TUNGATE TRIUMPHS TO EXTEND AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AT KURRI KURRI

Local hero Rohan Tungate extended his Australian Championship advantage to three points after winning round two at his home track Kurri Kurri on Sunday.

Racing was curtailed after 20 heats without the semis and final taking place due to deteriorating track conditions at the venue in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley region.

But little could stop Tungate, who made the most of his local knowledge to charge to victory in his opening four rides, before Ryan Douglas got the better of him in a re-run heat 20.

This left Tungate top of the scorechart on 14. Added to his 16-point haul in round one at North Brisbane, the 2018 Aussie champion now has 30 overall – putting him three ahead of triple champion Max Fricke (27), who took victory at the opener last Thursday.

Speedway GP star Jack Holder moved up to fourth spot in the championship on 22 points after pipping Max Fricke to second at Kurri Kurri. The pair tied on 12 points and on countback, but 2023 champion Holder won their head-to-head in heat 18, putting him a step higher on the podium.

Birmingham racer Zach Cook impressed on nine points to take fourth place on the day, while five riders tied on eight after five rides.

Despite failing to score in his opening two outings, Jaimon Lidsey hit back with a second and two wins to finish fifth overall, ensuring he remains third in the championship on 23 and still within reach of Tungate.

Douglas also netted two wins on his way to eight. Had the semi-finals taken place, 2012 Speedway GP world champion Chris Holder and 2016 Aussie champion Brady Kurtz also would have made the cut on countback with one win apiece. Sam Masters also took a victory but failed to finish his third ride and Ben Cook did not register a heat win, meaning they would have fallen short of the top eight.

But with the semis and final abandoned, positions only count for prize money with the riders adding the points they scored from 20 heats to their championship total.

The action now moves to Albury-Wodonga on the NSW-Victoria state border this Tuesday, before Mildura’s iconic Olympic Park stages round four on Thursday. The championship concludes at Adelaide venue Gillman next Saturday.

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER ROUND 2/5): 1 Rohan Tungate 30, 2 Max Fricke 27, 3 Jaimon Lidsey 23, 4 Jack Holder 22, 5 Josh Pickering 19, 6 Chris Holder 18, 7= Brady Kurtz 16, Ryan Douglas 16, 9 Sam Masters 15, 10 Ben Cook 14, 11 Zach Cook 13, 12 James Pearson 11, 13 Keynan Rew 7, 14= Tate Zischke 5, Michael West 5, 16= Fraser Bowes 4, Jye Etheridge 4.

KURRI KURRI SCORES: 1 Rohan Tungate 14, 2 Jack Holder 12, 3 Max Fricke 12, 4 Zach Cook 9, 5 Jaimon Lidsey 8, 6 Ryan Douglas 8, 7 Chris Holder 8, 8 Brady Kurtz 8, 9 Sam Masters 8, 10 Ben Cook 8, 11 Josh Pickering 7, 12 Michael West 4, 13 James Pearson 4, 14 Jye Etheridge 4, 15 Fraser Bowes 3, 16 Keynan Rew 2, 17 Kane Lawrence DNR, 18 18 Brad Page DNR.