whowasthatberntpersson

Taken from the Motorcycle Australia website at http://www.ma.org.au/AM/Template.cfm?Secti...ContentID=21133 Fields named for Under 16 Speedway Championship Motorcycling Australia has today released the list of riders who will be competing as part of the 2008 Australian Under 16 Speedway Championship. The Championship will be held in Neerabup, Western Australia, and the following 12 riders have been seeded into the Solo Championship: Robert Branford Darcy Ward Nicholas Morris Cameron Heeps Clinton Dennis Alex Davies Taylor Poole Robert Medson Justin Sedgmen Mason Campton Todd Kurtz Josh Munro There will also be a qualifying event from which the first four riders will qualify through to the Championship. The riders named to take part in the qualifying event are: Dylan Blain Harley Brigden Matt Cheshire Steven Davis Matthew Day Brayden Elliott Brady Kurtz Ben Millington Jake Moore Brayden Munro Blake Russell Arthur Sissis Seven teams have also been named to take part in the Australian U16 Teams Championship, and they are: J.Sedgmen & J.Munro – Victoria R.Branford & R.Medson – SA T.Kurtz & A.Davies – NSW 1 D.Ward & N.Morris – Qld 1 C.Heeps & B.Millington - WA T.Poole & M.Campton – NSW 2 H.Brigden & C.Dennis – Qld 2 The starting draws for these events will be released at a further date.

Looking good there Robert.

Lunchy, I think they are looking at four or five for each of the other rounds so probably the same for Gillman. Having said that there would be more than five willing to ride. Initially we heard the local riders would get a shot, for example the NSW rounds could include Poole, Kurtz, Davies, Campton, SA rounds would have Branford, Sedgman, etc, etc. Things don't seem quite as clear cut now.

Anyone who has seen 350cc racing this year will know that its the Gillman public that will miss out (along with all the riders who would take part). Some of the 350 racing seen thus far has been exceptional. Not sure why they wouldn't want to run 350's, but its not a very clever decision in my opinion. We need as many riders progressing from the junior ranks as possible, the 350's are vital and should be encouraged to the max.

2008 Queensland Under 16 Championship - Gold Coast A very competitive field for the running of the 2007 Queensland Under 16 Championships at Mike Hatcher Park. Heavy rain had fallen during the previous night and with storm clouds still hovering the meeting was run without any delays. Despite the weather the track was in near perfect condition and produced quality racing throughout the twenty heats and final. During practice Jake Allen blew the motor on his only bike putting him out of the meeting, he was replaced by Bundaberg youngster Brendan Coglan, Tyler Moon had also pulled out, his place was taken by first reserve Joel Porter. The only other change to the original lineup happened later in the meeting when Tory Bellamy withdrew with bike problems, Bryce Brigden took his remaining rides. This was one of those topsy turvey meetings, the top four point scorers went directly to the final, under normal circumstances this is quite straight forward, however no less than four contenders had falls in early heats throwing the battle for a final spot wide open. First to come unstuck was Bowen youngster Dylan Blain who took a fall after being passed by Clinton Dennis on the first lap in his very first ride, then current Champion Darcy Ward clipped the back wheel of Dennis in his second ride as both riders approached the finish line on the last lap. Next up Nick Morris fell twice, he tangled with Dennis on the first bend in his third ride, the race was re run and he then clipped the back wheel of Josh Slokee whilst trying to get underneath him. The three fallen riders all bounced back to challenge for a final spot but local youngster Matthew Day wasn't quite so lucky, he took two falls on the night which left him quite a few points short of making a challenge. So with one round of heats to go the contenders were Dennis (12), Brigden (11), Ward (9),Blain (8), Morris (8), and Zaine Kennedy (8). Dennis went through the program unbeaten, Ward won his last ride giving him 12 points, so it went down to a deciding heat with Morris and Blain both needing a win to progress, Brigden was also in the race needing a point. Morris made the start and wasn't troubled which gave him the last final birth, Blain was second and just missed out with Brigden third making the cut. The final saw Dennis on gate one, Ward off two, Brigden three and Morris four, after a fairly even start Ward and Dennis were battling for the lead, Morris passed Brigden entering turn three just as Dennis pulled up with bike problems. Ward led with Morris taking chase but unable to make up enough ground to make a challenge, whilst Brigden took a well deserved third place. Giving Fifteen year old Ward his third straight State Title. Apart from the finalists and Dylan Blain, other riders to impress on the night were tiny Zaine Kennedy who was right in the thick of things with five second places and Ayr teenager Glen Squires who finished with nine points. Ivan Mauger presented the place getters with trophies in front of a very large and appreciative crowd. Results 1st Darcy Ward 2nd Nick Morris 3rd Harley Brigden 4th Clinton Dennis

