FRICKE GOES FIVE CLEAR IN AUSSIE TITLE RACE AS KURTZ TOPS MILDURA PODIUM

Triple champion Max Fricke took a stride closer to Australian Championship No.4, while former champion Brady Kurtz topped the podium at round four in Mildura on Thursday.

Kurtz saw off Fricke in second place and Kurri Kurri winner Rohan Tungate in third to triumph in the final at Olympic Park.

Victory pushed the Belle Vue Aces star up to fifth place in the overall standings as he collected 16 points on the night. But Speedway GP first reserve Fricke gathered 16 of his own to extend his pre-meeting championship lead over Tungate from two points to five.

Fricke raced to 13 points in the heats with Tungate registering 11 after the Oxford signing failed to score in his opening ride. And two-time Speedway GP winner Fricke extended the advantage in the final, collecting a further three points for second, with Tungate having to make do with two for third.

World No.4 Jack Holder was in the hunt for victory after topping the heat scorechart on 13 points. But disaster struck in the final when he fell on the opening lap and was excluded, meaning he did not even collect the consolation championship point for fourth place.

Fricke heads to the title decider at Adelaide track Gillman this Saturday on 59 points overall, requiring 15 championship points to be certain of his fourth Aussie title.

Tungate, second on 54, is the only rider with a realistic chance of denying him, but he will need a near-perfect performance at Gillman, coupled with a stumble from Fricke, to add to the Aussie title he won in 2018.

Holder and Lidsey, tied on 48 points in third and fourth respectively, appear likely to fight over the bronze medal – unless Kurtz continues his late surge – and they will be determined to capitalise on any slip-ups from Tungate, who has a six-point advantage in the race for second place.

The top four riders will be guaranteed places in the 2025 Speedway GP international qualifying rounds this May, where riders will compete for a spot in the FIM GP Challenge at Czech track Pardubice on October 4. The top three riders there secure a pass into the 2025 Speedway GP line-up.

Fricke is just one point away from being mathematically certain of a Speedway GP qualification place, while Tungate needs six and Holder and Lidsey can guarantee their places with 12 points in Gillman.

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 4/5): 1 Max Fricke 59, 2 Rohan Tungate 54, 3 Jack Holder 48, 4 Jaimon Lidsey 48, 5 Brady Kurtz 40, 6 Ryan Douglas 36, 7 Josh Pickering 34, 8 Sam Masters 34, 9 Ben Cook 32, 10 Chris Holder 31, 11 Zach Cook 24, 12 Keynan Rew 17, 13 James Pearson 15, 14 Justin Sedgmen 9, 15 Fraser Bowes 8, 16 Michael West 7, 17 Tate Zischke 5, 18 Jye Etheridge 4, 19 Jack Morrison 3.

MILDURA HEAT SCORES: 1 Jack Holder 13, 2 Max Fricke 13, 3 Jaimon Lidsey 12, 4 Brady Kurtz 12, 5 Rohan Tungate 11, 6 Sam Masters 10, 7 Justin Sedgmen 9, 8 Ben Cook 8, 9 Ryan Douglas 7, 10 Josh Pickering 7, 11 Zach Cook 5, 12 Chris Holder 4, 13 Keynan Rew 4, 14 Fraser Bowes 4, 15 Michael West 1, 16 James Pearson 0, 17 Jack Morrison DNR, 18 Dayle Wood DNR, 19 Jake Turner DNR.

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

SEMI-FINAL 2: Kurtz, Fricke, Masters, B Cook.

FINAL: Kurtz, Fricke, Tungate, J Holder (f exc).