AFTER a rushed rebuild at the Barleigh Ranch track and a visit to the mechanic on Monday morning, Bathurst sidecar racer Sean Griffiths is confident his bike will be in optimum condition for this Saturday’s New South Wales Senior Track Titles in Tamworth.

And it will need it to be.

The Tamworth event has attracted a full grid of sidecar entries, which means Griffiths will face stiff competition over six rounds as he attempts to qualify for the final.

Recently when racing at Barleigh Ranch, which is located near Raymond Terrace, Griffiths and his swinger Scott Burns did manage to qualify for a Trackmasters decider.

But on their way to a fourth placing in that final, the duo encountered mechanical problems.

“The first round we had some big problems with steering and mechanics and we ended up pulling the bike apart between rounds and rebuilding it. It got better as the weekend went on,” Griffiths said.

“We did some testing with it at Nepean two weeks ago and it was running well, but it was still a bit funny.”

Griffiths then worked on his throttle, which was stuck on full revs, and in doing so he inadvertently caused a problem that prevented the engine from turning over.

But after visiting a mechanic on Monday morning, he is ready to take on the Tamworth event.

Though he has previously raced in the city, Saturday’s event will be his debut at the Oakburn Park Speedway. Still, Griffiths thinks that will work in his favour.

“It is a different track to what I raced on at Tamworth before. Last time we were there it was inside the AELEC (Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre) stadium which is a 100 metre track. This time it is at Oakburn Park which is a speedway track up there and it’s 480 metres,” Griffiths said.

“It’s a speedway circuit so it’s only left-hand corners, it’s an oval track like at Bathurst, and I like it a lot better.

“There are some big outfits going ... there’s two guys I know who are in the top 10 in Australia that are going and two others we raced at Barleigh Ranch and I was on their tail.

“They are all running 1000ccs and I am only 750, but even at Barleigh Ranch, once we got going they didn’t pull away from us, it was just that same gap between us so it will be interesting.

“From Barleigh Ranch, when I was only running on two cylinders for the whole weekend, I can see the difference it is going to make when the bike is right. If I can get the jump and hit the corner in front of them, they are going to have just as much trouble getting around me as I had trying to get around them.”

Griffiths will have a different swinger for the event, with Canberra’s Paul Cooper stepping in for Burns.

Though the pair have raced against each other in the past, the New South Wales Senior Track Titles will be the first time they have shared the same entry, which is supported by Frontrunner Finance Solutions, Taylors Motorcycle Services and Bathurst Spray FX.

The Bathurst racer explained the more experienced Cooper can help him improve his sidecar skills.

“He’s been doing it for over 10 years and that is one reason I chose to go with him. He can help me work out things I can do to improve. But with Scott, as we are both learning, I have no idea what he can do to change for the better and what I can do to change for the better,” Griffiths said.

“He’s never had a chance at a title either, for whatever reason he’s never been able to have a crack.

“We will have a ball no matter what, it is good racing against the faster guys.”

– Bathurst Western Advocate