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WARD EXPECTS FINAL SHOWDOWN FOR AUSSIE CROWN

Former Speedway GP winner Darcy Ward is backing the Australian Championship race to go all the way to the final four laps in Brisbane. Round two of the championship takes place at Victorian venue Albury on Saturday, with Speedway GP rivals Jason Doyle and Jack Holder deadlocked on 17 points at the top of the standings. Doyle topped the podium in round one at Adelaide track Gillman last Tuesday, with Holder second and reigning champion Max Fricke third on the night. But a stuttering start, which saw Fricke fail to score from his opening two rides, meant that he left fifth in the standings with 11 points – level with 2012 world champion Chris Holder. Rohan Tungate is third on 14 after dropping just one point in the Gillman heats, before being disqualified from his semi-final, while Justin Sedgmen is fourth in the standings on 13 after finishing fourth last Tuesday. Round three takes place at Kurri Kurri on Monday, before 2014 Danish SGP winner Ward hosts the fourth and final round of the series at North Brisbane next Wednesday – the first time Queensland has staged a round of the Australian Championship since 2012. Ward now serves as North Brisbane’s promoter. After years of helping to develop the sport’s next generation of stars there, he can’t wait to stage one of the biggest meetings in the club’s history. The Poole and Torun legend is expecting an epic fight for the Aussie crown over the next five days. “I think this is the best field we have seen in 10 years,” he said. “We have so many top riders – three Speedway GP riders and two world champions. I don’t think we have seen that in a very long time. “I would say Doyley and Jack are probably the favourites. Max is coming off an injury, but he will be there. If he’s fit after his crash at Gillman, I think Brady Kurtz will have a good Australian Championship. He rode the best I have ever seen him race last year in Europe. Rohan has had a pretty good season and so has Chris. “I think it will come down to the final in Brisbane. You can’t miss out on those finals. There could be two or three or them that make the final every time, so it’s going to be about where they finish in the finals. There are not many rounds, and you can’t have a bad night – that’s for sure. It’s an exciting thing, but it’s also a bit cutthroat. You have to make the final at every round.” The Aussie Championship series is also a chance for fans Down Under to welcome home their FIM Speedway of Nations world champions Jack Holder, Fricke and Doyle, who clinched the country’s first world team title since 2002 in Vojens on July 30. “The whole of Australian Speedway was really proud of them,” Ward said. “It had been such a long time. They deserved it. “They rode well and Lemo (team manager Mark Lemon) deserved it too. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. It’s always fun to ride for Australia and I know Lemo keeps that vibe.” Ward will be streaming live online coverage of the title-deciding North Brisbane round across the globe, featuring commentary from David Tapp and Rod Colquhoun and Sam Ermolenko reporting from the pits. Fans can tune in on Wednesday from 17:45 Queensland time / 08:45 CET / 07:45 UK here: https://livestream-australia-pty-ltd.cleeng.com/2023-australian-speedway-championship-round-4-final/E476149533_AU?fbclid=IwAR0TJ87sbRMwh323yCqv_Tfl0zFgGjv8pPcVhWFPqhvUXJshdhHYb6ortSI There will also be live coverage of the Darcy Ward Invitational at North Brisbane on Friday, January 13, featuring the likes of triple world champion Tai Woffinden, Fricke, Tungate and Kurtz. Tune in from 17.15 Queensland time / 08:15 CET / 07:15 UK here: https://livestream-australia-pty-ltd.cleeng.com/darcy-ward-invitational/E373359600_AU?fbclid=IwAR2ijiD0DsfBr5xA14lMqbJRd0Q_-6lhdiiben7AbJwxi9SWbgKmVWVHqhM AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after round one): 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.

