Season's strongest line-up at Gillman Speedway Saturday night
Gillman Media 31 March 2026
Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway has had some strong line-ups this season but the strongest line-up of the season will come to the tapes this Saturday night (4 April) to contest the Ray White Gawler FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championship.
Heading the line-up are the defending champions, Mark Plaisted and Ben Pitt. Plaisted and Pitt also won on 2024, and have won four of the last five Australian Championships, and six of the last eight South Australian Championships.
As well as the reigning Australian Champions, Australia #2, Trent Headland and Jaxon Rayner, and Australia #3, Tyler Moon and Adam Lovell are also in the line-up.
Both have been in good form this season. Headland and Rayner won the Gillman Championship and the Paintmaster SA Spectacular at Gillman earlier in the season, while Moon and Lovell have probably been the most successful team of the season. Runners-up to Plaisted/Pitt in last season’s FIM Oceania Championship, this season they have won the Jim Irwin Cup at Gillman, the Queensland Championship and the Victorian Championship.
As well as Moon and Lovell, every other state championship winner for this season will also be riding — Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien (NSW champions), Nate Headland/Harry Hearne (SA), and Jonah Sita/Morgan Cornwell (WA).
There will also be two multiple championship winning teams from New Zealand, Taylor Green and Callum Innes, and Robert Miller and Jaxon Hannan. Miller/Hannan have won this season’s New Zealand North Island Championship, the Auckland, Manawatu and West Coast Championships and the NZ Grand Prix, while Green/Innes have won the New Zealand South Island Championship, the Canterbury Championship, the Super Cup, and finished second to Miller/Hannan in the GP
The Taylor/Innes team have also ridden at Gillman several times this season and finished second to Headland/Rayner in the Paintmaster SA Spectacular. They also won the final at the opening meeting ahead of Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan, Shane Rudloff/Jake Doyle and Brian Silvy/Glen Zaworski, who are all also in the Oceania line-up. Menadue and Dolan have a good recent record in the Oceania, finishing third last season and fourth in 2024. Shane Rudloff is also a previous finalist.
Completing the line-up are Brodie Cohen/Jesse Headland, Byren Gates/Damian Egan, Max Howse/Riley Commons, Shane Hudson/Jack Spear and Mark Mitchell/Tony Carter.
Cohen has been twice Queensland champion in recent years and is the current Queensland number three after retiring in this season’s final. Mark Mitchell doesn’t ride very often these days but is a former Australian and South Australian champion. Hudson, who has twice been an Australian Championship finalist, and Spear have been one of the form teams in the heat races at Gillman this season, but bike problems and crashes have kept them out of the finals until last meetings Bob White Cup.
Howse and Commons have had some issues with a new bike this season but were consistently amongst the front-runners last season, reaching the finals of the South Australian, Victorian and New South Wales Championships, while Gates and Egan have had a very successful first season as a pair. Amongst their results are third in the SA Championship, fourth in the Victorian Championship, and finalists in the Paintmaster SA Spectacular, Bowes Family Cup (which they won), and the Bob White Cup where they finished second to Plaisted/Pitt at the last Gillman meeting.
Gates will open at 4pm, and the meeting will start at 7 pm.
There will also be support events for the Sidecar reserves, Byron Mordaunt/Scott Cameron, Scott Morris/Jye Siddall, Josh Pascoe/Dale Knights, Mark Radford/Chris Basham and William Walker/Liam Sherwood.
The season long Speedway Riders Association raffle will also be drawn during the evening.
For those that can’t attend, the meeting will be livestreamed through the website link [https://www.spacequakesports.com] for a cost of $30. As always this is the only official livestreaming link. Any others touted on facebook sites are scams and should be ignored.
Everything You Need To Know:
Meeting Date: Saturday, 4 April 2026
Venue: Gillman Speedway (‘Ray White Gawler’ Stadium), 65 Wilkins Road, Gillman – near the Port Adelaide area.
Parking and entrance: Patrons can enter via gates at the western and eastern ends of the venue. There are free off-street parking areas near both gates.
Gates open: at 4 pm.
Pit access for spectators: Free spectator access to the pits until approximately 5 pm.
Racing starts: at 7 pm.
