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WOFFY WINS DARCY WARD INVITATIONAL AT NORTH BRISBANE

Triple world champion Tai Woffinden is warming up nicely for his Speedway GP title quest in 2023 after winning the Darcy Ward Invitational meeting at North Brisbane on Friday. Woffinden raced to four victories across his five heats, beaten only by former Aussie champion Rohan Tungate and Speedway GP star Max Fricke, when he finished third in heat 12. But Woffy went unbeaten for the rest of the night, winning semi-final one ahead of Jake Allen, Zaine Kennedy and Aussie SON2 star James Pearson. He then triumphed over local favourite Ryan Douglas, who was second in the final, with Fricke third and Tungate crashing on lap two. Fricke and Tungate topped the heat scorechart on 14 points to earn automatic qualification for the final, forcing Woffy to fight his way through semi one. Douglas defied breakdowns in his opening two rides to make it to the semis with eight points. He then won semi-final two ahead of one of Ward’s protegees Declan Kennedy, Michael West and Nick Morris, before claiming second spot overall on the night. Woffinden now heads back to his Aussie home near Perth, where he will line up in the Rob Woffinden Classic at Pinjar Park on February 4. The meeting is staged in honour of Tai’s father, who played a key role in building the track and passed away in 2010 – shortly before the Brit made his Speedway GP debut. The Rob Woffinden Classic also features former World Under-21 champion Jaimon Lidsey, who makes his racing return after suffering a broken wrist in the 2022 Australian Championship event at Gillman on December 10. The likes of Douglas, Justin Sedgmen and Cameron Heeps also compete at Pinjar Park.

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WARD: ZMARZLIK THE SPEEDWAY GP RIDER TO BEAT IN 2023

Aussie legend Darcy Ward believes triple world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik “will be the man to beat for the next six years” in Speedway GP. The Pole stormed to his third FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship in four years last season, winning Speedway GP rounds in Croatia, Malilla and Vojens along the way. Ward faced off with Zmarzlik during his racing days, before he was cruelly forced to retire from the sport due to spinal injuries in 2015. Now the Queenslander promotes racing at North Brisbane and hosts his Darcy Ward Invitational on Friday. The event, which is live online via pay per view, features triple world champion Tai Woffinden, Speedway GP star Max Fricke, former Aussie champions Rohan Tungate and Brady Kurtz, plus local favourites Ryan Douglas and Nick Morris. Ward still follows the Speedway GP action from afar, and asked who he tips for the 2023 title, he is backing Zmarzlik to enhance his gold-medal haul. The 2014 FIM Danish Speedway GP winner said: “I say it every year, but Zmarzlik is the man to beat. He will be the man to beat for the next six years, I think. “I was watching him throughout the year, and he just made finals. He just got round and didn’t need to do anything silly. “He made the final and he did that at many places. He can consistently make finals and just push when he needs to push. There is nobody besides him that can do that at the minute.” Ward is interested to see if Bewley can build on his back-to-back Speedway GP wins in Cardiff and Wroclaw last August, while Woffinden also remains a contender. “Let’s see what Bewley can do,” Ward said. “He’s the next talent behind Zmarzlik, but he needs consistency. It’s a long year. He got better as last year went on and then dropped off again at the end. “I am interested to see what Woffy is going to do. I know he has a different approach this year. He’s moving out of Poland and getting back to the UK. Getting back to an English-speaking country may be better for his family. It will not have been easy for them living in Poland with two kids. The whole language barrier will have been really tough, and everything has to be perfect at the top. “I know he is doing a lot of motocross here in Australia. He’s just getting that handlebar time and strength on a bike. We will see how it works for him. I know he is working hard in the off-season. What can he do this year? That’s kind of up to Woffy.” Ward is delighted to see Woffinden competing at North Brisbane in an event which combines riders racing on the sport’s biggest stages with Queensland’s up-and-coming talents. “Woffy joining the Invitational line-up is awesome,” Ward said. “Everybody is excited about it. He’s dedicated to riding here in Australia and good on him. It’s good for him to have these Aussie fans. He grew up here in Australia and we are privileged to have him come to North Brisbane and ride. “It’s also great for a couple of the local kids to line up against Woffy. Declan Kennedy, who won my series of meetings throughout the year, gets to ride in my Invitational. “The Invitational is being streamed live throughout the world. We have David Tapp on commentary with Rod Colquhoun. We will also have Sam Ermolenko in the pits interviewing riders. I am really looking forward to bringing these meetings to the world and having a really good platform – done really well with some GOATs of the commentary world.” Fans can tune into the Darcy Ward Invitational via pay per view online here: https://livestream-australia-pty-ltd.cleeng.com/darcy-ward-invitational/E373359600_AU?fbclid=IwAR2hqiGOkKB2ZIZHaqdIfW33uR249tIFKYE8PfG0FsxQmr_zm1woN_NIDRM

