FOLLOWING their recent success at the International Speedway Masters, Mark Plaisted and Ben Pitt have state titles in their sights before aiming to reclaim the national crown.
The duo form part of a strong field of teams taking to Mildura’s Olympic Park Speedway on Saturday night to battle for the Victorian Sidecar Championship.
South Australian driver Plaisted and his Mildura passenger Pitt head into the event as one of the favourites to win the Warren Monson Memorial Trophy, with the three-time Australian champions and current holders of the Oceania championship in good form.
The team took out a dramatic victory in the recent Darrin Trelaor Cup at Gillman Speedway, with a late pass on the last corner of the final being enough to edge themselves home by centimetres over Trent Headland and Jaxon Rayner.
Headland and Rayner will hope to exact some form of revenge in Mildura this weekend, but Pitt said it was a great result to get under the belt.
“We’re felling pretty good, fit and ready to go,” he said.
“Obviously the most recent weekend in Adelaide was a great result for us in a tough field.
“We’ve raced TRE (Treloar) for about 25 years now so it was an honour to win that event getting across the line just ahead Trent and Jaxon. We got them just on the line so it was a cracking race.
“It’s always a positive sign when you win a meet, but all of our competitors are top teams as well and it’s going to be a tough field to break through.
“Most of your racing is skill based but there’s an element of luck you need as well, especially when it comes to engines and chassis making it through the night.”
A 16-strong contingent will take to the track on Saturday, including local, and adopted, teams like Mick Headland and Brenton Kerr, Byren Gates and Mick O’Loughlin, and Simon Cohrs and Cameron Diwell.
After three consecutive Australian titles, Plaisted and Pitt finished third in the delayed 2024 event in Tamworth in October, with Darrin Treloar going on to win his 12th national title with Blake Cox riding shotgun.
Following the Victorian titles the duo have eyes for the South Australian and New South Wales state titles, the latter coming at Broken Hill which is set to host racing for the first time in a decade.
Then it’s off to Bowen in Queensland for the Australian titles over the Easter weekend.
“It’s a new track there (Broken Hill) which hasn’t been ridden on in over a decade so we’re hoping well be there for that,” he said.
“It’s all just about making sure our bike is A1 quality and we’re ready to go.
“Our Mildura sponsors definitely have a big say in helping us prepare as well as we can.”
Spectator gates open at Olympic Park from 5pm, with the main card to begin racing from 7.30pm and tickets are available on the gate.
