AUSTRALIAN SOLO CHAMPIONSHIP 2023 FIELD NAMED

Feature photo:  All three of Australia’s FIM Speedway of Nations world champions line up in the 2023 Australian Championship series as 2017 SGP world champion Jason Doyle, Max Fricke and Jack Holder go wheel-to-wheel this January.

The line-up for the 2023 Australian Championship has been revealed as all three of the nation’s Speedway GP riders race Down Under next month.

Former Speedway GP world champion Jason Doyle, reigning Aussie titleholder Max Fricke and Jack Holder all take their place in the field for the four-round series, which commences at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway on January 3.

Doyle lines up in the Aussie title for the first time since he lifted the National Championship in 2015, and 2023 will be his most high-profile appearance in his homeland since he famously won the 2017 FIM Speedway GP of Australia in Melbourne to clinch the FIM Speedway GP World Championship.

He’s joined Down Under by FIM Speedway of Nations world title-winning team mate Fricke, who claimed his third straight Aussie crown at Gillman last Saturday, while 2020 runner-up Holder is hoping to lift the national senior championship for the first time.

His older brother, 2012 Speedway GP world champion Chris Holder, is seeking his sixth national title, having won five between 2008 and 2014. Fellow former Aussie Champions Sam Masters, Brady Kurtz and Rohan Tungate will also be among the title contenders.

Former World Under-21 Champion Jaimon Lidsey has been named in the line-up, but his place in the series could be in doubt after his Polish club Leszno confirmed he suffered a broken wrist in heat 18 of the 2022 Australian Championship Final at Gillman last Saturday.

Edinburgh racer Josh Pickering could emerge as a dark horse Down Under after a strong 2022 season in the UK, along with brothers Ben and Zach Cook, who won an SGB Championship league and cup double with Poole.

SON2 team mates Fraser Bowes and James Pearson are both included in the field, along with Zaine Kennedy and Zane Keleher. The line-up for each round will be completed by a wild card.

Brayden McGuinness is named as first reserve for the championship and could be called into the full series if Lidsey is not passed fit. Josh MacDonald, Michael West, Patrick Hamilton and Liam May are also on the standby list.

2023 AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP LINE-UP: Fraser Bowes, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Jason Doyle, Max Fricke, Chris Holder, Jack Holder, Zane Keleher, Zaine Kennedy, Brady Kurtz, Jaimon Lidsey, Sam Masters, James Pearson, Josh Pickering, Rohan Tungate, plus one wild card per round. SUBSTITUTES: Brayden McGuinness, Josh MacDonald, Michael West, Patrick Hamilton, Liam May.