Treloar family double at Gillman Speedway

March 9, 2020 by Gillman Media

Bob White Sidecar Cup Final action from Dave Bottrell/Darcy Risstrom (blue) and Damien Niesche/Mitchell Spear (yellow). Photo by Judy Mackay.

Bob White Sidecar Cup winners Darrin Treloar and Blake Cox. Photo by Judy Mackay.

Father and son Darrin and Jake Treloar scored a family double at Gillman Speedway on Saturday night when both retained the Bob White Sidecar Cups which they had won twelve months earlier.

The scorecard for the senior cup was dominated by three teams with Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien the top point scorers on countback from Dave Bottrell/Darcy Risstrom after both scored 14 points and Stephens had beaten Bottrell in heat three. Stephens dropped his only point to Treloar/Blake Cox who were the third highest scorers with 13 points, beaten by Bottrell and Damien Niesche/Mitchell Spear.

Niesche/Spear were one of four teams tied on ten points who went into the last chance semi-final. The other three teams were Nathan Fleet/Ayrton Canning, Shane Rudloff/Scott Morris and Kym Menadue/Eric Melton.

Niesche, Fleet and Menadue had all met in heat 17, along with Stephens, and Stephens and Menadue produced the race of the night, riding side by side for four laps before Stephens won by just nine one hundredths of a second, but in the semi-final Niesche led all the way to win from Rudloff, Menadue and Fleet.

In the final Stephens, from gate one, and Bottrell from two, made the best start and for ever so briefly it looked like it might be hard work for Treloar to win, but in the blink of an eye he was in front. Stephens got slightly crossed up in turn two, Bottrell rode the high line down the back straight, and Treloar shot down the pole line to take the lead into turn three, with Niesche following him through and from that point is was all over with Treloar winning, Niesche second, Bottrell third and Stephens fourth

In the Junior Sidecars, after plenty of exciting racing in the heats, Jackson Milner/Adam Niesche, Jake Treloar/Isaac Mitchell and Connor Curran/Riley Plum qualified for the final. Milner/Niesche were unbeaten in the heats and when they led down the back straight they looked the likely winners, but they appeared to slow going into turn three and Treloar and Curran drew level and they were three wide into turn four, with Milner (on the outside) being forced off the track. On the next lap Curran’s sidecar wheel lifted and passenger Riley Plum fell, leaving Treloar/Mitchell to continue unchallenged for an easy win, with Curran excluded, advancing Milner/Niesche into second place.

The Solo events were decimated when Dakota Ballantyne (illness) and Patrick Hamilton (family illness) withdrew the night before the meeting leaving Fraser Bowes no one to ride against in the division 1 events, but he was allowed to ride in division 2 and naturally won each race comfortably with Teagan Pedler similarly comfortably second in each race, and Anthony Davey third in each after some close scraps with Brian Johnson.

Hectic action from Jake Treloar/Isaac Mitchell (blue), Connor Curran/Riley Plum (white) and Jackson Milner/Adam Niesche (red) in the final of the Bob White Cup for Junior Sidecars. Photo by Judy Mackay.