Aussie Sidecar Stories

Justin Plaisted is one of the top speedway sidecar competitors in Australia, with five national titles to his name and numerous state titles as both the rider and passenger. Starting out as a kid racing at Alice Springs Speedway Justin has not lost his love for the sport, despite some pretty hairy moments in his 20 odd year career. We talk how it started, his European and New Zealand racing experi...

When Morgan Marshall got the chance to hop in the riders seat of a sidecar he jumped at the chance, and has taken every opportunity that has come his way in the last 10 years. In this episode we talk about how he and his brother grew up watching their dad race and what it is like how he gets to share that experience with his own kids. Morgan shares about his experiences travelling from WesternAust...

As far as sidecar passengers go, Brad Gorrie might be one of the most diversly experience road race guys we have had on the podcast so far. He has jumped on the side of almost every class there is, starting on historics here in Victoria. What followed was a rollercoaster of local race meetings and invites to join teams over in the UK, Britain and Germany. There are definitely a lot of thrills and...

Arron Wilson and Grizz Bayliss were the Bash Brothers of road race sidecars, they meant business on track but knew how to have a good time off it. For around 15 years they adventured mostly around the east coast in their bus with Team Bayliss and made the most of all the opportunities that came their way. In this episode we talk about how Arron got started, some of the wild moments he has had on a...

Corey Forde made his start on sidecars as a passenger on road, jumping on a period 5 machine for a few years around New South Wales and east coast circuits. When his rider begun to age out of racing Corey took theopportunity to jump on the bars and kept towing a trailer full of motorbikes around getting in laps whenever he could. Corey currently owns a dirt track sidecar and an F2 road race sideca...

A few months after jumping on the side of a speedway sidecar, Neil Gould became an Australian champion, alongside Keith Sewill who was at the time the reigning champ. In the years that followed the pair travelled around Australia competing, which included winning some New South Wales and Queensland titles, until it all came unstuck one fateful night in Western Australia. Neil shares with us some g...

Matt Davies along with Wayne O’Meley have just won the 2026 Australian Dirt Track Sidecar Championships, and we kick off this episode with a recap of the weekend that was hosted by the ACT Motorcycle Club. Matt shares some of his early experience with sidecars as well as talking some two wheeled racing adventures he has had. Having grown up in West Wyalong, which is a hub for sidecarracing in New...

Darren Nash is the reigning Western Australian F1 sidecar champion, and currently leads the points two rounds in to the 2026 season. Only a couple of years into the switch from speedway sidecars, Darren is enjoying the new challenge but he is more than happy to jump back on the ovals any chance he gets. We talk growing up with a champion in the house, continuingthe legacy, making the switch from s...

Shane Rudloff and Kane Golding may have only done a few race meetings together, but you would be forgiven for thinking they are an established pairing from their on and off track connection. We start this episode with a recap of the RCA AustralianSpeedway Sidecar Championships held in Mildura on the ANZAC Day weekend from their perspective. The South Australian team had to battle through the quali...

We often talk about how sidecar racing is a sport we grow upin, and for Gaby Watson that is absolutely no different. There are some people in the sport who are sadly no long with us so we have to share their stories for them and in this episode we talk about Garry Watson, Gaby’s dad, who many will remember from the New Zealand and Australian sidecar scene. After talking about the Watson family leg...

Lok O’Kane has one of the most intriguing transitions wehave encountered so far on this podcast. While many change what era of sidecar they race, or what medium the race on, Lok has gone from being a passenger on an F1 sidecar, to building and racing 1:3 scale models. In this episode we chat about what inspired the switch, the process Lok went through to develop and build the scaled down outfits,...

In this bonus episode of Aussie Sidecar Stories we trysomething new. With the who’s who of speedway sidecar racing in Australia,and some New Zealanders, converging on Olympic Park Speedway in Mildura for the RCA Australian Speedway Titles, we have a quick chat with Andrew Summerhayes about how the weekend is shaping up. Can’t get trackside to check out the action? Mildura Motorcycle Club have orga...