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HOLDER SNATCHES FIRST AUSSIE TITLE IN NORTH BRISBANE EPIC

Speedway GP star Jack Holder stormed to his first Australian Championship in dramatic style as he topped the podium at North Brisbane to deny Jason Doyle on Wednesday. Doyle won all three of the previous rounds at Gillman, Albury and Kurri Kurri, but Holder’s consistency throughout the heat races in a championship where race points convert to championship points kept him just three behind the 2017 Speedway GP world champion heading into Queensland’s first Australian Championship round since 2012. Holder cut Doyle’s advantage to two points over five rides, with the Sheffield rider scoring 12 to the Ipswich star’s 11. But disaster struck for Doyle in semi-final one when Max Fricke triumphed, with wild card Ryan Douglas making the most of his home-track knowledge to relegate Doyle into third place and bring his night to an early end. Holder took the chequered flag ahead of Rohan Tungate in semi-final two as they joined the final line-up. With Doyle looking on from the pits on 61 points overall, victory or second place was enough to hand Holder his first Aussie senior crown. He delivered, winning an epic showdown with Fricke and Douglas to snatch the title with 63. Outgoing champion Fricke, who was unable to make it four national titles on the bounce, ended his series on a high by finishing second on the night, with his 17-point haul at North Brisbane enough to bag the bronze medal on 53. Former champion Tungate snatched third spot in North Brisbane from Douglas on the run to the line. But it was not enough to see him reach the rostrum as he finished fourth overall on 51. All of the top four riders Holder, Doyle, Fricke and Tungate have earned the right to represent Australia in this season’s Speedway GP qualifying rounds, with Motorcycling Australia bosses set to offer one further spot to a wild card of their choice. Brady Kurtz just missed out on the Speedway GP places, finishing fifth overall on 45, but has possibly put himself among the contenders for MA’s wild card. Josh Pickering completed a solid series in sixth place on 39, with Justin Sedgmen on 38 in seventh and 2012 world champion Chris Holder ranked eighth on 37. FINAL AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jack Holder 63, 2 Jason Doyle 61, 3 Max Fricke 53, 4 Rohan Tungate 51, 5 Brady Kurtz 45, 6 Josh Pickering 39, 7 Justin Sedgmen 38, 8 Chris Holder 37, 9 Zach Cook 28, 10 Zane Keleher 22, 11 James Pearson 16, 12 Zaine Kennedy 14, 13 Ryan Douglas 12, 14= Sam Masters 8, Ben Cook 8, 15 Patrick Hamilton 7, 16 Jye Etheridge 5, 17 Cooper Riordan 4, 18 Fraser Bowes 3, 19= Brayden McGuinness 2, Michael West 2. NORTH BRISBANE HEAT SCORES: Max Fricke 14, Jack Holder 12, Jason Doyle 11, Rohan Tungate 11, Ryan Douglas 11, Brady Kurtz 11, Zach Cook 8, Zane Keleher 8, Josh Pickering 8, Chris Holder 7, Justin Sedgmen 7, Zaine Kennedy 5, James Pearson 3, Michael West 2, Patrick Hamilton 2, Cooper Riordan 0, Jacob Hook 0. SEMI-FINAL 1: Fricke, Douglas, Doyle, Cook. SEMI-FINAL 2: J Holder, Tungate, Kurtz, Keleher. FINAL: J Holder, Fricke, Tungate, Douglas.

