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Last Updated: Nov 28th, 2010 - 10:22:29 |
World Sidecar Track Racing Champions Mick Headland and Paul Waters are proving to be the in-form team in the early part of the 2009/10 season with impressive performances at the first two Gillman meetings.
Only a missed gear-change in the final prevented a clean-sheet in the opening meeting, and they backed up with another near clean-sheet against stronger opposition last Saturday night (28 November).
This time it was a bike problem while leading Mark Plaisted/Sam Harrison in their last heat which cost them an unbeaten run, but they regrouped to win the Final with ease from Darrin Treloar/Justin Plaisted, Plaisted/Harrison and Trent Headland/Jesse Headland.
With Mick Headland dropping that three points in heat 11, it was Plaisted and Harrison who top scored in the heats with 11 points, dropping just one point to Trent Headland in heat 8.
Trent Headland, after being unable to get his bike to start at the opening meeting, started the second meeting on a low note when he stalled at the start. Thereafter he was on-song however, beating Plaisted and only losing to his father Mick, and Treloar but he had a dose of luck in the Semi-Final when Tim Bichard/Derick Thomas had the race won only to suffer gearbox trouble and a flat tyre in the last corner. In the final, however, his luck went the other way when he was forced out when his brother Jesse fell from the bike.
Darrin Treloar also started on a bad note when he suffered clutch problems in the pits as he was about to come out for heat 1 which he consequently missed. He won two of his other three heats to qualify for the final, but was no threat to Mick Headland in their heat clash or the final.
The other star pair, current Australian Champions Mark Mitchell/Tom Golding, scored an impressive win in their first ride, in the fastest time of the opening round, but then withdrew because of the wet track, although later the track was safe, fast and sometimes even dusty after the track prep was done.
If Robert Ksiezak and Arlo Bugeja were looking forward to leaving cold and wet speedway meetings behind them in the UK, and enjoying some sun they were badly disappointed. After arriving home in 39 degree heat a fortnight earlier, they had a couple of their races cancelled because of the track conditions in this, their first meeting back. Although the wet track did not cause any difficulties for the riders, including the encourage grade riders, it was deemed the track would be too rough after it was "ripped" halfway through the meeting.
For the record Robert Ksiezak won both of his rides, although closely pushed by 16-year-old Robert Branford, while Adam Briggs won both of the encourage races.
As on the opening night the Quad League match saw an upset result with the favourites ATV Hustlers not only getting beaten, but copping a pasting from CBS Bins, who might have just ridden themselves into the position of new favourites to win the League.
A lack of numbers meant the junior events basically became practice runs but it was good experience for the few juniors who were there and they had no problems mastering the infield track, included young 7-year-old Jack Norman who revelled in the conditions and is already looking like a future champion.
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