Competitors:
Oceania Sidecar Championship: Brodie Cohen/Jesse Headland (Qld/Vic)… Byren Gates/Damian Egan (Vic/SA)... Taylor Green/Callum Innes (NZ)… Nate Headland/Harry Hearne (SA)… Trent Headland/Jaxon Rayner (SA)… Max Howse/Riley Commons (NSW)… Shane Hudson/Jack Spear (SA)… Kym Menadue/Shane Dolan (SA)… Robert Miller/Jaxon Hannan (NZ)… Mark Mitchell/Tony Carter (SA/Vic)… Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell (Qld)... Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt (SA/Vic)… Shane Rudloff/Kane Golding (SA)... Brian Silvy/Glen Zaworski (SA)… Jonah Sita/Morgan Cornwell (WA)… Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien (NSW/SA). Reserves: Josh Pascoe/Dale Knights (SA)… Byron Mordaunt/Scott Cameron (SA/Vic)
Sidecar support: Byron Mordaunt/Scott Cameron (SA/Vic)… Scott Morris/Jye Siddall (SA)... Josh Pascoe/Dale Knights (SA)... Mark Radford/Chris Basham (Vic)… William Walker/Liam Sherwood (SA)
Admission: Adults $30, Age Pension and Student Concession $25, Children under 16 free. Parking free. Programme $5-includes two chances to win $50 fuel vouchers. EFTPOS available at both entrances, the canteen, bar and souvenir shop.
Concession is limited to holders of the Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card and Student Concession card holders only.
Livestreaming: This meeting will be livestreamed on www.spacequakesports.com. The cost is $30 Australian. Any other claimed links to livestreaming are scams and should be ignored.
Seating: Free grandstand seating, terracing suitable for deck chairs, and large grassed viewing mounds.
VIP Area: The Bob White VIP area is available to anyone who would like to treat their business colleagues, family or friends to the best view in the stadium. Enjoy the elevated view overlooking the track, either from inside the temperature controlled rooms, on the timber deck, or on the enclosed lawn area. The VIP area also has its own bar and toilet. Ring Ivan Golding on 0417 138 378 for more details.
Food and drink: Full bar and catering available. Food includes hot chips, hamburgers, chicken burgers, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, Chiko Rolls, dim sims, hot dogs, doughnuts, coffee, cold drinks, sweets. “Gillman has far and away the best speedway tucker” [Peter White’s Speedway World]
Please note a condition of our liquor licence is no byo alcohol or glass can be brought into the venue.
Smoking, Vaping: by Government legislation, no smoking or vaping allowed within the green fenced area at this venue.
Souvenirs: There is a well-stocked souvenir shop. See the “A Night At Gillman” tab.
Pets: No animals are allowed into the venue except assistance animals, eg guide dogs.
Weather Forecast as at 31 March: Maximum 24, minimum 12. [https://www.bom.gov.au/location/australia/south-australia/adelaide-metropolitan/bsa_pt001-adelaide]
Directions:
The best way to get to Gillman Speedway is off Hanson Road.
If you are coming from the eastern and southern suburbs, get on to Hanson road off Torrens Road or Grand Junction Road, travel north on Hanson road over the train line then take the first road on the left, which is Wilkins road.
From the northern suburbs, travel down the Port Adelaide expressway and take the Hanson Road exit. Once on Hanson Road, take the first exit on your right, this is Wilkins road.
From the western suburbs, Wilkins Road is the continuation of Bedford Street, north of Eastern Parade.
For interstate visitors flying into Adelaide and getting a hire car, Gillman is about 20kms, and 30 minutes’ drive (depending on traffic lights) from the airport.
The easiest and most direct way from the airport, if not going to your accommodation first is:
On leaving the airport, turn left onto Sir Donald Bradman Drive. Continue along Sir Donald Bradman Drive until you reach the end of the airport grounds and turn right onto Tapleys Hill Road. Keep going on Tapleys Hill Road until you can’t go any further. That’s Port Road. Turn left onto Port Road (you can only turn left). Continue down Port Road for about 1 km to the first intersection which is Grand Junction road and turn right. Go 700 metres along Grand Junction Road, over a bridge over a railway line. Stay in the left lane because at the bottom of the bridge you turn left into Gray Terrace. Go to the end of Gray Terrace and turn right onto Bedford Street. Keep going on that road until you get to the speedway. About 2km.
Accommodation: There is plenty of accommodation in Adelaide and suburbs, within 20-30 minutes of the Speedway, ranging from five star hotels to caravan parks and backpacker hostels.
Contact for this meeting: Ivan Golding 0417 138 378.