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Last Updated: Nov 28th, 2010 - 10:22:29 |
This weekend’s 2010 PBOZ Australia and Suzuki of Newcastle sponsored Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship at the Newcastle Showground Speedway has attracted competitors from as far a field as Perth and Townsville.
The lure of testing themselves against the nation’s best attracts riders from across the country to the national championship showdown each year, regardless of where the meeting is staged.
From the West Coast come two teams – one to contest the Qualifying Meeting on Saturday afternoon (racing starts at 3pm) and one seeded direct to the Championship decider on Sunday (racing starts at 5.30pm).
The direct seeds are Russell Mitchell and passenger Tina Karan, a combination of the Australian champion rider from 1992 and the Australian champion passenger from 1994. Mitchell is an infrequent racer these days, but the duo did finish fourth in the first official World Sidecar Championship in 2009, before winning the Western Australian Championship to secure their berth in the line-up for Sunday.
Contesting the Qualifying meeting will be Vince Gianoncelli and passenger Justin Winchester, who were placed third in their State title meeting.
Riders from North Queensland faced the recent onslaught of cyclonic weather before they packed up for the trip south and they will now be hoping to inflict some devastation on their rivals.
Brodie Cohen and passenger Gareth Ferguson represent the younger brigade in a discipline of the sport that is invariably dominated by older campaigners and their first victory in the Queensland Championship gained them a seeded berth to Sunday’s showdown.
Former Australian champions, from 2005, Scott Christopher and passenger Trent Koppe, are sure to be fired up on two counts. Firstly, they were excluded, controversially in the eyes of many fans, from the final last year and secondly for needing to contest the Qualifying Meeting this time around.
Another North Queenslander, the very experienced Jason Aldridge will also contest the Qualifying Meeting.
Riders from South Australia and Victoria also present a very strong representation for the 2010 Championship headed of course by the duo everyone else has to dethrone, last year’s winners Mark Mitchell and passenger Tom Golding.
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