HOLDER, FRICKE & KURTZ SET FOR AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER AT GILLMAN

Speedway GP trio Jack Holder, Max Fricke and Brady Kurtz get their Australian Championship challenge underway when the four-series launches at Adelaide venue Gillman on Friday.

All three riders have previously been crowned national champion, with Fricke seeking title No.4 after topping the podium in 2019, 2020 and 2022. 

World No.6 Holder triumphed in 2023, with 2024 FIM SGP Challenge winner Kurtz bidding to end a nine-year wait for No.2 after claiming his national crown at the first attempt in 2016.

They face stiff competition from two-time and defending champion Rohan Tungate, as well as the likes of 2012 Speedway GP world champion Chris Holder, 2020 FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion Jaimon Lidsey, 2024 PGE Ekstraliga Surprise of the Season Ben Cook and his brother Zach, former SGP2 star Keynan Rew and the all-action Josh Pickering.

They are joined by SON2 bronze medallists James Pearson and Michael West, former SGP3 star Mitchell McDiarmid, Mitch Cluff, Harrison Ryan and Patrick Hamilton, who was called up as a late replacement for Justin Sedgmen, who is still feeling the effects of injuries suffered in Europe. He joins Ryan Douglas and Tate Zischke in sitting out.

After getting underway at Gillman, the series also visits Victorian venues Mildura on Sunday and Albury Wodonga on Wednesday, before concluding at the Darcy Ward-promoted North Brisbane track on Saturday, January 11.

The top two riders in the Aussie Championship earn places in the 2025 Speedway GP qualification rounds where they will battle to reach the FIM SGP Challenge in Holsted on August 9. The top four riders at the Danish event secure spots in the 2026 Speedway GP series.

Another berth in the SGP qualifiers is also on offer to the winner of the FIM Oceania Championship, which takes place at Gillman on January 25.

Fans around the world can watch the racing from Gillman live HERE at a cost of $30 AUD. 

GILLMAN LINE-UP (in alphabetical order): Mitch Cluff, Ben Cook, Zach Cook, Max Fricke, Patrick Hamilton, Chris Holder, Jack Holder, Brady Kurtz, Jaimon Lidsey, Mitchell McDiarmid, James Pearson, Josh Pickering, Keynan Rew, Harrison Ryan, Rohan Tungate, Michael West.