Dramatic final saw Australia victorious at the FIM Speedway Sidecar World Cup
Australia has been dotted on the international map as the place of pace, after a successful running of the 2016 FIM Speedway Sidecar 1000cc World Cup, held at Gillman Speedway Stadium in Adelaide South Australia on the weekend.
An event which took a number of years to prepare for, showcased the talents of four nations – Australia, New Zealand, America and the United Kingdom, as the world’s best competed in 20 qualifying heats and two finals, resulting in Australia taking the win from competing countries.
The action at the event, first kicked off on Friday last week, as the “Festival of Speed” allowed fans free entry to spectate, and take in the rich history of speedway, with classic and current cars on display, interview and photo opportunities, as well as the chance to meet international visiting competitors, rock bands and an array of kids festival activities.
The dramatic final on Saturday night spectators called ‘unbelievable’ as the Grand Final race was red-flagged due to an on track incident, forcing a race restart with only two teams able to compete in front 2000 eager spectators who watched the drama unfold. The final was eventually run and won, with Darrin Treloar and Blake Cox battling it out against Trent Headland and Darryl Whetstone.
It was a show fans asked for, but an action packed evening that they were given, with the Australian team of Treloar and Cox managing to seal the night with victory, from Headland and Whetstone.
The elated pair spoke about their challenges throughout the race, but the excitement in their voices definitely couldn’t be mistaken as they stepped out of their Speedway Sidecar machine, and onto the top step of the podium.
“What a great event, the track was unbelievable! The quality of the field was great,” Treloar said.
“It was very tough out there, you couldn’t afford to drop any points in the heats otherwise you would be struggling to get into the A final, and obviously the higher up in the points the better gate choice you get, which is critical when your competing against the top four athletes in the world.
“The team worked well and Blake did really well on the back, there has been a lot of hard work in the moths leading up to one of the biggest events of the year for us.
“We had a few drinks to celebrate the victory, and will continue to work hard for our other big events on the calendar.” Treloar (driver of the pair) concluded.
With fans still recovering from Saturday night’s race action, expectations were high, as Sunday night also hosted the first round of the Oceania Championship at Gillman Speedway Stadium.
Australia’s competing pair, Treloar and Cox carried their winning speed over from Saturday night to claim yet again another victory in round one of the Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship on Sunday.
The organisational team at Gillman Speedway team put on an a fantastic weekend of International events, in what was a great Easter long weekend, for not only spectators, but teams, competitors, officials, and dedicated Speedway fans.
A number of teams will now prepare for the second round of the 2016 Oceania Championship, being held at Undera Speedway in Victoria, on April 2 from 7:30pm.
