AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2023

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The line-up for the 2023 Australian Championship has been revealed as all three of the nation’s Speedway GP riders take their place in the competition.

Former Speedway GP world champion Jason Doyle, reigning Aussie champion Max Fricke and Jack Holder all take their place in the field for the four-round series, which gets underway at Adelaide track Gillman on January 3.

With round two in Mildura cancelled due to flooding, the action moves straight to Albury on January 7, with New South Wales track Kurri Kurri hosting the penultimate event on January 9. The decider takes place at North Brisbane on January 11, as the club stages its first Aussie Championship round since 2012.

Doyle lines up in the Aussie Championship for the first time since he lifted the title in 2015, making his most high-profile appearance in his homeland since he famously won the 2017 FIM Speedway GP of Australia – Melbourne to clinch the FIM Speedway GP World Championship.

He’s joined Down Under by FIM Speedway of Nations world title-winning team mate Fricke, who claimed his third straight Aussie crown at Gillman on Dec 10: 2022 AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP HEAT SCORES: 1 Max Fricke 15, 2 Justin Sedgmen 12, 3 Jaimon Lidsey 11, 4 Zach Cook 11, 5 Tate Zischke 10, 6 Keynan Rew 10, 7 James Pearson 9, 8 Fraser Bowes 9, 9 Zane Keleher 8, 10 Michael West 7, 11 Maurice Brown 5, 12 Jack Morrison 4, 13 Cooper Riordan 3, 14 Dayle Wood 3, 15 Aden Clare 2, 16 Jake Turner 1, 17 Broc Hall 0, 18 Tom Dixon DNR.
Semi-Final 1: Fricke, Zischke, Pearson, Lidsey (non-starter).
Semi-Final 2: Sedgmen, Rew, Bowes, Cook.
Final: Fricke, Sedgmen, Zischke, Rew.

2020 runner-up Holder is hoping to lift the national senior championship for the first time.

His older brother, 2012 Speedway GP world champion Chris Holder, is seeking his sixth national title, having won five between 2008 and 2014. Fellow former Aussie champions Sam Masters, Brady Kurtz and Rohan Tungate will also be among the title contenders.

Former World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey has been named in the line-up, but his place in the series could be in doubt after his Polish club Leszno confirmed he suffered a broken wrist in heat 18 of the 2022 Australian Championship Final at Gillman last Saturday.

Edinburgh racer Josh Pickering could emerge as a dark horse Down Under after a strong 2022 season in the UK, along with brothers Ben and Zach Cook, who won an SGB Championship league and cup double with Poole.

SON2 team mates Fraser Bowes and James Pearson are both included in the field, along with Zaine Kennedy and Zane Keleher. The line-up for each round will be completed by a wild card.

Brayden McGuinness is named as first reserve for the championship and could be called into the full series if Lidsey is not passed fit. Josh MacDonald, Michael West, Patrick Hamilton and Liam May are also on the standby list.

2023 AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP LINE-UP: Fraser Bowes, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Jason Doyle, Max Fricke, Chris Holder, Jack Holder, Zane Keleher, Zaine Kennedy, Brady Kurtz, Jaimon Lidsey, Sam Masters, James Pearson, Josh Pickering, Rohan Tungate, plus one wild card per round. SUBSTITUTES: Brayden McGuinness, Josh MacDonald, Michael West, Patrick Hamilton, Liam May.

SGP

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Former world champion Jason Doyle ended his eight-year absence from the Australian Championship in style after winning the opening round at Adelaide track Gillman.

Doyle finished third on the heat scorechart with 13 points, just behind Speedway GP rival Jack Holder and former Aussie champion Rohan Tungate, who tied on 14 at the top.

Holder got the better of Doyle in semi-final one as both reached the final, finishing ahead of 2012 Speedway GP world champion Chris Holder in third.

But Doyle produced a big opening lap to take the chequered flag in the final ahead of Jack Holder. With the riders earning four and three points respectively from the final, they head to round two at Albury on Saturday tied for top spot on 17 championship points apiece.

Reigning champion Max Fricke, chasing a record-equalling fourth straight title, was facing disaster after finishing last in his opening two rides. But he staged a dramatic fightback, winning his three final heats to force his way into the semi-finals on nine.

