Adam Treasure shows off the spoils of victory in the Formula 1 class of the 2006 Australian Sidecar Championship.
By Marc McGowan
NARRE Warren South thunderbolt Adam Treasure reached the pinnacle of sidecar racing in Australia last month when he took out the Formula 1 Australian Sidecar Championship.
It was his fourth title in the sport, but the 33-year-old’s first in the premier class, after claiming a trio of successes in the Post Classic Sidecar grade.
Sidecar racing requires the driver to have a passenger in the three-wheeled vehicle to maintain balance, who in Treasure’s case was Sydneysider and 15-year veteran Lionel Cornwell.
“I used to ride against Lionel in Post Classic, then when I moved to F1, my current passenger moved interstate, so I decided to get someone I knew,” he said.
“The passenger keeps it balanced as you go through right and left-handed corners and keeps the traction on the back wheel when you are accelerating.”
The sport has a relatively low profile in Australia compared to its two-wheeled counterparts, but Treasure believes it has much more appeal than motorbikes.
“I’ve been involved with it for about 10 years and I got into it from friends and family,” the full-time metal fabricator said.
“I raced normal solos for one year, but they’re not as much fun. It’s very difficult to explain (what sidecar racing is), but it is a lot more exciting than motorbikes.
“You are only three inches off the ground, the passengers lean out of the bike and sometimes their backsides and shoulders scrape the ground.”
Despite there being lean pickings money-wise in sidecar racing, Treasure and Cornwell dedicate an amazing amount of time to their passion.
“There is not a lot of prizemoney. At this level, you do it because you love it and want to be good at it,” Treasure said.
“I could devote at least two full days a week to preparation. Lionel needs to do a lot of gym work, stretching and fitness work, because there are a lot of G-forces trying to throw the passengers off. It can be fairly dangerous if you get thrown off.”
Fortunately for the pair, they have managed to remain on their sidecar more often than not at speeds of up to 250 kilometres an hour, due to a strong understanding and much experience.
“There is no communication [when you are on the track]; there has just been years of practice and knowing what each other is thinking and plenty of experience.”
Treasure will aim to win another title in the Formula 1 class before embarking on the sport’s number-one challenge on his Suzuki GSXR: Europe.
“The world championships are based in Europe. I’ll be endeavouring to go over there at the end of next year or early in 2008,” he said.
“The money is better than it is here, but it’s not enough to make a living out of. Maybe if you can get a major sponsor you could, but not many can.”
Until then, he is urging people to get out and watch sidecar racing.
“It’s a thrill, it’s fast, it’s something you can enjoy with your mates and there are a lot of people involved and the crowd love it, too,” Treasure said.
