WOFFINDEN FOR 2024 FIM OCEANIA SPEEDWAY CHAMPIONSHIP

Triple world champion Tai Woffinden will go for FIM Oceania Speedway Championship glory at Gillman on January 27 as a host of Australian stars battle for a Speedway GP qualification spot.

Perth-raised Woffy competes in the continental championship showdown in Adelaide, where he finished third behind fellow British international Adam Ellis and Speedway GP star Jason Doyle in December 2022.

His trip to Gillman is the latest event of a busy Aussie summer season for Woffy, who raced in the Johnnie Hoskins Founders Cup at Kurri Kurri last Saturday and will compete in the Darcy Ward-promoted Australian Speedway Centenary event at North Brisbane on December 29. He will also race in Mildura’s 75th Anniversary event on Australia Day – Friday, January 26 – the night before the FIM Oceania showdown.

The stakes are even higher for the Australian-licensed contingent in the FIM Oceania meeting, with the highest-placed home rider guaranteed a spot in next year’s Speedway GP qualification rounds – alongside the top four from January’s Australian Championship.

Speedway GP first reserve Max Fricke will be among the frontrunners for FIM Oceania gold alongside former Aussie champions Brady Kurtz and Sam Masters. Former World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey should also be a title contender, along with the likes of Josh Pickering and Justin Sedgmen.

New Aussie Under-21 champion Michael West takes his place in the field, along with former SON2 stars James Pearson and Fraser Bowes. Woffinden is not the only Brit in the line-up, with recent Poole Pirates signing Sam Hagon making the trip.

FIM OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIP LINE-UP: Sam Masters, Brady Kurtz, Justin Sedgmen, Zane Keleher, Max Fricke, Jaimon Lidsey, Josh Pickering, Jack Morrison, Patrick Hamilton, James Pearson, Jacob Hook, Fraser Bowes, Michael West, Tai Woffinden, Jake Turner, Sam Hagon. RESERVES: Dayle Wood, Matthew Marson, Sam Martin, Riley Plum.

Gillman:

A summer of supremely entertaining speedway action will continue in Gillman (SA) on Saturday, January 27, when the 2024 FIM Oceania Speedway Championship welcomes a three-time world champion to take on a star-studded local roster.

The multiple FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) champion is Briton Tai Woffinden, who long ago pencilled in the Oceania Championship as one of the marquee events he’d contest during his regular sojourn Down Under to escape the northern hemisphere winter.

As he prepares to head home for another intense SGP and domestic league season, the 33-year-old speedway powerhouse would love to complete his Aussie trek on a high, but it won’t be easy with the likes of Sam Masters, Brady Kurtz, Justin Sedgmen, Jaimon Lidsey and Josh Pickering awaiting him.

For the local contingent, the event also holds extra significance with the FIM Track Commission recently awarding a 2024 SGP qualifying spot for the first-placed Australian rider (with a Motorcycling Australia licence) in the Oceania showpiece.

Four 2024 SGP qualifying spots have already been awarded via the Australian Speedway Championship – Rohan Tungate, Max Fricke, Jack Holder and Lidsey the beneficiaries – which means the Oceania Championship is crunch time for seasoned campaigners such as Masters and Kurtz.

Once the Oceania qualifier is locked in, the five riders will begin the European-based SGP qualification process later this year – with the top three in the final-frontier SGP Challenge meeting added to the 2025 SGP roster.

Brady Kurtz. Image: Judy Mackay

However, the most pressing concern is getting the job done at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway, which has just come off hosting duties in the final round of the Australian Championship.

With the venue’s purpose-built 300-metre track again in pristine condition, the Oceania Speedway Championship is shaping as a battle royal from start to finish.

Gates will open at 4:00pm on Saturday, followed by practice between 5:15-6:15pm and racing at 7:00pm. For livestream details keep an eye on the official Gillman Speedway Facebook page.