Posted 23 January 2009 - 08:21 AM
The latest ins & outs from the Gillman Website:
Saturday night’s CBS Bins / Tucker Time For Pets South Australian Solo Championship at Gillman Speedway should produce the battle of the season between defending champion Troy Batchelor and four-times champion Rory Schlein.
Schlein won the title four years running before missing last year's event because he remained in England.
In his absence Batchelor became the first Queensland rider to win the championship and he no doubt wants to retain the title, but if Schlein wins he’ll be stepping into rarefied air as third on the all time winners’ list behind true legends Jack Young and John Boulger, who both won the title nine times.
Victorian champion Cameron Woodward shared favouritism with them at the beginning of the week but he withdrew a few days ago following an accident on his moto-cross bike. New South Wales riders Ben and Kurt Shields also withdrew during the week.
While the current Australian number 3 and 4 riders look set to fill the top two positions, the other two final berths appear to be wide open.
Robert Ksiezak finished third behind Batchelor and Woodward last year and usually does well in big meetings, but he is making his first appearance for the season after recovering from a shoulder injury sustained at the end of the British season. He looked sharp at the Leigh Adams training school two week's ago however so would be looking for a final place a least.
Aaron Summers is another who does well in big meetings and his win in the Jack Young Cup here earlier in the season will give him the confidence he can make the final.
Arlo Bugeja was runner-up to Summers in the Jack Young Cup so will also be confident but consistency could be his biggest problem. He can beat the best in one race, only to lose to lesser riders in the next race.
16-year-old Justin Sedgmen is another who has won here this season (Ivan Mauger Golden Helmet) and has improved with every ride since, as he showed in the recent Australian Championship series.
18-year-old older brother Ryan was looking a gilt edged prospect 15 months ago before suffering a broken arm, fractured pelvis and a knee injury here at Gillman. Since then he’s also suffered glandular fever and he’s still trying to recover full fitness and health so may not yet be back to his best.
Fellow Mildura rider Tom Hedley is another who is not yet back to his best following a long recovery period after suffering a head injury in Britain, but if he can ride to his known ability you’d have no qualms about pencilling him in as a finalist.
The rider who might spring some surprises is 17-year-old NSW rider Sam Masters. It is very rare for a NSW rider to do well first up at Mildura’s Olympic Park track but Masters did exceptionally well, finishing third in the Victorian Championship in his first appearance at the track as a 16-year-old. So he should have no trouble mastering the Gillman track.
Fellow NSW rider, 16-year-old Todd Kurtz was impressive here at Gillman in November in his first-ever senior meeting and he’ll be worth watching, as will WA’s Shelby Rutherford, but a final place is probably beyond them at this stage.
Townsville's Damien Koppe is an Australian Long Track Champion but relatively inexperienced at speedway, and Taylor Poole was one of Australia’s best junior riders but this is his first appearance at Gillman.
Brock Gates has showed improved form this season but a mid-field placing would be a good result for him; Samsurry Pigram, who has travelled all the way from Broome, has done well in Perth this season but will find this line-up a lot tougher than what he is used to; and Ben Turner is making his first appearance this season and would be happy just to pick up a couple of points.
The Championship will be decided over 20 heats with the top three scorers qualifying for the final, along with the winner of a semi-final for the fourth to seventh highest scorers.
South Australian Championship line-up in alphabetical order:
Troy Batchelor (Qld, defending champion), Arlo Bugeja (SA), Brock Gates (Vic), Tom Hedley (Vic), Robert Ksiezak (SA), Todd Kurtz (NSW), Damien Koppe (Qld), Sam Masters (NSW), Samsurry Pigram (WA), Taylor Poole (NSW), Shelby Rutherford (WA), Rory Schlein (SA), Justin Sedgmen (Vic), Ryan Sedgmen (Vic), Aaron Summers (SA), Ben Turner (SA).
Support events include 350cc Junior Solos with local riders Robert Branford, Robert Medson and Tylor Thompson taking on Victoria's Brenton Barnfield and Queensland's Dylan Blain. Blain will also ride in the 125cc Junior events along with Cowra's Brady Kurtz (NSW).
Racing starts at 7.30 p.m.
If you're going just be Very Very careful around the top of Turn Two: there's a few total reprobates get up there!! (......and they answer to Spederweb, Lunchy & Bryn!!)
Best of luck to young Chopper Junior in the 350's and of course the BSF's very own SeDGy2 returning from illness, but above all - Go ROOBOY!!.
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