PLAISTED AND EGAN WIN MILDURA SIDECAR SPECTACULAR

Former Australian Sidecar Champion, Justin Plaisted and passenger, Damian Egan, clearly won the Presto’s Hunting and Shooting, 47th Sidecar Spectacular, at Mildura’s Olympic Park Speedway opening meeting on Saturday night, October 12.

Plaisted has resumed his Speedway career after a hiatus of a few years and has come back to the sport with top machinery and an experienced passenger in Egan, to make an excellent race combination, which will improve the status of the sport immediately in the southern part of the country. Plaisted won three Australian Championships as a passenger, making a formidable team riding with, now eleven times Australian champion, Darrin Treloar in the early 2000s and then won the Australian Title as a rider with Sam Harrison as passenger, when he won, at the 2015 national Title held at Alice Springs. Plaisted is now the only living Australian champion who has won both as a swinger and as a rider.

Post event, the Keith “Curly” Carmes Trophy was awarded to Plaisted and Egan, with second place going to Shane Hudson and Jack Spear while the remaining contestants both failed to finish, spinning to the infield after contact whilst they were coming through turn four on the last lap of the Final. Locals, Byren Gates / Mick O’Loughlin, ultimately finished in third spot while Rick Stephens / Nick O’Brien, from Broken Hill, were officially fourth.

The meeting held in front of a reasonable crowd, given that there were many entertainment options in Sunraysia on the night, started with the regular Exposed Signage & Apparel, “Dash for Cash” which put attending patrons in a good space prior to the start of racing. Local stars, Byren Gates and Mick O’Loughlin were the top team in the one hot lap contest equalling the best lap time, which is held by Mick Headland and Brenton Kerr. Second best time was to other locals, AJ Pearce and Eli Bock, who were just half a second away, which has given them great confidence for their season ahead.