Fricke then won a turbulent semi-final two ahead of fellow qualifier Justin Sedgmen. The race was restarted twice after Sam Masters crashed and was disqualified at the first attempt, before Tungate felled Sedgmen in the rerun, ending his promising night prematurely. Despite his disqualification, Tungate’s heat heroics still see him leave Gillman third in the standings on 14.

Third place for Fricke in the final, which saw him just lose out after an epic battle for second with Jack Holder, netted him an extra two points, leaving him tied in fifth spot with Chris Holder on 11. Sedgmen took fourth spot in the final, earning him one extra championship point which places him fourth in the overall standings on 13 following an event he entered as a wild card.

The night ended with injury concerns for former Aussie champion Brady Kurtz, who crashed in heat 19, with the pursuing Ben Cook unable to avoid him. Cook took his place in the rerun, while Kurtz was excluded. The Aussie international was unfit to take his place in semi-final one.

The second round takes place at Victorian track Albury on Saturday, before the racing heads to Hunter Valley venue Kurri Kurri on Monday and concludes at North Brisbane on January 11.

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1= Jason Doyle 17, Jack Holder 17, 3 Rohan Tungate 14, 4 Justin Sedgmen 13, 5= Max Fricke 11, Chris Holder 11, 7= Brady Kurtz 8, Sam Masters 8, Ben Cook 8, 10 Josh Pickering 6, 11 Zach Cook 5, 12= James Pearson 3, Zane Keleher 3, Fraser Bowes 3, 15 Brayden McGuinness 2, 16 Michael West 0.

GILLMAN HEAT SCORES: 1 Jack Holder 14, 2 Rohan Tungate 14, 3 Jason Doyle 13, 4 Justin Sedgmen 12, 5 Chris Holder 11, 6 Max Fricke 9, 7 Brady Kurtz 8, 8 Sam Masters 8, 9 Ben Cook 8, 10 Josh Pickering 6, 11 Zach Cook 5, 12 James Pearson 3, 13 Zane Keleher 3, 14 Fraser Bowes 3, 15 Brayden McGuinness 2, 16 Michael West 0.

SEMI-FINAL 1: J Holder, Doyle, C Holder, Kurtz (non-starter).

SEMI-FINAL 2: Fricke, Sedgmen, Tungate (DQ), Masters (DQ).

FINAL: Doyle, J Holder, Fricke, Sedgmen.

sgp

[Hodgy]

Predictable as always. As is the racing, boring Zzzzzzzz

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Former world champion Jason Doyle stepped up his Australian Championship charge after powering to a second straight victory at round two of the series at Victorian track Albury.

After racking up 12 points in the fiercely contested first 20 heats, Doyle was pitted into a star-studded semi-final one, which saw him finish second to Max Fricke, who topped the heat scorechart on 14, with brothers Chris and Jack Holder eliminated in third and fourth place respectively.

Despite defeats to Fricke in heats 14 and their semi-final, Doyle then came out on top when it mattered most, winning the final ahead of the reigning champion to notch 16 championship points and move on to 33 overall.

This, coupled with his victory at Gillman last Tuesday, earned him a four-point lead over nearest rival Jack Holder at the top of the standings, with Holder’s semi-final exit leaving him with the 12 he scored in the heats, giving him 29 in total.

Fricke’s second place in the final, added to the 14 he scored in the heats, saw him leave Albury with 17 championship points, giving him 28 overall and firing him firmly into title contention as he gained one point on Doyle by virtue of scoring two more than his Speedway GP rival in the heat races.

King’s Lynn and Edinburgh ace Josh Pickering made his mark against the nation’s big guns by taking third place, finishing the heats on 12, before winning semi-final two ahead of Brady Kurtz, Rohan Tungate and Justin Sedgmen.

Kurtz took fourth spot in the final, leaving him joint sixth in the overall standings alongside 2012 world champion Chris Holder on 21 championship points apiece.

Sedgmen stands just ahead of them on 22 in fifth and will now contest the remainder of the championship after initially only being seeded into round one in Gillman as a wild card. He replaces Brayden McGuinness.

Tungate is the nearest challenger to the Speedway GP trio in fourth place on 24 points overall, but he is yet to make a final appearance.

Former champion Sam Masters, Ben Cook and SON2 star Fraser Bowes have all withdrawn from the series and are replaced by Patrick Hamilton, Cooper Riordan and Michael West respectively.