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MADSEN LAUNCHES EUROPEAN TITLE DEFENCE IN CZESTOCHOWA

Speedway GP star Leon Madsen will launch his Speedway European Championship title defence at PGE Ekstraliga home track Czestochowa on June 17 after the 2023 SEC calendar was confirmed. The continental series will be staged over four rounds once again, with the winner guaranteed a place in the 2024 Speedway GP line-up. The action gets underway on the high-speed Czestochowa circuit, before German track Gustrow stages round two on August 5. Former Polish Speedway GP venue Bydgoszcz hosts round three on September 9, before the champion is crowned at Czech track Pardubice on September 22 as part of the club’s famous Golden Helmet weekend. Madsen overhauled Polish star Janusz Kolodziej to lift the trophy in 2022, but the Dane did not need the 2023 Speedway GP spot on offer to the winner, as he had already guaranteed a top-six finish in the 2022 Speedway GP World Championship. As a result, the SGP qualification place passed to a sixth wild card, nominated by the SGP Commission. But victory in the European rounds offers another possible route into next season’s Speedway GP line-up and last year’s runner-up Kolodziej will hope to go one better this season and return to the sport’s biggest stage for the first time since 2019. Madsen and Kolodziej are joined in qualifying automatically for the 2023 SEC series by last year’s bronze medallist Mikkel Michelsen, who is seeking his third European title. His Speedway GP rival Patryk Dudek in fourth place and Poland’s Dominik Kubera in fifth were the other automatic qualifiers. The remaining places in the SEC line-up will be handed to wild cards and the top riders from the SEC Challenge at Hungarian track Nagyhalasz on May 14 – the day after the PZM FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw. The qualifiers for the SEC Challenge take place at Italian track Terenzano on April 25, former FIM Latvian Speedway GP track Daugavpils on April 29 and Austrian venue Mureck and Hungarian circuit Debrecen on May 1.

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MASTERS OUT OF AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP

Aussie star Sam Masters has confirmed his Australian Championship is over as he awaits scans on a shoulder injury. Masters crashed in semi-final two of the opening round at Adelaide track Gillman on Tuesday. While the Wolverhampton and Oxford man confirmed he suffered no broken bones, Masters admits he will not be fit to race in the final three rounds at Albury on Saturday, Kurri Kurri on Monday and North Brisbane on Wednesday. Posting on Twitter, the Newcastle-born racer wrote: “Not the way I planned for Aussie Championship to go, crashing out and damaging my shoulder. I have pulled out of the series as I can’t lift my arm at all. Nothing broken so will be getting some scans to find out more.” Masters’ 2022 season was hampered by a broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder suffered at SGB Championship club Edinburgh in late July, leaving him racing through the pain barrier in the closing months of the campaign. He now faces a battle to regain full fitness ahead of the European season, which features Masters’ UK testimonial event at Wolverhampton on March 26. Photo: Taylor Lanning

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MASTERS & KURTZ FACE FITNESS FIGHT

Aussie duo Sam Masters and Brady Kurtz both suffered injuries in the opening round of the Australian Championship at Gillman on Tuesday. Masters crashed in the first run of semi-final two and was taken to hospital for checks. While he suffered no broken bones, he is undergoing physiotherapy for muscle damage to his left shoulder. There are also concerns over Kurtz after his Polish club Rybnik confirmed he suffered a broken rib when he crashed in heat 19 of the Gillman round, with the pursuing Ben Cook unable to avoid him. It is unclear whether the pair will be fit for round two of the Australian Championship at Victorian track Albury on Saturday, with the series then moving to Hunter Valley venue Kurri Kurri on Monday, before concluding at North Brisbane next Wednesday. A post on Masters’ Facebook page confirmed he is working to return to action as soon as possible. It read: “Sam has visited hospital following his crash in the opening round of the Australian Championships. Thankfully nothing has been broken but he does have muscle damage to his left shoulder. He will now undergo physio to get himself fit and back on a bike as soon as possible. We will update you as soon as we have any other news.” Speedway GP rider Jason Doyle won the opening round of the Aussie Championship, with Jack Holder beating Max Fricke to second place. Doyle and Holder are tied on 17 championship points at the top of the standings ahead of the Albury round. Photo: Taylor Lanning

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DOYLE VICTORIOUS IN AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER AT GILLMAN

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 on Tuesday. 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.

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WARD EXPECTS FINAL SHOWDOWN FOR AUSSIE CROWN

MADSEN LAUNCHES EUROPEAN TITLE DEFENCE IN CZESTOCHOWA

MASTERS OUT OF AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP

MASTERS & KURTZ FACE FITNESS FIGHT

DOYLE VICTORIOUS IN AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER AT GILLMAN