FIVE NATIONS PREPARE FOR BATTLE IN THE LEIGH ADAMS MEDAL

Excluding the now defunct FIM Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium, no other event in Australian speedway solo racing, has boasted riders from five different nations for more than twenty years.

Not since the glory days of the International Speedway Masters of yesteryear, has domestic speedway in Australia seen an event of the magnitude you will witness this weekend.

The Ikon Suspension International Speedway Masters, at Gillman, presented by Ray White Gawler, is, in many ways, a blast from the past, featuring world class riders from Australia, America, Denmark, Czech Republic and Great Britain. How good it is!

The night two event (December 28) has also been designed as a tribute to the legendary Leigh Adams and thus, the Leigh Adams Medal was created, to honour one of Australia’s all-time greats.

Leigh Adams carved out an incredible twenty-one-year professional career, which saw him emerge as one of the best speedway solo exponents of all time, in a golden era that featured legends like Hans Nielsen, Tony Rickardsson and Jason Crump, to name just some.

The field contesting this weekend’s event is impressive, to say the least. The Holder Brothers, Chris and Jack, will undoubtedly prove to be genuine fan favourites.

Chris, the 2012 World Champion, has just completed what was arguably his best season in England and Europe for several seasons. It’s no secret that Chris, after he won the World Championship, endured a plethora of serious injuries, and his 2024 form abroad, is a testament to his fighting spirit. The five-time Australian Champion is a legend of our sport, and he will ignite the track this weekend.

Jack Holder, is of course, a speedway mega star on the rise and he’ll emerge as a major contender in the Leigh Adams Medal. The former Speedway of Nations World Champion and current SGP star, has also battled injury over the past eighteen months but he undoubtedly has the speed and ability to climb the sport’s highest mountain.

It’s great to have the ever reliable and supremely talented Max Fricke in the field too. As a former World Under 21 Champion, multiple Australian Champion, Speedway of Nations Champion and current SGP rider, Max will put on a great show and the “always in control” Victorian will set the track ablaze!

Fan favourite, the ever professional, Jaimon Lidsey, was the first rider to sign on for the #ISM24 (Leigh Adams Medal) and the Mildura star is a welcome addition to the lineup. Lidsey put on an absolute clinic in demolishing the field at last summer’s Australian Speedway Centenary and he’s always superb at finding the fastest line around the Gillman circuit.

Mildura’s Justin Sedgmen is another extremely fast Australian rider present this weekend, and he has enjoyed a brilliant run of form, of late, winning the Jason Lyons Trophy at Olympic Park Speedway a fortnight ago. He suffered serious injuries in the UK this year but has bounced back superbly. He is electrifying around Gillman.

Youngster, Michael West, was a late inclusion in the event, replacing Tate Zischke and the current Australian Under 21 Champion, should not be discounted. He is a star on the rise.

Hometown favourite, Adelaide’s Fraser Bowes, will have an army of supporters in the grandstand as he continues a rich family tradition that has made the Bowes name synonymous in South Australian speedway. Fraser had a strong season abroad, primarily in Poland, and his confidence should be sky-high on what is his home track.

Current WA Champion and Aussie international rider, Luke Killeen, is a young rider worth watching at this weekend’s event. The nineteen-year-old looks destined for a big career, a fact which underlined by his sparkling form in the UK in 2024. Killeen is part of the “new generation” of emerging Aussie speedway stars.

Victoria’s Jack Morrison is another Australian rider who deserves his crack in the “big time” this weekend. Morrison is desperate to carve out a career internationally and his dedication to plying his trade is evident by the many thousands of kilometres he travels each year throughout Australia.

Sam Masters, from Newcastle in NSW, is a racer’s racer and the former Australian Champion and international rider, will have no issues mixing it with all the big guns in the #ISM24. Masters, on his night, can beat anyone in the world.

Young Mitchell McDiarmid, from Perth, recently won the West Australian Championship and he was called up to take his place in the field to replace Poland’s Kacper Grzelak, who was unable to take part due to Visa issues. McDiarmid is one of the “new generation” of Aussie Speedway internationals and this event represents a huge opportunity for the impressive sixteen-year-old.

There are two British riders taking part in the Leigh Adams Medal and both warrants paying attention. Tom Brennan has won an FIM Gold Medal in 2021 Speedway of Nations and his form in Poland, England, and Sweden in 2024 was splendid.

Brennan is joined by nineteen-year-old compatriot, Sam Hagon, the current British Under 21 Champion, who hails from Waltham Abbey (UK), is regarded as one of the world’s most improved riders in 2024.

The Czech Republic is represented in this event, by one of the world’s fastest riders, in current SGP star, Jan Kvech. The twenty-two-year-old, from Strakonice, won the Czech National Championship this season and qualified for the 2025 SGP Series to cap off a solid season. Kvech is ultra-fast and is certain to thrill the big Gillman crowd.

Denmark’s Jonas Jeppesen, a two time Danish Under 21 Champion, has also made his maiden trip Down Under to take part in the Leigh Adams Medal. Jeppesen typifies Danish speedway riders, with his gating ability and super smooth style. The Dane is most definitely one to watch.

America’s Luke Becker, a product of California, is another foreign rider in the #ISM24 who should prove to be super competitive. Becker, had a great season in Europe, highlighted by defeating Polish legend Bartosz Zmarzlik, a couple of times, in the FIM Speedway of Nations.