The third round on Monday sees Doyle line up in his local event at Hunter Valley venue Kurri Kurri – just 45 minutes from his hometown Newcastle. The title decider then takes place at North Brisbane on Wednesday.

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Doyle 33, 2 Jack Holder 29, 3 Max Fricke 28, 4 Rohan Tungate 24, 5 Justin Sedgmen 22, 6= Chris Holder 21, Brady Kurtz 21, 8 Josh Pickering 20, 9 Zach Cook 12, 10 James Pearson 9, 11= Sam Masters 8, Ben Cook 8, Zane Keleher 8, 14= Fraser Bowes 3, Patrick Hamilton 3, Cooper Riordan 3, 17 Brayden McGuinness 2, 18= Maurice Brown 0, Michael West 0.

ALBURY HEAT SCORES: Max Fricke 14, Josh Pickering 12, Jason Doyle 12, Brady Kurtz 12, Jack Holder 12, Rohan Tungate 10, Chris Holder 10, Justin Sedgmen 9, Zach Cook 7, James Pearson 6, Zane Keleher 5, Zaine Kennedy 4, Patrick Hamilton 3, Cooper Riordan 3, Maurice Brown 0, Michael West 0.

SEMI-FINAL 1: Fricke, Doyle, C Holder, J Holder.

SEMI-FINAL 2: Pickering, Kurtz, Tungate, Sedgmen.

FINAL: Doyle, Fricke, Pickering, Kurtz.

SGP 7/1/23

[admin]

Speedway GP icon (they do love a sensationalist title ) Jason Doyle takes a three-point advantage into the Australian Championship decider after making it three wins on the bounce at Kurri Kurri.

Racing just 45 minutes from hometown Newcastle, Doyle took the fight to Sydney-born racer Jack Holder, who powered through the heats with a 15-point maximum.

Holder then won semi-final one ahead of Kurri Kurri local Rohan Tungate, Justin Sedgmen and Josh Pickering, while Doyle finished second to Brady Kurtz in semi-final two to take his place in the final, with reigning champion Max Fricke and 2012 world champion Chris Holder missing out.

Doyle then got the better of main title rival Jack Holder when it mattered most in the final, topping the podium to leave Kurri Kurri with 17 championship points.

But with Holder scoring 15 in the heats, the additional three he earned for second place in the final saw him claim 18 in total to close the gap on Doyle to three points.

With Doyle on 50 in total and Jack Holder on 47, a 17-point tally at the final round at North Brisbane would guarantee Doyle his second national title.

Tungate took third place in the final, moving him up to third in the overall standings on 38 ahead of Fricke, who now has 36.

The triple Aussie champion suffered a retirement in his second ride, scoring a win, two seconds and a third place in his other four outings. A costly third place in semi-final two then brought his night to an end, rendering the title fight a two-horse race between Doyle and Jack Holder.

But there is still much to race for as the competition is set to decide Australia’s entrants for this season’s Speedway GP qualification rounds. Fourth place at Kurri Kurri puts Kurtz firmly in contention for these as he stands fifth overall on 34, while Justin Sedgmen and Josh Pickering have 31 apiece and Chris Holder is on 30 in eighth place.

The title decider takes place at North Brisbane, promoted by former Speedway GP winner Darcy Ward, on Wednesday. The event is Queensland’s first Australian Championship event since 2012.

There will be live online coverage of the North Brisbane event on Wednesday from 17:45 Queensland time / 08:45 CET / 07:45 UK here.

Fans can tune in here: livestream-australia-pty-ltd.cleeng.com/2023-australian-speedway-championship-round-4-final/E476149533_AU?fbclid=IwAR0TJ87sbRMwh323yCqv_Tfl0zFgGjv8pPcVhWFPqhvUXJshdhHYb6ortSI - (is it free? If not then they can whistle)

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Doyle 50, 2 Jack Holder 47, 3 Rohan Tungate 38, 4 Max Fricke 36, 5 Brady Kurtz 34, 6= Justin Sedgmen 31, Josh Pickering 31, 8 Chris Holder 30, 9 Zach Cook 20, 10 Zane Keleher 14, 11 James Pearson 13, 12= Sam Masters 8, Ben Cook 8, 14= Patrick Hamilton 5, Jye Etheridge 5, 16 Cooper Riordan 4, 17 Fraser Bowes 3, 18 Brayden McGuinness 2, 19= Maurice Brown 0, Michael West 0, Kane Lawrence 0.

