Darrin Treloar is now a remarkable 12-time Australian Speedway Sidecar champion after he and passenger Blake Cox triumphed at the delayed 2024 championship meeting in Tamworth (NSW) on October 25-26.

The decider at Oakburn Park Speedway on Saturday night was a fitting finale, with arguably the top four teams on the night making it through to the big show: Treloar/Cox joined by Justin Plaisted/Damian Egan, three-time defending champions Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt and Trent Headland/Jaxon Rayner.

Treloar/Cox again were best off the start, while Headland/Rayner came off the outside gate before cutting back and going under both the Plaisted brothers before they hit the back straight.

Headland then lost second when he overcooked it on lap three, with both Plaisted/Egan and Plaisted/Pitt – riding on a borrowed machine after their outfit called it quits after four heats – taking advantage, but it was too late to put any meaningful pressure on Treloar/Cox who won their first Australian championship since 2019. And with an exclamation mark as well, going through the night undefeated.

Earlier, Headland/Rayner had progressed through to the A-final after winning the B-final ahead of Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien, Max Howse/Riley Commons and Jack Summerling/Nathan McFadden, while on Friday night eight teams progressed from the qualifying meeting for the right to take on the eight seeded teams.

The qualifier on October 25 did not produce any major surprises, but it did throw up a few teams which loomed as far more than nuisance value on the big night.

Zac Campbell Jason Williams topped the scorechart after the unbeaten Summerling/McFadden did not take their last ride, while Stephens/O’Brien were in some good battles.

Stephen Saunders/Isaac Mitchell (tape exclusion), Haydon Bond/Tom Glover (passenger fell in one heat) and Headland/Rayner (blown engine and broken chain) all overcame setbacks to comfortably make the cut.

2024 AUSTRLIAN SPEEDWAY SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Heats
Darrin Treloar /Blake Cox 15pts
Justin Plaisted /Damian Egan 14
Mark Plaisted /Ben Pitt 12
Trent Headland /Jaxon Rayner 11
Jack Summerling /Nathan McFadden 10
Rick Stephens /Nick O’Brien 9
Max Howse /Riley Commons 8
Josh Pascoe /Greg Black 8
Shane Hudson /Jack Spear 8
Zac Campbell /Jason Williams 6
Byren Gates /Mick O’Loughlin 6
Josh Wells/Corey Blackman 4
Haydon Bond /Tom Glover 3
Jackson Bond /Marty Wild 3
Stephen Saunders/Isaac Mitchell 2
Brodie Cohen /Josh Murray 1

B-final
1 Headland/Rayner
2 Stephens/O’Brien
3 Howse/Commons
4 Summerling/McFadden

Championship final
1 Treloar/Cox
2 Plaisted/Egan
3 Plaisted/Pitt
4 Headland/Rayner

Images: Judy Mackay