Intense rivalries run deep in local speedway sidecar competition, with the latest chapter to take place on March 29 when the 2025 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship is held at Gillman in Adelaide.
The only riders to win the Australian Speedway Sidecar Championships over the last 12 years, and the four finalists from 2024 – Darrin Treloar, Justin Plaisted, Mark Plaisted and Trent Headland – are all among the entries in the SA Paintmaster-backed 2025 FIM Oceania Championship.
Mark Plaisted and Ben Pitt are the defending FIM Oceania champions, winning last year’s final ahead of Treloar/Blake Cox and Headland/April Cottrell – the three standout teams ahead of the meeting living up to expectations.
It was Pitt’s second FIM Oceania Championship, and the third for Plaisted who won the inaugural event in 2014 with Brian Anthony as passenger. Plaisted and Pitt then won together in 2021.
Treloar’s record in the sport has already afforded him legend status, winning the Australian Championship 12 times, including four with Cox. Treloar’s imposing list of achievements also includes three FIM Oceania Championships.
Trent Headland and Justin Plaisted are both former Australian champions who have been in stellar form again this season. Headland finished third in the FIM Oceania Championship in 2024, and this season his CV includes the New South Wales Championship and second (behind Mark Plaisted) in the Gillman Sidecar Spectacular and South Australian Championship.
Justin Plaisted won the Gillman Sidecar Masters in October 2024 but missed a large part of the season with injury before recently returning to action.
With Treloar, Headland and the Plaisted pair delivering the star power, it is hard to imagine they won’t all make it through to a blockbuster final – and, in all probability, a preview of the 2025 Australian Championship to be held in Bowen (Qld) on the April 19-20 Easter weekend.
However, if it isn’t all smooth sailing among the top brass, the blowtorch will be applied from challengers including Queensland champions Tyler Moon and Adam Lovell, who have been regular finalists in their appearances at Gillman this season; Rick Stephens (with Jeremy Sherwood this meeting), who was runner-up to Headland in the NSW Championship; and Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan who were finalists in the 2024 FIM Oceania Championship.
Gates will open at 4pm, with the meeting commencing at 7pm with the Paintmaster SA $1000 One Lap Flying Dash for Cash before the FIM Oceania Championship gets underway. There will also be support events for the sidecar reserves and 125cc junior solos.
Admission is $30 for adults, $25 for pensioners and students, and free for children under 16. There will be a bar and catering on site.
For those unable to attend, there will be livestream coverage here for $30. This will be the only official livestream link for the 2025 FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship, so please be aware of scams.
2025 FIM Oceania Sidecar Championship competitors:
• Thomas Adams/Campbell Stafford (SA)
• Malcolm German/Cameron White (Vic/SA)
• Trent Headland/Jaxon Rayner (SA)
• Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan (SA)
• Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell (Qld)
• Byron Mordaunt/Kate Barnes (SA/Vic)
• Josh Pascoe/Ayrton Canning (SA)
• Justin Plaisted/Brian Anthony (SA)
• Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt (SA/Vic)
• Shane Rudloff/Damian Egan (SA)
• Stephen Saunders/Isaac Mitchell (NSW)
• Brian Silvy/Glen Zaworski (SA)
• Jonah Sita/Jamie Forrest (WA)
• Rick Stephens/Jeremy Sherwood (NSW/SA)
• Darrin Treloar/Blake Cox (NSW)
• Walker/Liam Sherwood (SA)
Reserves:
1. Simon Cohrs/Cameron Diwell (Vic)
2. Darcy Risstrom/Jake Doyle (Vic)
3. Matthew Binns/Jake Armstrong (Vic)
4. Joshua Kerr/Scott Cameron (Vic)
Images: Judy Mackay