Spot on. An excellent meeting overall, the 350's were top notch. Young Steven Reid rode very well, thought he was quite unlucky in the first staging of the final, someone should of been excluded. Good to see such a large crowd, the weather had looked dodgy all day and I honestly thought the clouds were going to open up at some stage. On a personal note, 'nice to have a few beers and watch most of the main event after the juniors had finished, and great to catch up as always OP.

Mike Hatcher Park, Gold Coast. Its about five minutes from Surfers Paradise. Very warm night and it looked like it was going to pour with rain, luckily it held off and we had a great night.

Sorry, my mistake. Memory not what it used to be.

Scott Smith won, and a deserved winner he was too, he actually led Troy Batchelor in last years event at Pioneer Park until his engine stopped. Reults; 1st Scott Smith 2nd Kozza Smith 3rd Trent Leverington 4th Steven Reid James Holder was unlucky, stopping whilst in the lead in his fifth ride. Final was re run, first attempt Reid and K Smith held a slight lead, Scott Smith then Leverington dived underneath entering the third bend, yet surprisingly no exclusion (Leverington appeared to cause Reid to fall) Next time out Scott Smith made no mistake, Kozza Smith tried hard but couldn't get past and held off pressure from Leverington to take third with the unlucky Reid trailing.

Results from the Gold Coast; 1st Darcy Ward 2nd Nick Morris 3rd Harley Brigden 4th Clinton Dennis 5th Dylan Blain 6th Zaine Kennedy Quite an open meeting with several of the fancied riders dropping points through falls (Morris, Ward, and Dylan Blain all had falls). Dennis also had engine failure in the final. Good crowd and Ivan Mauger on hand to give out trophies.

Lineup for the meeting being held Saturday 8th December 2007 1. Tyler Moon, 2. Jake Allen, 3. Josh Slockee, 4. Harley Brigden, 5. Dylan Blain, 6. Glen Squires, 7. Michael Detenon, 8. Clinton Dennis, 9. Hayden Barr, 10. Zaine Kennedy, 11. Robert Gottardi, 12. Darcy Ward, 13. Mathew Day, 14. Nick Morris, 15.Tory Bellamy, 16. Jack McLean. Without doubt Queensland is currently by far the strongest State for Junior Speedway in Australia, this promises to be a very tough meeting. The lineup is the result of two qualifiers, with the top eight riders from North Queensland joining the top eight from the South East. The SEQ qualifier had sixteen riders battling it out for eight spots, with one surprise omission being Australian dirt track champion Tyson Nelson, Tyson failing to make the top eight last month. Quite a few riders in this lineup have won Australian Championships in dirt track racing.

Mason has had a very good year, winning the two big non Championship events, The Roy Thompson Memorial at Somersby NSW and the Dave Booth Memorial at the Gold Coast. He had mechanical problems in the NSW Under 16 Championship at Cowra last weekend. Recently turned 14 and also on the 350. One of the big movers in Junior speedway.

Undera Victoria - 1st Dcember 2007 1st Mason Campton NSW 2nd Athur Sissis SA 3rd Justin Sedgman Vic 4th Josh Munro Vic 5th Robert Branford SA Munro and Branford tied on points, final place was decided on countback (Munro had beaten Branford in the heats)

The Lineup is; Braydon Paver Mason Campton NSW Max Fricke Luke Mitchell Braydon Munro Jack Fallon VIC Josh Munro VIC Brenton Barnfield Robert Gottardi QLD Cooper Riordan Sam Anderson Arthur Sisses SA Robert Medson SA Dylan Blain QLD QLD Justin Sedgmen Robert Branford SA

Currently four in Queensland and I know of four in New South Wales. So we just about have enough for a 12 rider championship (there are probably others out there who I don't know about). Quite a few bikes being sold but as some kids turn 14 and start riding, others turn 16 and will jump off the 350's onto the 500's. These are the riders I know of; Alex Davies NSW Taylor Poole NSW Todd Kurtz NSW Mason Campton NSW Robert Branford SA Justin Sedgman VIC Josh Munro VIC Darcy Ward QLD Tyson Nelson QLD Jessie Tuffin QLD Clinton Dennis QLD Plus one other from VIC. and I don't think Jessie Tuffin would participate in a Championship series.