Growing up around speedway tracks is how many of our stories start, and for Dave Maclarn it was no different. His dad rode solos all through Dave’s childhood and also ran a panel shop in Brisbane where a lot of other racers went for help and to hang out, so Dave met many of his idols. As he grew up Dave drifted away from speedway, but it drew him back in and he begun sharing what he saw. Dave got...

Kristy Schultz has been racing sidecars for 20 years and in that time she has ticked off so many bucket list items for off-road racers. The 24 Hour Reliability Trial is one of her favourite events, testing participants physically and mentally as they do all they can to even finish the gruelling race. In this episode we talk sidecar cross, off-road sidecar races, endurance events and even a bit of...

We talk a lot about how sidecar racing is like having a second family, one that understands you and supports you no matter what is going on on track. Our chat with Adriana Thompson is a perfect example of what this community means to so many people who are a part of it. Adriana is a third-generation speedway racer, second generation on a sidecar, and she even met her husband through the sport. We...

Zac Campbell came into sidecar racing with a view to learn as much as he could and was prepared to take the slow path to success. He started out as a passenger on a period 5 road race sidecar, and over time found himself transition to speedway where he is now a rider. We chat about his experiences along the way and what it is like now to support juniors and other newcomers to the sport, just like...

We all have different dreams and goals in racing, and DJ Turner and his brother Corey are a perfect example of what can happen when you are willing to put everything into making those dreams come true. DJ started racing sidecars as a passenger with his dad doingspeedway in Victoria. He then did a few seasons with his brother Jamie on the bars before he and Corey gave road race sidecars a crack. Th...

Tilo and Riley are a junior speedway sidecar team from South Australia, and they are keen as to get as much track time as they can. The pair had their first ride together in November 2024 with things clicking instantly, they are looking forward to honing their skills together and the future when they step up to senior outfits. Family plays a key part in their ability to race, we talk about how the...

Catching up with Shane ‘Crash’ Schiller was a wild ride, and not just because he is an off-road sidecar rider. For 32 years the South Australian has moved between sidecar endurance racing and sidecarcross, going from paddock bashing to flying through the air with an outfit under his feet. Before that he had a pushbike sidecar, time on that pushes him to over 40 years on three wheels. We talk endur...

There is not much in sidecar racing that Jeff Rowe has notdone, starting out as a speedway passenger in Sydney in the 70’s and doing the rounds since then. He has travelled Australia racing speedway, road race, anddirt track, chased titles and been a part of some iconic events. There are so many names from the Australian sidecar racing history books in this episode we have no doubt it will bring m...

Off-road racing is all Max Hutchesson has ever known, and that is why barrelling through bushland on a sidecar is where he is most comfortable. Since they were kids Max and his brother Sam have beenripping it up through paddocks and testing their physical and mental limits in unpredictable terrain. They were teenagers when they took part in their first 24-hour enduro, an event they have now comple...

Hugh Briotti started racing speedway sidecars in the 80’s, joining the family sport that his dad, uncle and sister were all involved with. He has been a rider and a passenger on speedway outfits,doing the rounds of Western Australian circuits for a number of years. Then another of his dad’s outfits called for him, so Hugh jumped on his dad’s period 4 outfit around 10 years ago. The frustrations of...

Donna Probin started out like many sidecar enthusiast’s, inthe pits as a kid watching her dad. At 17 Donna took a leap of faith and asked one of the womenshe had watched race for a shot – and the rest, as we often say, is history. Donna and Lisa raced together for a few years before life took a different path for a while. In a full circle moment Donna has been able to take ownership of thatvery si...

While she may only be a newcomer to sidecar racing, Irene Baksheev has become a passionate advocate for the sport. Part of the Tasmanian road race sidecar revival movement, Irene has one of the most unique introduction stories we have encountered – and one that might inspire some clubs promotional tactics moving forward. Despite only having been racing for around three years, Irene has already vis...

Steve McQueen grew up at speedway tracks across WesternAustralia, following his dad and uncle when they raced. It comes as no surprise that eventually he would find himself racing sidecars as well. At last count he has over 40 outfit and rider pairings that he has raced with on speedway, but in recent years he has been spending time riding a F2 road race sidecar. Steve shares with us some stories...