Aussie Sidecar Stories

We talk often about how supportive the sidecar community is,in the good and the bad times. Unfortunately in 2026 we have lost a few of ourown and one of them was Clive Watson who was remembered with a lap of honour ata recent Motorcycle Racing Club of Western Australia round. In this episode we chat with Sam Watson about what that recognitionof his uncle’s contribution to the sport meant to the fa...

There are some names that come up a bit on the pod, and Jero Joyce is one of them. As a teenager Jero turned heads as he and some mates tried their hand at BXM sidecar racing, something we haven’t talked about on the pod before and to be frank, didn’t even know existed! From there he followed his brothers into racing speedway sidecars where he tried his hand at riding and as a passenger for a few...

The moment Natasha Sky saw an all-female sidecar team rip off their helmets at a motorcross event planted a seed that has grown into a passion that dominates her life. In 2022 she had the chance to do a few laps as a passenger on a sidecarcross outfit and she has never looked back, even getting the chance to jump on with some of her idols in the years that followed. It has been a busy and chaotic...

One of the first questions that we hit our guests with is ‘howdid you get into sidecars’, and Vic Vasella gave us a new answer, it was thanks to his daughter. Vic raced solos around New South Wales, including a few years at the Bathurst Easter Races, for decades with his family in tow. Somewhat out of the blue his daughter showed an interest in sidecars so they attended a Come and Try Day where wi...

Passion for sidecars is not reserved just for those who racethem and Sean Kelly is a prime example of this, as the organiser of the Annual Sidecar and Enthusiast Rally held in New South Wales for 41 years now. We chat about the event, which is coming up on September 26 to 28 in O’Connell, and how Sean was introduced to the three wheeled mode of transport. We then discuss his time racing sidecars w...

When an opportunity presented itself for Dillan McDermott and his dad to do some laps on a sidecar in 2011, they relished the chance and have not looked back. Finding form fast in the West Australian Road Race Sidecar Championship after a lifetime on two wheels, the family team has fostered a strong work ethic and dedication to the sport. In this episode we talk about the past career highlights, b...

This is the second part of Rodney Anshaw’s story, picking upthe journey in 2019 when your host Jem joined him on track. The return to racing was not as smooth as Rodney would haveliked, but that is the nature of historic racing when parts get harder to findand the outfit had been sitting in the shed for almost two decades. This episode covers off some of the stories that have beenreferenced in pre...

We often end up talking about who inspired guests to getinvolved with sidecars. For me it was my dad, Rodney Anshaw, and this is his story. Rodney started out with a road registered sidecar that heshares a few stories about, then we delve into his transition into historic road racing and the journey that was building his 1962 Norton Atlas outfit. We sit down in the shed to chat about all the thril...

When Brian Anthony was offered the chance to make his racing dreams come true, he and his wife sold their house and hit the road with their two young kids. As a kid Brian grew up watching his dad, uncle and cousins competing in sidecarcross events in South Australia and as soon as he had his chance on the side, he was hooked. He was inspired early in his career to head over to Europe, first compet...

In this episode we head back to the late 60’s and early 70’sand go speedway racing in Queensland with Brad Rolph. Brad has shared the track with some of the legends of speedway sidecar racing in Australia and he has some great insights into the evolution of the amazing machines over the decades he raced and beyond. Despite hanging up the helmet in the 90’s Brad still gets trackside as much as he c...

Having grown up in the UK, Jason Backshall and his dad wereregulars at grass track and speedway events. Now living in Victoria, it was only after covid lockdownsmade him realise how much fun he had been missing out on that he got a bike and gave speedway long bikes a crack. Despite needing to import one the next step was jumping on a European 500cc speedway sidecar, a class he is now a driving for...

Natalie Dean had never seen a sidecar before her stepfathersuggested she jump on the side of one at 14 years old. The pair were the first, and for a few years the only, speedway sidecar at Broome Speedway as they learnt the sport together but revelled in the opportunities to meet and learn from other racers around the top of Western Australia. After a few years Natalie moved to the bars and her si...

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...