We certainly won't be driving thats for sure (although I know a couple who will do the 40-50 hour scoot. Its a logistical nightmare for us.

Pinjar Park is also hosting the Australian Under 16 Solo Championships 16-19 January 2008. The Australian Under 16 Pairs will be run on the same night as the Ron Johnson Memorial.

Thanks Jeff, will have to work on the boys Brummie accent, especially if those Heathens return. Deal what deal? two bikes a van and a palace?????

I think the junior scene is reasonably well structured. The main problem is lack of rides. This is why many of the kids carry on doing dirt track racing. There are just not enough riding opportunities to justify the sole expense of speedway for many families. It does vary from State to State, however as an example someone in South East Queensland can easily ride a minimum of twice a month throughout the year, more if willing to travel 7 - 10 hours for meetings in NSW, which is enough for most families and does make doubling up on dirt track difficult and expensive. Infact I know several Queenslanders who have now dropped dirt track for that reason. The introduction of the 350cc Jawa racing, adds an extra dimension, now kids 14-16 can ride two classes of speedway, 125cc and 350cc, this fills a big void and should keep a few of the bigger kids in the sport.

North Brisbane The Bushrangers Club ran their final meeting of 2007 last night. In attendance were former English test team members Steve Schofield who now resides in Queensland and Sean Wilson who is enjoying a campervan holiday in Australia. Jon White won the solo final after being led by his brother Adam for almost two laps, Harley Horwood took second after Adam had left a similar gap for him. Wayne Munck won the modern sidecar events. The junior solo final was won by Nick Morris, in the heats Harley Brigden twice stopped whilst leading races and shed a chain on the line in the final. No other results at this stage but there was a good turnout of evolution solos and classic sidecars. Results Solos 1st Jon White 2nd Harley Horwood 3rd Adam White Junior Solos A Final 1st Nick Morris 2nd Cody Keen Joel Porter dnf Harley Brigden dnf Junior Solos B Final 1st Tory Bellamy 2nd Bryce Brigden 3rd Jack Strong Brandon - North Queensland (Courtesy of Lance Forsyth) Qld U/21 Solo Title held at the Brandon Sports Reserve, conducted by the Ayr Motor Cycle Club Inc 1st Josh Grajczonek 2nd Mitchell Davey 3rd Scott McKenna 4th Kozza Smith Junior Solo Challenge !st Dylan Blain (undefeated) 2nd Clinton Dennis 3rd Glenn Squires 4th Matthew Day (exc) tapes Gillman (sidecars) 1st Treloar 2nd Headland 3rdPlaisted 4th Moon

Apologies to Justin Sedgman, I got him mixed up with his Brother Ryan in the write-up. Sorry about that Justin. Its been changed now.

My first visit to the Sidewinders venue near Adelaide. Very impressed with the setup there. Tight track with racing under lights, clubhouse filled with historic photos, good toilet and canteen facilities. Easy to see how so many great Aussie riders have progressed from Sidewinders. The final was re run three times, with all four riders fighting for the same piece of dirt, in the end it was Justin Sedgman who took the win, but what a battle for the places with positions changing on every lap. Very nice to see such friendship and good sportsmanship amongst the riders too, Nick Morris and Robert Branford, good friends off the track, went hammer and tong and enjoyed every moment. Results 1st Justin Sedgman Victoria 2nd Nick Morris Queensland 3rd Robert Branford South Australia 4th Robert Medson South Australia Non finalists included Arthur Sissis and Brenton Barnfield, who both rode in last years National Championship at the Gold Coast. Thanks to Chopper for his hospitality.

Not sure of online ticket sales but I wouldn't worry, Tickets were on sale in Pardubice and at the track, you won't have any problems at all. There was a stall set up in the centre of town outside the jeweller displaying the trophy last year, they sold advance tickets, with packages for both days.

I'd love to visit Malaysia again, to watch speedway will be a huge bonus. Hope speedway kicks off in Malaysia, a truly great country with fantastic food and friendly people..and not that far from Australia.

Great to see the Aussie Boys doing so well. Hopefully their good form will carry into the semis and final. Strange how my pick to be the number one Aussie over there "Darcy Ward' didn't qualify, due to contreversy with his machinery. So who are the riders the Aussies have to beat?