PLAISTED OUTLASTS HEADLAND IN EPIC OZ SIDECAR TITLE

Feature photo by: TONY HODSKISS

Mark Plaisted and Ben Pitt are Australian Speedway Sidecar Champions for the fourth time in five years after defeating Trent Headland and Jaxon Rayner in a pulsating finale at Bowen Showground in Queensland on Sunday, April 20.

In a superb exhibition of Sidecar competition, the two South Australian teams traded blows throughout the four-lap final, with the lead continually changing before Plaisted/Pitt prevailed by the narrowest of margins.

The hard-earned victory for Plaisted/Pitt now sits alongside their recent Australian Championship successes in 2022 and 2023, while it was a sobering result for Headland/Rayner who just fell short after romping through the heats undefeated.

In front of a large attendance, Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell were third in the decider ahead of Justin Plaisted/Brian Anthony, who had advanced after winning the B-final.

Byron Gates/Michael O’Loughlin were fifth overall in Bowen from Max Howse/Riley Commins, 2024 Aussie champions Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox and Stuart Firth/Jason Martin.

The night before, on April 19, Gates/O’Loughlin blazed through the qualifying meeting with maximum points. The top eight teams from the qualifier then joined the seeded teams in the championship meeting.

Meanwhile, it was a disappointing title defence for 12-time Aussie champion Treloar, who nursed his ailing machine home in a heat race before the issue resurfaced when he was preparing for the B-final. He was then excluded for breaching the two-minute rule.

Headland/Rayner were in superb form all night, and it took the best from Plaisted/Pitt to defeat them in the final. Image: Peter Campbell

Junior Sidecar competitors were also in action at the Queensland coastal town over the weekend, putting on a great show for the spectators in the NQ Speedway Riders and Supporters Club-promoted event.