WOFFINDEN INVITATIONAL WINNER

Triple world champion Tai Woffinden is warming up nicely for his Speedway GP title quest in 2023 after winning the Darcy Ward Invitational meeting at North Brisbane on Friday.

Woffinden raced to four victories across his five heats, beaten only by former Aussie champion Rohan Tungate and Speedway GP star Max Fricke, when he finished third in heat 12.

But Woffy went unbeaten for the rest of the night, winning semi-final one ahead of Jake Allen, Zaine Kennedy and Aussie SON2 star James Pearson. He then triumphed over local favourite Ryan Douglas, who was second in the final, with Fricke third and Tungate crashing on lap two.

Fricke and Tungate topped the heat score chart on 14 points to earn automatic qualification for the final, forcing Woffy to fight his way through semi one.

Douglas defied breakdowns in his opening two rides to make it to the semis with eight points. He then won semi-final two ahead of one of Ward’s protegees Declan Kennedy, Michael West and Nick Morris, before claiming second spot overall on the night.

Woffinden now heads back to his Aussie home near Perth, where he will line up in the Rob Woffinden Classic at Pinjar Park on February 4.

The meeting is staged in honour of Tai’s father, who played a key role in building the track and passed away in 2010 – shortly before the Brit made his Speedway GP debut.

The Rob Woffinden Classic also features former World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey, who makes his racing return after suffering a broken wrist in the 2022 Australian Championship event at Gillman on December 10.

Douglas, Justin Sedgmen and Cameron Heeps also compete at Pinjar Park.