TUNGATE STUNS FRICKE TO SNATCH AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP GLORY

Feature photo courtesy of Australian Speedway Championships Facebook page

Oxford star Rohan Tungate stormed to his second Australian Championship crown after overturning Max Fricke’s five-point advantage on a dramatic night at Adelaide track Gillman on Saturday.

Triple Aussie champion Fricke went into the fifth and final round as red-hot favourite to lift the trophy, but his title bid was derailed when he scored just two points in his opening three heats – in a series where race points convert to championship points. 

An exclusion following a clash with Tungate in race two was followed by two third places for Fricke. In contrast, Tungate blazed through his opening four rides unbeaten to score 12 points, before making it 13 with third place behind Jaimon Lidsey and Ben Cook in race 18.

Fricke produced a miraculous fightback to win his final two heats, sending him into the semi-finals and leaving him level with Tungate on 67 overall.

The pair met in a stellar semi-final one, which also featured brothers Jack and Chris Holder. Both were desperate for final qualification, Tungate took a priceless victory as the Holders left Fricke stranded at the back and out of the meeting. 

This meant Tungate only had to finish the final to add to the Aussie title he won in 2018, and he delivered more than the fourth place required.

Brady Kurtz ended a great night on a high with victory in the final – his second straight round win after topping the Mildura podium on Thursday – as he claimed fifth place in the championship overall on 57 points.

But second was enough to leave Tungate on 70 points – three clear of Fricke, whose eight-point tally left him heartbroken on 67 in second.

A tense battle for bronze ended in a run-off between Speedway GP star Jack Holder and 2020 World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey. Jack tallied 12 points in the heats with Lidsey registering 11, but the Belle Vue man pipped the world No.4 to third place in the final, leaving them level on 61 overall. 

Holder came out on top in the run-off, securing third place overall. But Lidsey can console himself with a spot in the Speedway GP qualifiers as he joins new champion Tungate, Fricke and Jack Holder in entering the international rounds, which culminate in the FIM GP Challenge at Czech track Pardubice on October 4. The top three riders on the city’s famous Golden Helmet weekend earn guaranteed spots in the 2025 Speedway GP series.

There is one more Speedway GP qualification spot up for grabs in Australia. This will be handed to the highest-placed Aussie representative in the FIM Oceania Championship at Gillman on January 27.

FINAL AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Rohan Tungate 70, 2 Max Fricke 67, 3 Jack Holder 61+3, 4 Jaimon Lidsey 61+2, 5 Brady Kurtz 57, 6 Ben Cook 42, 7 Chris Holder 42, 8 Josh Pickering 41, 9 Sam Masters 41, 10 Ryan Douglas 40, 12 Zach Cook 28, 12 Keynan Rew 22, 13 James Pearson 18, 14 Michael West 14, 15 Fraser Bowes 11, 16 Justin Sedgmen 9, 17 Tate Zischke 5, 18 Jye Etheridge 4, 19 Jack Morrison 3, 20 Jake Turner 1.

GILLMAN HEAT SCORES: 1 Rohan Tungate 13, 2 Brady Kurtz 13, 3 Jack Holder 12, 4 Jaimon Lidsey 11, 5 Chris Holder 11, 6 Ben Cook 10, 7 Max Fricke 8, 8 Sam Masters 7, 9 Josh Pickering 7, 10 Michael West 7, 11 Keynan Rew 5, 12 Ryan Douglas 4, 13 Zach Cook 4, 14 Fraser Bowes 3, 15 James Pearson 3, 16 Jake Turner 1, 17 Jack Morrison 0, 18 Dayle Wood DNR. 

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

SEMI-FINAL 2: Lidsey, Kurtz, B Cook, Masters.

FINAL: Kurtz, Tungate, Lidsey, J Holder.

RUN-OFF FOR THIRD PLACE: J Holder, Lidsey.