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Best of the Best Announced: Treloar Enveils Sidecar Clash of Champions
- Posted 11 May, 2008
Five times Australian Speedway Sidecar Champion, Darrin Treloar, has unveiled ambitious plans to stage a sidecar spectacular the likes of which the sport has not seen previously. Treloar, has leased the Gillman Speedway near Adelaide and will stage a massive meeting marketed as “Best of the Best” on Saturday night, November 22, 2008.
The event, that in real terms represents a celebration of speedway sidecar racing in Australia, will pay tribute to a galaxy of stars from five decades and fans are assured of witnessing a race meeting that will most certainly eclipse even the Australian Championship next season in terms of competitor quality and spectator appeal.
If you’re a diehard bike fan, or even a casual observer of the sport, how does a field boasting the following names appeal to you?
Darrin Treloar, Andrew Cleave, Mark Drew, Glenn O’Brien, Gary Moon, Russell Mitchell, Glen Hough, Vic Martin and Scott Christopher – all of whom have won Australian Championships, complimented by current super stars such as Grant Bond, Mick Headland, Dave Bottrell, Ronnie Parker, Rick Howse, Mark Plaisted and Jason Aldridge; all of whom have been placed top 4 in an Australian Championship. This is the field that Darrin Treloar has signed to ride in the Best of the Best – Clash of Champions.
Then there are the support races on the night. From the decade of the 1980s you will see Dennis Nash (5 times Australian Champion), Phil McCurtayne (4 times Australian Champion), Ken Walker and Clarry Jones, both of whom also won national crowns.
From the era of the 60s and 70s Treloar has assembled some of the sport’s all-time greats from one of the sport’s most significant eras. Confirmed starters for the November 22 event are the great Doug Robson, Bob Levy, Geoff Grocott, Keith Sewell and Garry Treloar. What an event the Best of the Best promises to be!
Combined, the riders outlined above have won a staggering 36 Australian Championships, 26 Best Pairs Titles and 15 Australian Longtrack Championships. That represents 77 national title victories between the riders signed to take part in this historic event.
The 2008 Best of the Best will be the biggest speedway sidecar race meeting ever held in Australia.
“I am delighted and privileged that so many of the sport’s great riders and passengers have agreed to take part in the Best of the Best,” said organiser Darrin Treloar.
“I have wanted to put an event of this magnitude together for several years and I’m thrilled that it’s going to come to fruition this year. Every rider and passenger I have spoken to over the past few months, irrespective of era, has jumped at the chance to take part.
“My aim was to assemble a field for the main program that featured riders and passengers that had performed with distinction that the sport’s highest level and this has been achieved. The top nine teams in the field for the main event have all won Australian Championships and the other competitors have finished on the podium, some of which have done so on numerous occasions”.
As a man that has spent his entire life around speedway sidecars, by virtue of his father Gary being one of the country’s best riders in the 60s and 70s, Darrin Treloar says it was vital to the overall appeal of the event that all the greats from as many different eras as possible were included.
“When I started planning the event I was adamant that I wanted to include the greats from previous eras, and this has been achieved,” Treloar added.
“Race fans will get to see arguably the greatest array of sidecar talent Australia has produced all at the one venue at the same time. This has never been done before and I think it will be a very special evening”.
The main program will feature sixteen teams doing battle over a 20 heat format plus a sudden death Grand Final for the top 4 point-scorers. The race night schedule will also feature junior sidecar racing and a host of other activities.
Treloar has also confirmed the Best of the Best – Clash of Champions will be televised nationally on Fox Sports, will feature a special souvenir program and collector’s item merchandise and memorabilia commemorating what is undoubtedly a meeting not to be missed.
“I want the night to be really special, a genuine celebration of Australian Speedway Sidecar Racing,” Darrin enthused.
“I can assure fans they will be seeing the best field of riders assembled in Australia in recent memory not to mention the fact we can all pay tribute the all-time greats from the 60s, 70s, 80, 90s and the 21st Century in our sport. It is not just the riders; if you have a look at the list of passengers involved on the night all the top guys will be there. Guys like Dave Power (Andrew Cleave’s passenger) made a magnificent contribution to the sport over two decades and he is coming out of retirement for the event. How good is that?”
Darrin Treloar says he is striving to add the “Midas Touch” to all aspects of the event in an effort to make the November 22 spectacular a highly memorable occasion.
“I’ve hired the best bike venue in the country, we are putting together the best field of riders ever seen in this country, we will have the best commentators in the country, the best officials running the meeting, special souvenir merchandise and the biggest after meeting party that the sport has ever seen at the famous Arkaba Hotel,” Treloar beamed.
“As a part of the festivities we are also staging a massive motorcycle static display at the venue featuring Vincent sidecars (used from 1946 until 1974), Conventional Suzuki’s (used between 1970 and ’77), Conventional Kawasaki Z1000’s (used from 1976 to ’80), the Low Liner Honda (1982 to ’87), the Nash Honda (1988-90) and Mitch Yamaha (1991-2008). There truly is something for everyone,” Darrin concluded.
The 2008 Best of the Best – Clash of Champions is a wonderful concept and is sure to bring sidecar fans, both past and present, out of the woodwork from all parts of Australia and the world.
Please note there will be no pre sold tickets available as the Gillman Speedway has sufficient spectator capacity to ensure a big crowd can simply purchase tickets on the night at the gate.
For updates regarding the Best of the Best – Clash of Champions; visit the Gillman Speedway website on www.gillmanspeedway.com or read Speedway Racing News Magazine, the official publication for the event.
There are various corporate packages available for the event; including corporate hospitality packages. For further sponsorship information contact Darrin Treloar directly on 0421 940 732.
See below for competitor information.
BEST OF THE BEST
1. Darrin Treloar/Justin Plaisted
2. Glenn O’Brien/Nathan O’Brien
3. Andrew Cleave/Dave Power
4. Mark Drew/Steven Blair
5. Gary Moon/Mick Ing
6. Russell Mitchell/Justin Winchestor
7. Glen Hough/Rob Armstrong
8. Vic Martin/Bob Hill
9. Scott Christopher/Trent Koppe
10. Mick Headland/Paul Waters
11. Grant Bond/Glen Cox
12. Dave Bottrell/Ben Pitt
13. Ronnie Parker/Shane Rudloff
14. Rick House/TBA
15. Mark Plaisted/Sam Harrison
16. Jason Aldridge/Joel Aldridge
THE LEGENDS - 1960s and ‘70s
1. Doug Robson
2. Bob Levy
3. Geoff Grocott
4. Keith Sewell
5. Garry Treloar
THE GREATS – 1980s
1. Dennis Nash
2. Phil McCurtayne
3 Ken Walker
4. Clarry Jones
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