Mildura’s Olympic Park Speedway will come to life when it hosts the 2026 RCA Civil Group Australian Speedway Sidecar Championship for the eighth time this weekend.
Racing on stoned crushed river sand, the action across the Senior and Junior Championships on each night is guaranteed to be filled with brilliant racing as we get set to crown the 2026 winners.
Reigning champions Mark Plaisted/Ben Pitt enter as the favourites – aiming for a fifth title – but will face tough opposition from Justin Plaisted/Brian Anthony, adding a unique family rivalry to the event.
Former winners and last year’s runner-up Trent Headland/Jaxon Rayner also loom as serious contenders, while Tyler Moon/Adam Lovell arrive full of confidence and will aim to improve from their third-place finish in last year’s event at Bowen.
Young chargers Nate Headland/Harry Hearne and Jonah Sita/Morgan Cornwell (the latter representing Western Australia) form part of the next generation of riders coming through the ranks and will be keen to get among the action.
Mildura locals Byren Gates/Damian Egan (fifth in the 2025 event) will fly the flag for the Sunraysia region, while Rick Stephens/Nick O’Brien are bound to be a threat and Queensland’s Brandon Warke/Mitch Danks-Firth round out the seeded teams.
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Mark Plaisted and Ben Pitt enter the 2026 event as the defending champions
The action begins on Friday night with a qualifying meeting that features 16 teams battling for just seven remaining spots in Saturday night’s championship field, where they will join the nine aforementioned seeded teams.
Friday night’s qualifier promises to be fiercely contested, with teams given only five rides to put their best foot forward and be on the grid the following night.
The Australian Speedway Junior Sidecar Championship will also be held on the opening night, returning to the national calendar for the first time since 2022, while the O’Brien Cup will run as the sole support event on Saturday night.
Gates for spectators will open from 4:00pm on both nights, with practice commencing from 5:30pm followed by the rider parade at 6:30pm and then racing will get underway from 7:00pm.
Tickets are available for purchase at the gate (tickets must be purchased separately for each night). An additional early ticket window will operate on Saturday from 10:00am–12:00pm, allowing patrons to purchase tickets and secure their spot inside the venue.