Page 129 - Australian Motorcycle News (January 2020)

briefs
Speedway
Australian Speedway Championships
Three for
Lidsey
JAIMON LIDSEY WON his
third consecutive Australian
Under 21 Speedway Solo
Championship but he had a
much tougher battle than most
fans would have envisaged.
After finishing fifth overall in
the recent senior title, Lidsey
went to the Undera Park
Speedway on 25 January as
a red-hot favourite, but it was
Zac Cook who won their Heat
20 clash to finish on maximum
points, with Jedd List the third
rider going direct to the final.
Matthew Gilmore recovered
from a first ride fall to win the B
final from Jacob Hook, Mitchell
Cluff and Cordell Rogerson, and
that made it three of last years’
finalists in the decider again.
Cook did lead briefly in
the final before Lidsey took
control, List finishing third
ahead of Gilmore who fell and
remounted.
A third Under 21 crown for
Lidsey leaves him matching
the record of Travis McGowan
and Darcy Ward – one win
behind Leigh Adams, Chris
Holder and Max Fricke. Not a
bad list of winners!
PETER BAKER
Houlihan took on Africa
of competing the iconic event
within the same squad.
“I had a couple of bad days and
a few really good days,” he said.
“[I had] very little sleep for 12 days
and just enough food to keep
going each day. We saw the best
and the worst of Northern Africa
and it was an emotional and
physical roller coaster.”
Peter Caldwell ended the race
in 36th place from an eventual 66
finishers, 29h52m44s adrift.
KEL BUCKLEY
MXGP
Evans on the up
AUSSIE MOTOCROSS STAR
Mitch Evans has signed for
the reigning champion Team
HRC squad for the 2020 MXGP
season, for his first year in the
Joining 2019 champ Tim
competitive category.
Gajser on the all-new Honda
CRF450RW, 21-year-old Evans
will be eager to adapt to the
larger-capacity machinery as
quickly as he can when the
season gets underway at the
British Grand Prix on 1 March.
“It was a dream come true to
sign with Team HRC at the end
of last year, and even though
I’ll be riding in a new class on
a brand new bike, I feel ready
Evans, R,
joins Honda
and Gasjer
for 2020
to show everyone what I am
capable of,” the talented young
Aussie said.
“I know it won’t be easy
because the MXGP class is filled
of everyone in the team I believe
with top riders, but with the help
I am ready to go out there and
get some good results.
“Each time I get on the
machine I feel like I am
improving and when I’m riding
with Tim, I have the perfect
gauge to see just how well I
am doing. He has been a great
team mate so far but I know
the results are down to me and
that’s what I am concentrating
on when the season begins.” KB
win the Australian Under 16 125cc
as they led their respective teams
Australian Junior Championships
at Pinjar Park. Woffinden had Dan
Bewley and four riders with lower
Australia and New Zealand’s
Juniors MX boost
motorcycle racing now include
efforts to promote Junior
motocross. The FIM Oceania
Junior Motocross Tri-Nations
Cup, to be held at Horsham
over 4-5 April, will see the best
young riders from Australia,
New Zealand and France go
Championship formats and rules,
head-to-head. Races will run
under FIM Junior MX World
and be the perfect lead-up event
before the FIM Junior MX World
Championships in Greece in
August. HAMISH COOPER
Future stars
Luke Killeen became only the
third Western Australian rider to
Solo Speedway Championship
at Pinjar Park Speedway on 17
January. Third-placed last year,
and the winner of the past two
WA titles, Killeen triumphed
ahead of South Australia Harry
Sadler, Victorian Riley McCarthy
and another local, Mitchell
McDiarmid, in the final. Only
four interstate riders headed to
the west for the championship
weekend, and they made up
the top two pairs in the Teams
Championship the following
night. South Australian duo
of 11-year-olds Harry Sadler
and Ashley Jansen-Batchelor
won with 27 points ahead of
a New South Wales/Victoria
team of James Pearson and
Riley McCarthy on 23, with
Luke Killeen partnering Jack
McDiarmid to take third on 22.
The Australian Under 16 250cc
Championship was scratched
due to lack of entries. PB
Champs clash
Former triple world champions
Jason Crump and Tai Woffinden
raced against each other again,
in two international clashes
on the same weekend as the
level league experience in Team
GB, while Crump (only called in
after Rohan Tungate and Sam
Masters withdrew after the
national title chase) got his best
support from Cameron Heeps.
Team GB won both matches. PB
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