STAR LINE-UP FOR SA SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Gillman Speedway media release – February 19, 2026.

Feature Photo by: Mark Neale… Defending SA Champions, Mark Plaisted and Ben Pitt.

It is acknowledged as one of the most exciting meetings on the Australian speedway calendar, and it invariably turns out to be one of the most controversial, and it is on at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway this Saturday night, February 21.
It is, of course, the Ray White Gawler sponsored South Australian Sidecar Championship.
It is also regarded as one of the hardest events to win, because of the standard of the riders, but defending champions Mark Plaisted and Ben Pitt haven’t found it that way in recent seasons as they have been writing their way into the record books. After winning the last four championships (and 6 of the last 7) they now hold all of the major statistical records, either outright or jointly.

As a pair they hold the record for the most wins together (6), and the most wins in a row (4), while individually Pitt holds the record for the most wins as a passenger (6), while Plaisted jointly holds the record, with Darrin Treloar, for the most wins as a rider (7).

They have also won four of the last five Australian Championships, but with a line-up on Saturday night akin to an Australian Championship, even they can’t be regarded as certainties.

Leading the opposition will be the three placegetters behind them in last season’s Australian Championship — Trent Headland/Jaxon Rayner, Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell and Justin Plaisted/Brian Anthony.

As well as being finalists in last year’s Australian Championship, Headland and Justin Plaisted are also former Australian Champions while Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell are the current Queensland Champions and won the Jim Irwin Cup against Headland and Justin Plaisted in his most recent appearance at Gillman in January.

The field also includes last season’s Australia #5, Byren Gates, who, with new passenger Damian Egan, won the Bowes Family Sidecar Cup at the last Gillman meeting.

So that is the top five from last season’s Australian Championship, but as the old TV ads use to say “but wait, there’s more).

Returning for the first time this season is the only rider to head Mark Plaisted home in the SA Championship since 2019 — Mick Headland. Headland is also third on the list of all-time winners with four wins. His regular passenger, Brenton Kerr, has been unavailable so far this season, so he has son Jesse Headland on board Saturday night, and while they rarely ride together they do hold the record as the only father/son team to win the title together. They also won the FIM Track Racing Sidecar World Championship together in Coventry, England, although that was quite some time ago.

Another pair capable of making the final are Shane Hudson and Jack Spear. Hudson is a former Australia number three, and four, and although they have never reached the SA Championship final, they have been one of the form teams at Gillman this season. In the last two trophy events at Gillman they were leading the point score before being forced out by misfortune before the finals, firstly with an engine problem, and at the last meeting by a crash which damaged the bike.

Another in-form team has been the Kiwi visitors Taylor Green/Callum Innes, who are returning to Gillman after winning the New Zealand South Island Championship in Christchurch last weekend.

Others listed are Malcolm German/Cameron White, Nate Headland/Harry Hearne, Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan, Byron Mordaunt/Scott Cameron, Jason Mordaunt/Peter Robinson, Scott Morris/Jye Siddall, Josh Pascoe/Dale Knights, Shane Rudloff/Jake Doyle, Brian Silvy/Glen Zaworski, and most have the potential to be spoilers who can take points off the more fancied riders while perhaps not being able to score enough points in such a high-class field to reach the final.

The Victorian veteran from Shepparton, Malcolm German, has twice been runner-up in the SA Championship, but that was earlier in his career before he went into retirement for several years. He may not reach the final but he’ll be guaranteed to make things uncomfortable for some of the favourites.

At the other end of the career ladder, is 19-year-old Nate Headland who already has an impressive resume in the state championship, finished third in his first season, and declared fourth in his second season, before missing last season with serious leg injuries. After making a surprise early comeback this season he has already been a finalist in one of the five sidecar meetings this season when he finished third behind Trent Headland and Taylor Green in the Paintmaster Spectacular.

Kym Menadue, Shane Rudloff, Brian Silvy (twice) and Josh Pascoe (twice) have also been finalists this season, with Silvy and Pascoe finishing second and third in a photo finish behind Byren Gates in the Bowes Family Cup a fortnight ago. Pascoe also finished fourth in the Gillman Sidecar Championship behind Trent Headland, Justin Plaisted and Taylor Green.

Support events will be Flat Track Solos, 250cc Solo and 125cc Junior Solos.

Gates open at 4pm, practice will be at 6.30pm, followed by the Ray White Gawler $1000 Dash for Cash at around 7pm, then straight into the championship heats.

This is a meeting not to be missed, but for those that simply can’t get there, as usual the meeting will be livestreamed through the website link [https://www.spacequakesports.com/broadcasts/ray-white-gawler-sa-sidecar-championship] for a cost of $25. Please note this is the only official livestreaming link, any others touted on facebook sites are scams and should be ignored.