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DOYLE'S SPEEDWAY GP HEAD START?

Former world champion Jason Doyle hopes his Australian Championship challenge helps him get “ahead of the game” in the Speedway GP title race. Doyle goes into the Aussie Championship final round at North Brisbane on Wednesday leading the standings on 50 points, having won all three rounds so far at Gillman, Albury and Kurri Kurri. He needs 17 championship points to be certain of top spot and the title still hangs very much in the balance, with Speedway GP rival Jack Holder close behind on 47 and firmly in contention for his first Aussie crown in a competition where race points convert to championship points. Lifting his second national title would come as the ultimate boost for Doyle as he bids to get back to his best in Speedway GP after finishing ninth in 2021 and 10th in last year’s championship. The Newcastle-born racer pulled no punches in reflecting on his recent SGP seasons. “The last two years have been a disaster in the series,” he said. “I have lacked speed for too many seasons now. “Trying to ride the bike harder than the bike allows means that you make mistakes, and I do things I shouldn’t be doing on a bike. I am anticipating the start a lot because I need to get the bike off the line. I have some big changes in the coming season. I think that’s the main reason why I am riding in Australia – to get a little bit ahead of the game before the Grand Prix series starts. “Despite the way the last two years have gone, I know the Jason Doyle from 2017 is still in me. The drive to win GPs and world titles is still there. “If I didn’t have that drive, I would have pulled out of the GPs after last season. I feel there is something still in me to push hard for wins and then go for the title.” Doyle famously became the first Aussie to seal the Speedway GP world title on home shale, when he topped the podium at the 2017 FIM Australian Speedway GP in Melbourne. That remains Doyle’s most recent SGP win. The Norwich-based racer is determined to end this victory drought, and he believes his decision to go racing Down Under rather than merely hitting the testing track will pay dividends. He explained: “People need to understand that it costs a lot of money to go testing, and the best testing is racing – not going to a track and practising, doing lap after lap. The best way is from the tapes with three other riders. “Going to Australia and having my best gear over there costs a lot of money. But I want to make it work and push really hard for the 2023 season.” Doyle admits he is making a number of changes as he bids to keep Speedway GP life simple and enjoyable this year. He said: “We’ve had a massive clear-out. We are going to go for pretty simple speedway again and we’re going to make it fun again. For the last two years, we have been chasing too many things and it just hasn’t worked. I guess it’s about going back to the stuff we know, and we can work from there. “Having a fast engine under you always helps you to score points. We are going to chase some glory this year – that’s the main thing for us. I also want to have some fun because you never know when your last season will be.” The final round of the Aussie Championships is available to watch live online via pay per view, with commentary from David Tapp and Rod Colquhoun, plus interviews from Sam Ermolenko. Coverage from North Brisbane is available on Wednesday from 17:45 Queensland time / 08:45 CET / 07:45 UK here: https://livestream-australia-pty-ltd.cleeng.com/2023-australian-speedway-championship-round-4-final/E476149533_AU?fbclid=IwAR0TJ87sbRMwh323yCqv_Tfl0zFgGjv8pPcVhWFPqhvUXJshdhHYb6ortSI AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Doyle 50, 2 Jack Holder 47, 3 Rohan Tungate 38, 4 Max Fricke 36, 5 Brady Kurtz 34, 6= Justin Sedgmen 31, Josh Pickering 31, 8 Chris Holder 30, 9 Zach Cook 20, 10 Zane Keleher 14, 11 James Pearson 13, 12= Sam Masters 8, Ben Cook 8, 14= Patrick Hamilton 5, Jye Etheridge 5, 16 Cooper Riordan 4, 17 Fraser Bowes 3, 18 Brayden McGuinness 2, 19= Maurice Brown 0, Michael West 0, Kane Lawrence 0.

