DOYLE RETAINS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

All Photos by: Judy Mackay

Feature photo: From left to right: Runner-up Max Fricke, winner Jason Doyle, third-placed Josh Pickering and Brady Kurtz who finished fourth.

Former world champion Jason Doyle stepped up his Australian Championship charge after powering to a second straight victory at round two of the series at NSW track Albury on Saturday night, January 7.

After racking up 12 points in the fiercely contested first 20 heats, Doyle was pitted into a star-studded semi-final one, which saw him finish second to Max Fricke, who topped the heat scorechart on 14, with brothers Chris and Jack Holder eliminated in third and fourth place respectively.

Despite defeats to Fricke in heats 14 and their semi-final, Doyle then came out on top when it mattered most, winning the final ahead of the reigning champion to notch 16 championship points and move on to 33 overall.

This, coupled with his victory at Gillman last Tuesday, earned him a four-point lead over nearest rival Jack Holder at the top of the standings, with Holder’s semi-final exit leaving him with the 12 he scored in the heats, giving him 29 in total.

Fricke’s second place in the final, added to the 14 he scored in the heats, saw him leave Albury with 17 championship points, giving him 28 overall and firing him firmly into title contention as he gained one point on Doyle by virtue of scoring two more than his Speedway GP rival in the heats.

King’s Lynn and Edinburgh ace Josh Pickering made his mark against the nation’s big guns by taking third place, finishing the heats on 12, before winning semi-final two ahead of Brady Kurtz, Rohan Tungate and Justin Sedgmen.

Kurtz took fourth spot in the final, leaving him joint sixth in the overall standings alongside 2012 World Champion Chris Holder on 21 championship points apiece.

Sedgmen stands just ahead of them on 22 in fifth and will now contest the remainder of the championship after initially only being seeded into round one in Gillman as a wild card. He replaces Brayden McGuinness.

Tungate is the nearest challenger to the Speedway GP trio in fourth place on 24 points overall, but he is yet to make a final appearance.

Former champion Sam Masters, Ben Cook and SON2 star Fraser Bowes have all withdrawn from the series and are replaced by Patrick Hamilton, Cooper Riordan and Michael West respectively.

The third round on Monday sees Doyle line up in his local event at Hunter Valley venue Kurri Kurri – just 45 minutes from his hometown Newcastle. The title decider then takes place at North Brisbane on Wednesday.

AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Doyle 33, 2 Jack Holder 29, 3 Max Fricke 28, 4 Rohan Tungate 24, 5 Justin Sedgmen 22, 6= Chris Holder 21, Brady Kurtz 21, 8 Josh Pickering 20, 9 Zach Cook 12, 10 James Pearson 9, 11= Sam Masters 8, Ben Cook 8, Zane Keleher 8, 14= Fraser Bowes 3, Patrick Hamilton 3, Cooper Riordan 3, 17 Brayden McGuinness 2, 18= Maurice Brown 0, Michael West 0.

ALBURY HEAT SCORES: Max Fricke 14, Josh Pickering 12, Jason Doyle 12, Brady Kurtz 12, Jack Holder 12, Rohan Tungate 10, Chris Holder 10, Justin Sedgmen 9, Zach Cook 7, James Pearson 6, Zane Keleher 5, Zaine Kennedy 4, Patrick Hamilton 3, Cooper Riordan 3, Maurice Brown 0, Michael West 0.

SEMI-FINAL 1: Fricke, Doyle, C Holder, J Holder.

SEMI-FINAL 2: Pickering, Kurtz, Tungate, Sedgmen.

FINAL: Doyle, Fricke, Pickering, Kurtz.