A star studded line up has been engaged, with three teams who have won ten Australian Championships between them heading the impressive line up in the North West Funerals, 2010 Victorian Sidecar Championships to be held at Mildura’s Olympic Park Speedway this Saturday night.

Darrin Treloar / Justin Plaisted, Glenn and Nathan O’Brien and Scott Christopher / Trent Koppe are all previous wearers of the coveted blue sash as the National Champions and they will be joined by as strong a line up as has ever contested the State Championship in many years.

Byren Gates and Mick O’Loughlin started every heat and final last week like scalded cats, with amazing speed from the trap, but more importantly, with brilliant reaction time from Gates on the throttle and clutch. The Gater Racing Team has been improving their form as the season has progressed, as they plan on making an assault on the Australian Championship in Newcastle over the Easter weekend.

The other top chances to wave the Mildura banner are the team of Jason Bradshaw and Simon Cohrs, who are often brilliant around Olympic Park and could take some big scalps over the course of the meeting. They were very fast last week and like Gates, stood out from the crowd with some great racing. Apart from one blemish, when they turned themselves around after coming into the Pit turn too hot, they won all their heats well.

Added to this august group, we need to throw in Rick Howse / Adam Commons, from Broken Hill, who were second in the World in 2008, fellow northerners, Rick Stephens and Dean Hobbs and the English rider Matt Tyrrell, who is contemplating shifting to Australia permanently to commit to his Sidecar racing future, plus our long list of Olympic Park experts, which includes all our local champions and those regular visitors from further south in Victoria.

Mark Plaisted / Sam Harrison would be another team in contention for top honours, as they were unbeaten at the 2007 World Sidecar Gold Cup meeting in Adelaide and all except a poor decision, which cost them one start, probably would have won the Gold Cup meeting. Olympic Park will buzz with excitement as the pressure builds. They have maintained good form for the past two seasons so expect them to do well this week.

There are plenty of Olympic Park specialists who will have something to say about top points in each heat that they all contest. If Mildura patrons want any more than such a line up, then I am sure they are kidding themselves. The temperature will rise, according to the status of the heat event and patrons will be on the edge of their seats all night as the heats progress.

As mentioned before, Jason Bradshaw / Simon Cohrs and Byren Gates / Mick O’Loughlin will have a fair say on proceedings, as will other local teams, in Clint Mayes / Jamie Knudsen, Andy O’Rourke / Jason Mayes as well as Dale Milner / Nick O’Brien and Chris Holmes / Neale Hancock. Any of these teams are a chance to take points off any of the fancied teams along the way, with one local team hopefully getting the easy route to the Australian Championship by being the first Victorian home. Do not be surprised if any of the Mildura teams don’t steal the thunder of any of the, perhaps more highly credentialed teams from out of town.

Another team who might give a few people a big surprise is the Headland team of Trent and Jess, who will be on their father’s machine, given the present injury status of the current World Champions. Trent and Jess have ridden Mildura plenty of times and from all reports their work at Murray Bridge just three weeks ago was very sound. We all know that the Headland machine has never lacked for speed and there is a strong gene present to “wind on the throttle”.

We should not forget too, that it is the four times champions, Glenn and Nathan O’Brien, who are still, after nearly fourteen years, the fastest team ever to do four laps of Olympic Park. The O’Brien’s four lap record was set at 62.32 seconds, way back in the 1996 Sidecar Spectacular, held on the 8^th April 1996. Their form at the moment is probably not as fast as that evening, but with the throttle in his hand, Glenn O’Brien and brother Nathan along side, will have not lost any of their skills of race craft and Title races like this one usually only require the winning team to do just enough to win the event, no matter what the overall speed of the individual event might be.

All teams will be focused on getting into the top points scores for the meeting, to ensure a place in the North West Funerals Final for the night. Perhaps not for many years, will it have been so vital to accumulate points all the way through the night, because the safe entry to the Australian Title will go to the Victorian team who finishes with the most points. Any place in the final might be just enough to get the direct seeding into the Easter weekend at Newcastle for the Victorians.

The Club is most gratified to be involved in a joint venture with long time and respected local business, North West Funerals, who are keen supporters of speedway in Sunraysia. It is most timely that NWF join with Olympic Park in a new sponsorship venture, as it is in the same month that NWF have opened their magnificent new Funeral Home premises at 1586 Deakin Avenue, South Mildura.

Sunraysia speedway fans should be hanging off the rafters to see this meeting, as the status of the event will increase every heat along the way.

Support events will include some “classic” sidecars, which are always enjoyed by genuine speedway fans. Some of the genuine classic machines of yesteryear will be seen, with Honda and Suzuki 750cc machines as well as the stinging noise of the smaller 500cc two – stroke powered machines will be back on track.

Olympic Park gates will open at 5:00pm, with Senior practice scheduled to begin at 5:30pm. A Junior program will be completed ahead of the senior Championship event, which will commence at 7:30pm sharp.

A full catering service operates at Olympic Park and patrons are reminded that there must be no BYO by law. Grandstand seating is provided on a first served basis and patrons are also reminded that flash and video photography is not allowed from outside the track confines. On too many occasions in the recent past, Club Officials have had rider complaining of seeing “red” lights coming from the public area. The Club seeks the total co-operation from patrons on this matter.

Download the press release: PRE – 2010 NWF Vic S’car Titles,270210