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DOYLE MAKES IT THREE AS HOLDER CLOSES AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP GAP

Speedway GP icon Jason Doyle takes a three-point advantage into the Australian Championship decider after making it three wins on the bounce at Kurri Kurri on Monday. Racing just 45 minutes from hometown Newcastle, Doyle took the fight to Sydney-born racer Jack Holder, who powered through the heats with a 15-point maximum. Holder then won semi-final one ahead of Kurri Kurri local Rohan Tungate, Justin Sedgmen and Josh Pickering, while Doyle finished second to Brady Kurtz in semi-final two to take his place in the final, with reigning champion Max Fricke and 2012 world champion Chris Holder missing out. Doyle then got the better of main title rival Jack Holder when it mattered most in the final, topping the podium to leave Kurri Kurri with 17 championship points. But with Holder scoring 15 in the heats, the additional three he earned for second place in the final saw him claim 18 in total to close the gap on Doyle to three points. With Doyle on 50 in total and Jack Holder on 47, a 17-point tally at the final round at North Brisbane would guarantee Doyle his second national title. Tungate took third place in the final, moving him up to third in the overall standings on 38 ahead of Fricke, who now has 36. The triple Aussie champion suffered a retirement in his second ride, scoring a win, two seconds and a third place in his other four outings. A costly third place in semi-final two then brought his night to an end, rendering the title fight a two-horse race between Doyle and Jack Holder. But there is still much to race for as the competition is set to decide Australia’s entrants for this season’s Speedway GP qualification rounds. Fourth place at Kurri Kurri puts Kurtz firmly in contention for these as he stands fifth overall on 34, while Justin Sedgmen and Josh Pickering have 31 apiece and Chris Holder is on 30 in eighth place. The title decider takes place at North Brisbane, promoted by former Speedway GP winner Darcy Ward, on Wednesday. The event is Queensland’s first Australian Championship event since 2012. There will be live online coverage of the North Brisbane event on Wednesday from 17:45 Queensland time / 08:45 CET / 07:45 UK here. Fans can tune in here: https://livestream-australia-pty-ltd.cleeng.com/2023-australian-speedway-championship-round-4-final/E476149533_AU?fbclid=IwAR0TJ87sbRMwh323yCqv_Tfl0zFgGjv8pPcVhWFPqhvUXJshdhHYb6ortSI AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Jason Doyle 50, 2 Jack Holder 47, 3 Rohan Tungate 38, 4 Max Fricke 36, 5 Brady Kurtz 34, 6= Justin Sedgmen 31, Josh Pickering 31, 8 Chris Holder 30, 9 Zach Cook 20, 10 Zane Keleher 14, 11 James Pearson 13, 12 Zaine Kennedy 9, 13= Sam Masters 8, Ben Cook 8, 15= Patrick Hamilton 5, Jye Etheridge 5, 17 Cooper Riordan 4, 18 Fraser Bowes 3, 19 Brayden McGuinness 2, 20= Maurice Brown 0, Michael West 0, Kane Lawrence 0, Jake Turner 0, Liam May 0, Harrison Ryan 0. KURRI KURRI HEAT SCORES: Jack Holder 15, Jason Doyle 13, Rohan Tungate 12, Brady Kurtz 12, Josh Pickering 11, Chris Holder 9, Justin Sedgmen 9, Max Fricke 8, Zach Cook 8, Zane Keleher 6, Zaine Kennedy 5, Jye Etheridge 5, James Pearson 4, Patrick Hamilton 2, Cooper Riordan 1, Michael West 0, Kane Lawrence 0. SEMI-FINAL 1: J Holder, Tungate, Sedgmen, Pickering (ret). SEMI-FINAL 2: Kurtz, Doyle, Fricke, C Holder. FINAL: Doyle, J Holder, Tungate, Kurtz.

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WOFFY WINS DARCY WARD INVITATIONAL AT NORTH BRISBANE

WARD: ZMARZLIK THE SPEEDWAY GP RIDER TO BEAT IN 2023

HOLDER SNATCHES FIRST AUSSIE TITLE IN NORTH BRISBANE EPIC

DOYLE'S SPEEDWAY GP HEAD START?

DOYLE MAKES IT THREE AS HOLDER CLOSES AUSSIE CHAMPIONSHIP GAP