VICTORIAN SIDECAR TITLE IS WIDE OPEN
By Brendon Gledhill
Feature photo: by Judy Mackay… Defending champion Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt
The Mildura Truck Centre 2026 Victorian Sidecar Championship, to be held at Mildura’s Olympic Park Speedway on Saturday night, March 14, will be a wide open affair as there is such a large array of talent in contention.
The venue will play host to a fine field of sidecar competitors, who are visiting from all over Australia, as each team plan an assault on the Australian Championship to be held over the ANZAC weekend.
The format set for the State championship sees a group of twelve riders selected directly into the field by the Victorian Speedway Management Committee. With the large field of nominees, which is in excess of the sixteen required for the event, the Mildura Club has asked the extra eleven nominees to participate in a pre- meeting One Lap Dash, where the fastest four teams, outside those already listed, will join to make sixteen teams for the title. The teams outside that four will ride, if required, as meeting reserves, but will also take part in support races during the night.
The state title gives a vital automatic entry to the Australian title to the best finishing Victorian, so the meeting has strong state significance, as riders will be keen to be selected straight into the ANZAC weekend and not have to run the risk of “Qualifying” through a cut throat pre-title meeting.
Due to rec ent rain, many club members have spent time trying to ready the track and grounds for a re-scheduling of the Bradshaw Sidecar Shootout (which was initially postponed after the heavy storm of Saturday February 28) for last weekend, but financial constraints for those who had already nominated for this weekend put paid to the Shootout being held prior to the State Championship.
Talented riders fill the places in the selected dozen with the top Victorians, Byren Gates / Damian Egan, Mal German / Ben Grinter as well as Chris Walker / Darren Turner, in the field along with current and former Australian champions, Mark Plaisted / Ben Pitt, Trent Headland / Jaxon Raynor and Justin Plaisted / Brian Anthony, all engaged. Nate Headland / Harry Hearne, Shane Hudson / Jack Spear and Kym Menadue / Shane Dolan are also from SA with Brodie Cohen / Jesse Headland and Tyler Moon / Adam Lovell from Queensland and Max Howes / Riley Commons from Broken Hill, completing the selected teams. Any one of these teams could win the State Title meeting and get set for the major event next month, but testing themselves against other teams and fine tuning their machines and learning more about the technicalities of the Olympic Park track will be paramount in team’s immediate thoughts. This is one of the best quality fields ever selected for a Victorian championship and will be a wonderful spectacle, worthy of a large attendance.
The Exposed Signage & Apparel “Dash for Cash” will again have great significance in the meeting as four teams will get their chance to win the State title should they be in the top four lap times and qualify for one of the four places available in the title meeting. Six extra teams and Track regulars from SA, which include Brian Silvy / Glen Zaworski, Brenton Dwyer / Jarrad Katzorke, “Chook” Fowler/ Jeremy Sherwood, Shane Rudloff / Kane Golding, Byron Mordaunt / Scott Cameron and Josh Pascoe / Jamie Flood occupy the list set to qualify as well as another Broken Hill team of Darren Howse / Lance King representing NSW and a first ride to WA’s Joshua Wells / Cory Blackman with New Zealand visitors, Taylor Green / Callun Innes making up a strong list of chances to get into the title event.
The pressure will be on all those who must go through the qualifying criteria as any slight mistake will be most costly and a lost chance. Teams will need to be switched on to ensure a good one lap result.
Action will be fast and furious right from before the tapes rise as all participants will get their one lap tryout, but it will be vitally important for the eleven teams who will be keen to qualify using their best one lap effort.
Given the excess entry list, the Club has had to use such a ruthless method for selection where, at least, the teams either progress or not according to their own actions or how they go in their single lap. As it is, the night’s program already includes 34 events, so any other form of qualifying or straight out selection would be too tardy or require a judgement which some would think is unfair.
An excellent class of six “all local” Classic teams will add support to the night’s program as will those teams who miss out on Title selection run in a support class of their own. The Classic brigade will all be keen to hone their skills as they get a chance in front of the big crowd on Australian Title, “Qualifying Friday” night as they will provide the only support events of the Title weekend. All six teams are regulars and will stake their claim that they should be in top consideration for a berth in the Title night activities.
Olympic Park gates will open at 5:00 pm with Tickets available at the gate. Spectators may use any of the Free Grandstand accommodation at the Stadium or may bring a rug or a chair and avail themselves of a nice spot on the Outback Lawn Care manicured, grassy banks, which surround the venue.
Fine catering for food and drinks is available at the Track and patrons are reminded that there must be NO BYO by law and that glass is not permitted at the track. The Club encourages a “family atmosphere” trackside and asks that patrons observe those Club ideals.
Rider introduction and Dash for Cash will commence at 7:00 pm sharp, which will include the National Anthem. Patrons will get to see the teams introduced individually prior to the start of any activities. A small junior program will be staged before the commencement of proceedings.
