Somersby 27th January 2010

A small but enthusiastic bunch of solo and sidecar riders turned out for the first pointscore round of 2010. Reigning Australian number 3 junior Tyler had a day to forget. A third, an exclusion (adjudged to have caused Jack Holder to fall) and a fall left him with only 1 point after three rounds. Lawson Walters and Josh Fletcher were the beneficiaries of Tyler's misfortunes. Lawson was a little ragged at times but tries hard and with time and a little coaching should become a good speedway rider. Likewise Josh who pushed Jack hard on a number of occasions. Jack had a great start with four wins before Tyler found his form and came from behind to win the last heat.

The three sidecars all had a share of wins. Shane Hudson & Sam Gilbert had two wins as did the Hayden Bond/Cox combo. Mitchell Watson had a very exciting win starting from the inside after taking a very tight line through the first turns. Hudson and Bond were close for a couple of laps and their duel helped Watson to keep his lead. Bond dropped back a bit and Hudson applied the pressure to the leader. It looked close a couple of times when it appeared that Hudson might push his way through but Watson kept his lines and took the win.

It was a modest start to the season but we expect to see a few more riders as the year progresses.

Aust 125 & 350 Championship - Tamworth 29th & 20th Jan

Some great racing and a little controversy all added to an exciting Australian U16 125 Speedway Championship at Tamworth.

The racing began early due to the threat of rain. There had been a torrential downpour in town late in the afternoon and it looked to be heading to the track. The organisers quickly moved through three rounds dispensing with most of the support classes.

By then the favourites for the final began to emerge. Defending champion Arthur Sissis had maximum points from three wins while Nick Morris, Brady Kurtz and Jack Fallon had two wins each. Cameron Heeps and Tyler King were not far behind.

Tyler was riding as well as I have ever seen him ride and had the benefit of the Holder family advising him. It worked because a win and a second place put him into the A Final.

Brady picked up two wins and Arthur won one to put these two level on 14 points and also into the A Final.

Hard luck story had to go to Robert Medson. He fell in his second heat after hitting the back of race winner Morris and then bike problems robbed him of a certain win in the next heat. A second place and a win in his last two heats gave him a boost but not enough for the finals.

The B Final consisted of Blake Russell, Nick Morris, Cameron Heeps and Jack Fallon. Cameron lead all the way hounded by Nick. When the last lap flag came out Nick charged under Cameron through the turns and held on to take the chequered flag. The race, however, was five laps, not the regulation four. The referee declared the race at four laps and Cameron was adjudged the winner. There was a protest by Nick but the result was upheld.

When the tapes went up Arthur got the jump on Brady followed by Tyler and Cameron. As they raced around Arthur took too much speed into turn one and went wide. This left a gap for Brady to power through into the lead. Arthur was all over the back of him and at the end of lap 3 the pressure may have got to Brady as he was a little ragged through the turns allowing Arthur to come up on him. Brady steadied and rode a very tight last lap to win. They were followed by Tyler in third then Cameron.

Brady Kurtz has many state and national titles in dirt track to his name and now, at last, is he Australian U16 125cc speedway champion.

Saturday 30th January – Tamworth
More controversy with the junior sidecars. There were enough nominations to have the 12 starters required to have an Australian championship. Then, apparently, an MA official advised one of the competitors that there would be no championship so the competitor withdrew. The organisers were, understandably, angry at this turn of events. Many had travelled a long way to attend the event only to have championship status withdrawn. I was told that one of the passengers turned up only to find his rider had pulled out. If this is so then a very poor attitude by some of the young sidecar riders and/or their parents.

Racing still went ahead as a support to the solos. It was a case of what could have been for Shane Hudson and Sam Gilbert. They won every heat, sometimes from behind, but sadly no Australian title.

The 125cc pairs was an afternoon to forget for newly crowned champion Brady Kurtz. A fall and some DNFs were in sharp contrast to the night before. His partner Tyler King was consistent with points but both riders need to score. On this occasion SA paring of Robert Medson and Arthur Sissis had a number of one/two finishes to secure top spot. Second were Jack Fallon and Max Fricke (VIC) with Cameron Heeps and Blake Russell (WA) third.

The 350cc bike is a great opportunity to see how the boys handle a full sized bike, albeit with a smaller motor. It really shows the skill and speed of the riders in a way the 125cc can't.

Disappointingly Sam Anderson and Brayden Munro were non starters. Brayden Elliott was a DNF in the first heat and did not reappear so a number of heats featured only 3 riders.

On a large track like Tamworth there was plenty see as far as speed and rider skill but little in the way of passing. Once the leaders had taken position there often was not much the rest could do to catch and pass. One notable exception was Robert Medson who, in his last heat, chased Cameron Heeps all the way and finally took the lead on the last lap. This win gave him the points he needed to get to the A Final.

On the other hand Dane Cartwright lost his chance at the A Final by taking too much speed into the corner and going wide. He went from second down to last and this was crucial in the points at the end of the heats. He made the B Final but did not make the start due to mechanical problems. Other B Finalists were Harley Brigden, Michael Denton and Arthur Sissis. As with the heats Arthur made a great start and the others did not have the speed to catch or pass him.

Arthur joined Robert Medson, Nick Morris and Dylan Blain in the A Final. Nick made the best start on the inside and as the bunch went through the turns Arthur rode the high line around them. He came out in the lead and, as was the case all night, the others could not catch him. Nick Morris chased but had to settle for second with Robert 3rd and Dylan in 4th.

Arthur has shown his class on the 125cc bike and now certainly looks the goods on the 350cc. The big question is will he stick with speedway or go road racing. Time will tell.

NSW 350 Championship & 125 Support 14th Nov 2009

The Queenslanders came, saw and conquered in the NSW U16 350 Championship. The finalists were Dane Cartwright (highest scorer), Nick Morris, Bryce Johnson and Dylan Blaine. Nick and Dylan made the best starts followed by Bryce and Dane. Dane had been the best performer in the heats but a bad start cost him any chance of a win. Nick pulled a small gap on Bryce and he held on for the win.

Tyler King had a great evening under lights in the 125 support class. He won all his heats and then comfortably won the final from Matt Day, Nick Morris (doubling up in the 350s) and Harley Brigden.