In terms of sporting theatre, the Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship always manages to package drama, suspense and white-knuckle excitement into one spectacular event.
Tamworth was the location for last year’s showstopper, and in 2025 it’s the Queensland coastal town of Bowen across the April 19-20 Easter long weekend.
The championship will be promoted by the NQ Speedway Riders & Supporters Club, on a granite-based track inside the Bowen Showgrounds that was revived in 2019 and has since hosted a multitude of club- and state-based events.
With a long list of state- and national-title winning teams in Bowen, the scene is set for another gripping high-stakes championship where work rate, temperament, speed and consistency – and just a little bit of dare – will be the keys to success.
Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox are the defending champions – the 2024 victory for the 56-year-old Treloar an extraordinary title No. 12 – and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the championship decider on April 20 is fought out between that pair and fellow hard-nosed veterans Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt, who recently retained the FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship in Gillman.
Treloar and Plaisted already enjoy superstar status after dominating the scene over the last 15 years. In fact, since 2010 only two times has the Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship not had a ‘Treloar’ or ‘Plaisted’ emblazoned on the trophy. And in 2015, Mark’s older brother, Justin Plaisted, was the winning rider to keep the Plaisted name up in lights!
Justin Plaisted is still a potent force himself, linking up with passenger Damian Egan to finish second in the 2024 Aussie title, ahead of Mark Plaisted/Pitt and Trent Headland /Jaxon Rayner.
Including Treloar/Cox, all four teams are seeded straight through to the April 20 decider (the only change is that Brian Anthony is replacing Egan), while the other four seeded outfits are Stuart Firth/Jason Martin, Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell, Jonah Sita/Jamie Forrest and Richard Stephens/Jeremy Sherwood – and all ready to pounce if the favourites slip-up.
Meanwhile, the balance of the 16 teams (plus two reserves) in the final will progress from the qualifying meeting on April 19.
“The North Queensland Speedway Riders and Supporters Club is proud to welcome Australia’s best sidecar teams to the Bowen Showgrounds over the Easter long weekend,” said club representative Ashleigh Smith. “We are incredibly thankful to our awesome team which has worked tirelessly in preparing the track in what has been a very wet season.
“Speedway fans can expect thrilling racing in one of the best places in the country and with so much talent on show, this championship could be anyone’s. We are excited to find out!”
Racing will commence at 6pm on both Friday and Saturday, with the program also including support races for junior sidecar competitors.
To keep up to date with the championship, visit the NQ Speedway Riders & Supporters Club Facebook page.
2025 AUSTRALIAN SPEEDWAY SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS
Seeded
• Stuart Firth/Jason Martin
• Trent Headland/Jaxon Rayner
• Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell
• Justin Plaisted/Brian Anthony
• Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt
• Jonah Sita/Jamie Forrest
• Richard Stephens/Jeremy Sherwood
• Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox
Qualifying meeting:
• Zac Campbell/Jason Williams
• Hagen Campbell/Riley Campbell
• Brodie Cohen/Josh Murray
• Scott Davies/Daniel Newman
• Michael Farrell/Brett Towns
• Byren Gates/Michael O’Loughlin
• Max Howse/Riley Commons
• Wayne Munck Lucas Cowen
• Joshua Pascoe/Aryton Canning
• Rob Patterson/Shayne Crowhurst
• Darcy Risstrom/Jake Doyle
• Shane Rudloff/Damian Egan
• Stephen Saunders/Isaac Mitchell
• Garry Schofield/Tyler Sharp
• Brian Silvy/Glen Zaworski
• Brandon Warke/Mitchell Danks-Firth
Qualifying reserves:
• Seane Munck/Hunter Cowen
• Leonard Pollock/Ryan Pollock