KURRI KURRI HEAT SCORES: Jack Holder 15, Jason Doyle 13, Rohan Tungate 12, Brady Kurtz 12, Josh Pickering 11, Chris Holder 9, Justin Sedgmen 9, Max Fricke 8, Zach Cook 8, Zane Keleher 6, Zaine Kennedy 5, Jye Etheridge 5, James Pearson 4, Patrick Hamilton 2, Cooper Riordan 1, Michael West 0, Kane Lawrence 0.

SEMI-FINAL 1: J Holder, Tungate, Sedgmen, Pickering (ret).

SEMI-FINAL 2: Kurtz, Doyle, Fricke, C Holder.

FINAL: Doyle, J Holder, Tungate, Kurtz.

sgp

[admin]

Speedway GP star Jack Holder stormed to his first Australian Championship in dramatic style as he topped the podium at North Brisbane to deny Jason Doyle.

Doyle won all three of the previous rounds at Gillman, Albury and Kurri Kurri, but Holder’s consistency throughout the heat races in a championship where race points convert to championship points kept him just three behind the 2017 Speedway GP world champion heading into Queensland’s first Australian Championship round since 2012.

Holder cut Doyle’s advantage to two points over five rides, with the Sheffield rider scoring 12 to the Ipswich star’s 11.

But disaster struck for Doyle in semi-final one when Max Fricke triumphed, with wild card Ryan Douglas making the most of his home-track knowledge to relegate Doyle into third place and bring his night to an early end. Holder took the chequered flag ahead of Rohan Tungate in semi-final two as they joined the final line-up.

With Doyle looking on from the pits on 61 points overall, victory or second place was enough to hand Holder his first Aussie senior crown. He delivered, winning an epic showdown with Fricke and Douglas to snatch the title with 63.

Outgoing champion Fricke, who was unable to make it four national titles on the bounce, ended his series on a high by finishing second on the night, with his 17-point haul at North Brisbane enough to bag the bronze medal on 53.

Former champion Tungate snatched third spot in North Brisbane from Douglas on the run to the line. But it was not enough to see him reach the rostrum as he finished fourth overall on 51.

All of the top four riders Holder, Doyle, Fricke and Tungate have earned the right to represent Australia in this season’s Speedway GP qualifying rounds, with Motorcycling Australia bosses set to offer one further spot to a wild card of their choice.

Brady Kurtz just missed out on the Speedway GP places, finishing fifth overall on 45, but has possibly put himself among the contenders for MA’s wild card.

Josh Pickering completed a solid series in sixth place on 39, with Justin Sedgmen on 38 in seventh and 2012 world champion Chris Holder ranked eighth on 37.

FINAL AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jack Holder 63, 2 Jason Doyle 61, 3 Max Fricke 53, 4 Rohan Tungate 51, 5 Brady Kurtz 45, 6 Josh Pickering 39, 7 Justin Sedgmen 38, 8 Chris Holder 37, 9 Zach Cook 28, 10 Zane Keleher 22, 11 James Pearson 16, 12 Zaine Kennedy 14, 13 Ryan Douglas 12, 14= Sam Masters 8, Ben Cook 8, 15 Patrick Hamilton 7, 16 Jye Etheridge 5, 17 Cooper Riordan 4, 18 Fraser Bowes 3, 19= Brayden McGuinness 2, Michael West 2.

NORTH BRISBANE HEAT SCORES: Max Fricke 14, Jack Holder 12, Jason Doyle 11, Rohan Tungate 11, Ryan Douglas 11, Brady Kurtz 11, Zach Cook 8, Zane Keleher 8, Josh Pickering 8, Chris Holder 7, Justin Sedgmen 7, Zaine Kennedy 5, James Pearson 3, Michael West 2, Patrick Hamilton 2, Cooper Riordan 0, Jacob Hook 0.

SEMI-FINAL 1: Fricke, Douglas, Doyle, Cook.

SEMI-FINAL 2: J Holder, Tungate, Kurtz, Keleher.

FINAL: J Holder, Fricke, Douglas, Tungate.

SGP