TRELOAR / COX WIN BOB WHITE CUP

Feature photo: The Bob White Cup winners – Darrin Treloar and passenger Blake Cox.

Photos courtesy Judy Mackay.

By: Mark Neale.

Eleven times Australian Champion Darrin Treloar (passenger Blake Cox) wound back the clock with a dominant performance at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway Saturday February 11, winning their fourth Bob White Sidecar Cup in five years.

Meeting incorporated the 50th Anniversary of the Speedway Riders Association of South Australia.

Reigning Queensland Champion Tyler Moon/ Adam Lovell were second in the final with Shane Rudloff/ Damian Egan third and Broken Hill team of Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien fourth.

A good size crowd on a coolish evening saw sixteen riders from South Australia,Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland contest the event over twenty heats, a semi final (for the fourth to seventh highest point scorers) and the all important four rider, four lap final.

Treloar and Cox topped the scorechart with a five ride, 15 point maximum score after the twenty action packed heats which produced some exciting, close wheel-to-wheel racing.

Treloar/Cox used all parts of the track to get dialled in during the heats, riding low at times or up high to sweep around the outside of others in their first meeting at the venue this season on a superbly prepared track.

Runners-up Moon/Lovell, who have been riding at Gillman over the last few meetings, scored 14 points from their five outings made up of four wins and a second, beaten only by Treloar/Cox when they clashed in heat 14.

Third placed combination Rudloff/Egan (13 points) from their five heats comprised three wins and two seconds. They were defeated by Moon/Lovell in heat five and Treloar/Cox in heat 18.

All three teams qualified directly through to the final and were joined by semi final winner Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien (9 points) from a win, two seconds and two thirds. They defeated impressive first year team of Nate Headland/ Jason Rayner (10 points-a win,three seconds and a third) to be the only two finishers.

The experienced team of Stephens and O’Brien were consistent all night with a win and were runner up behind Moon (heat 12) and Rudloff (heat 16) and two thirds behind Darrin Treloar and Gates(heat two) and youngsters Max Howse and Headland (heat 20).

Young Nate is the son of former Australian and South Australian champ Trent Headland and looked very impressive against more seasoned campaigners. He scored a win, three seconds behind Moon(heat four), Treloar(heat six) and Howse (heat 10). His third was behind Rudloff and Gates in heat 11).

Third generation rider JakeTreloar/Eli Wright (7 points – a win a second two thirds and a non finish) were excluded for causing the race to be declared on the final lap when they appeared to cross up which caused a close following Headland/Rayner to clip them and were forced infield.

Their non-finish in their programmed second heat, when they spun and tipped it over on the last lap and a third place in his third cost valuable points. They were in second place in that race but again appeared to cross up and almost go infield.

Second generation team of Max Howse and Riley Commons scored 11 points (two wins, two seconds and a third ) turned in another impressive display.

They were the fourth highest point scorer and had first pick of gates for the final, but failed to start the semi as it was announced by track commentator Trevor Scott their bike wouldn’t fire up in the pits.

Howse/Commons scored two wins, (two seconds behind) Treloar (heat 10) and J Treloar (heat 15) and were third behind Moon and Rudloff (heat five).

Another team to miss the semi were former Victorian Champions Byren Gates/Michael O’Loughlin. They scored 7 points (a win, two seconds from their three completed races).

They failed to finish their fourth ride and pulled out of the fifth as they wanted to see what was wrong with the engine when they got back to Mildura with big meetings still to come.

In great sportsmanship, they were offered a bike by a fellow competitor to compete in the remainder of the meeting but declined.

They scored a win and were up behind Treloar (heat one) and Rudloff (heat 11) before failing to finish heat 15 while in a good place to get points.

After all the heats and semi final it came down to the final:

Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox(red)

Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell(blue)

Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien(white)

Shane Rudloff/Damian Egan(yellow).

As the tapes rose Treloar/Cox flew out of the gate and left the rest to battle it out for the minor placings.

They cruised to a very impressive win ahead of Moon/Lovell(second),Rudloff/Egan(third) and Stephens/O’Brien(fourth),who had a great battle to decide the minor placings.

POINTS AFTER THE TWENTY HEATS WERE:

Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox 15 pt maximum; Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell 14;Shane Rudloff/Damian Egan 13; Max Howse/Riley Commons 11; Nate Headland/Jaxon Rayner 10; Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien 9; Byren Gates/Michael O’Loughlin 7; Jake Treloar/Eli Wright 7; Dean Hobbs/Daniel Low 6; Brian Silvy/Dean Cottrell 6; Mark Mitchell/Tony Carter 5; Kane Golding/Isaac Amos 4; Chris Walker/Eric Melton 3; Tim Bichard/Seth Pascoe 3; Josh Pascoe/Matt Crawford 2; Adam Pascoe/Axel Brereton 2; Damien Niesche/Mitchell Spear did not ride.