WARD SEES LAST RACE AS TITLE DECIDER

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, January 7 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.