Mitchell Cluff takes his first State Championship win

Gillman Media 2 December 2024

24-year-old Mitchell Cluff, from Blackalls Park in New South Wales, won the South Australian Solo Championship, his first state championship win, at Gillman Speedway on Saturday night (30 November) after an intriguing night that saw just two points separating the top eight scorers.

The meeting started with flying one lap time trials to determine the qualifiers for the 20 heats — something that gives every rider a chance to back his claims that he deserves a spot in the top 16, but which are generally not popular with many spectators who say it lessens the atmosphere of the meeting. Fastest qualifier after the first round of trials was Dayle Wood, but 16-year-old Mitch McDiarmid, was the fastest in the second round and ended up as the fastest qualifier.

This seemed like a bad tactical move as the fastest qualifier was drawn to go into heat one against three of the seeded riders, and favourites to reach the final, Michael West, Fraser Bowes and Jack Morrison.

McDiarmid had clearly looked the best rider in the previous weekend’s Western Australian Championship, but this was a much stronger line-up, so going into that heat, and a likely zero start in his first race on a 500 at Gillman, didn’t seem a wise tactical move, but in a major upset it was McDiarmid who won the race!

McDiarmid and West exchanged the lead several times before McDiarmid took the win ahead of West and Morrison, with local rider, and one of the championship favourites, Fraser Bowes relegated to fourth place.

McDiarmid then continued that form with an easy win over English rider Sam Hagon in his next ride.

Defending champion Justin Sedgmen, and Mitchell Cluff, also won their first two rides, Cluff beating Bowes in a close race in heat 7, and early on those three were looking the likely riders to fight out the title.

Sedgmen had come into the meeting under an injury cloud as it was his first meeting since undergoing knee and hand surgery after a crash in the UK in July, but he looked in top form and with Bowes only on 2 points after two rides, he looked like he would retain his title.

The third round brought McDiarmid and Cluff together in heat nine and there was initial disappointment for fans when McDiarmid made a poor start and found himself in last place. Cluff was off and on his way to his third win, but McDiarmid again caught the eye when he passed fellow 16-year-old Harry Sadler on the second lap, and Dayle Wood on the third. He had no chance to catch Cluff but had a safe two points in the bank until he lost control in the last corner. He did remarkably well not to crash but lost a lot of speed and was passed by Wood, losing a point that was to cost him dearly – direct qualification to the final!

Sedgmen also won his third ride, leaving him unbeaten, but in the process also took another point off Bowes, and at the interval Sedgmen and Cluff were both unbeaten on 9, with Bowes only on 4.

It had been smooth running to this point, but things went awry in the fourth round, especially for McDiarmid and Cluff. McDiarmid and Sedgmen were drawn together in heat 13 and it looked over when Sedgmen raced into the lead, but McDiarmid again surprised fans when he roared up the inside of Sedgmen at the end of the first lap but unfortunately he was going too fast and chaos followed in turn one. Just after passing Sedgmen he spun around 180 degrees, reared up on the back wheel and was thrown backwards off the bike. Sedgmen, on the outside of McDiarmid, also fell, and Sam Martin and Steve Hutchinson had to lay their bikes down to avoid them although Martin’s bike did clip McDiarmid. Fortunately no one was badly hurt and with McDiarmid excluded Sedgmen won the rerun to maintain his unbeaten run.

Cluff was out in the next race and from gate four he fell between turns one and two and was excluded, and that meant, after 16 heats, Sedgmen was guaranteed a start, and first choice of gate, in the final despite a full round still to come, and a number of riders were looking at anything from direct qualification to the final, to missing a start even in the semi-final.

The first on track for the last round was McDiarmid and he had his hands full with Reid Battye as they exchanged the lead early in the race but McDiarmid prevailed to finish with 10 points. Battye, making his first appearance in Adelaide, had beaten Brad Page and Michael West to win his third ride but fell in his fourth which put him out of the running for a semi-final berth.

Heat 18 saw a win by West to also put him on 10 points, but Sadler made him work hard for it and led for the first three laps.

Bowes had an easy win in heat 19 to also go to 10 points, but Sam Hagon had a lucky break when Dayle Wood, in second place, suffered a flat tyre at the end of the third lap and the extra point Hagon gained put him on 11, which surprised a few as while McDiarmid and Cluff were providing all the thrills, Hagon had been quietly and consistently accumulating points.

There was any number of possible outcomes in the final heat when Sedgmen was up against Brad Page, Mitch Cluff and Jack Morrison who were all on 9 points. Sedgmen didn’t even need to come out for this race and he just sat at the back and let the other three go for it, with a result of Cluff, Morrison, Page which meant Sedgmen and Cluff were into the final with 12 points, along with Hagon, who beat Morrison on countback on 11 points.

Had McDiarmid not dropped that point to Wood in heat nine, he would a won a countback for that third spot in the final, but, as we know, ifs, buts and maybes don’t count on the scorecard. Joining Morrison in the semi-final were McDiarmid, Bowes and Page on 10, with West, also on 10, missing out in the countback.

Bowes was showing his best form of the night by now and led all the way in the semi-final while Morrison and McDiarmid exchanged places a couple of times before McDiarmid took second, Morrison third and Page fourth. So no final for McDiarmid but after the last two weeks there can be no doubt he looks likely to join Tate Zischke as one of the new generation of Aussie stars racing overseas.

The line-up for the final was Sedgmen in red, Cluff in blue, Hagon in white and Bowes in yellow. Bowes was unable to get around the others into the first turn and found himself in last place while Cluff led Sedgmen through turn two. Just as fans were relishing watching to see if Sedgmen would get past Cluff and retain his title, Sedgmen’s bike reared up onto the back wheel and careered across the track straight into the path of Hagon and both were involved in a terrible looking crash with a tangle of bikes and riders against the fence down the back straight. Both riders were down for quite some time but the pleasing the news the next day was both were back in Mildura, very sore and bruised but not suffering any broken bones.

With Sedgmen excluded and Hagon injured that left just two for the rerun, Cluff and Bowes, but it was a classic race, reminiscent of the Golden Helmet match races of the “olden days” in the UK. Cluff took the early lead, but home fans got excited when Bowes went under him down the back straight. But then Cluff regained the lead through turn one on lap two, only for Bowes to go back into the lead out of turn two. But again Cluff deflated local hopes when he regained the lead in turn four and this time he was able to make it stick and hold a narrow lead to the finish.

Bowes was somewhat deflated, lamenting this was his third second place in the last four titles, but Cluff was overjoyed and was hopeful some of the overseas clubs were watching the livestream and would offer him a team place for 2025.

In the supporting Under 16 250cc Championship, Nate Smith, from Echuca in Victoria, was clearly the best rider and despite a couple of hiccups in the heats when he fell in one, and dropped a chain in another, both while well in front, he easily won the final. Local girl Ruby Chapman, the youngest in the title at 13, was the top scorer in the heats and a worthy runner-up as she was the smoothest of the other riders and also pulled off the best passes of the night, while Angus Hume was third with Xavier Hawtin excluded after falling, which also saw Chapman gain some extra accolades when she quickly laid her bike down to avoid him.

In the other classes Dylan McKenzie went through the Flat Track Solo races unbeaten and Blake Schlein again won the 125cc junior final after Riley Stout inflicted his first defeat of the season in the opening heat.

The next Gillman meeting is this weekend when the Chook’s Grafix Jim Irwin Sidecar Cup will be the feature event.