at 4pm, and the meeting will start at 7 pm with the Paintmaster SA $1000 One Lap Flying Dash for Cash before the Oceania heats.

The weather forecast for Saturday is a very hot 40 degrees. It will obviously be cooler by race time but for those that can’t attend, the meeting will be livestreamed through the website link [https://www.spacequakesports.com/ppv] for a cost of $30. As always this is the only official livestreaming link. Any others touted on facebook sites are scams and should be ignored.

Everything You Need To Know:

Meeting Date: Saturday, 9 March 2024

Venue: Gillman Speedway Stadium, 65 Wilkins Road, Gillman – near the Port Adelaide area.

Parking and entrance: Patrons can enter via gates at the western and eastern ends of the venue. There are free off-street parking areas near both gates.

Gates open: at 4 pm.

Pit access for spectators: Free spectator access to the pits until approximately 6 pm.

Racing starts: at 7 pm. Paintmaster SA $1000 Dash for Cash at 7 pm, then Oceania Championship heats.

Competitors: 2024 FIM Oceania Sidecar Championship (riders selected from nominations received): Thomas Adams/Seth Pascoe, Byren Gates/Michael O’Loughlin, Kane Golding/Cameron White (reserve), Trent Headland/April Cottrell, Dean Hobbs/Daniel Low, Shane Hudson/Jack Spear, Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan, Mark Mitchell/tba, Joshua Pascoe/Greg Black, Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt, Shane Rudloff/Scott Morris, Stephen Saunders/Isaac Mitchell, Aaron Silvy/Jaron Silvy, Brian Silvy/Glen Zaworski (reserve), Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien, Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox, Chris Walker/Connor Curran, Joshua Wells/Corey Blackman.

Admission: Adults $30, Age Pension and Student Concession $25, Children Under 16 free. Parking free. Programme $5-includes two chances to win $50 fuel vouchers. EFTPOS available at both entrances, the canteen, bar and souvenir shop.

Concession is limited to holders of the Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card and Student Concession card holders only.

Livestreaming: This meeting will be livestreamed on [https://www.spacequakesports.com/ppv]. The cost is $30 Australian. Any other claimed links to livestreaming are scams and should be ignored.

Seating: Free grandstand seating, terracing suitable for deck chairs, and large grassed viewing mounds.

VIP Area: The Bob White VIP area is available to anyone who would like to treat their business colleagues, family or friends to the best view in the stadium. Enjoy the elevated view overlooking the track, either from inside the temperature controlled rooms, on the timber deck, or on the enclosed lawn area. The VIP area also has its own bar and toilet.

Food and drink: Full bar and catering available. Food includes hot chips, hamburgers, chicken burgers, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, Chiko Rolls, dim sims, hot dogs, doughnuts, coffee, cold drinks, sweets. “Gillman has far and away the best speedway tucker” [Peter White’s Speedway World]