Steve Shovlar 10,439 Posted January 7, 2012 Just a racing incident through trying to pass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel Smith 5,666 Posted January 7, 2012 Just a racing incident through trying to pass. Can't agree with that. Kozza's riding the inside and Troy smashes him out the way. Ridiculous attempt at a pass Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dekker 239 Posted January 7, 2012 Right decisiion by ref, hard attempted pass but the footrest deffo the cause. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whowasthatberntpersson 108 Posted January 8, 2012 I'd say very very hard riding was the cause. The initial attempt at a pass appeared like a desperate move but Kozza didn't give an inch in the run in to the line and came off worse. It looked nasty, I think Batch is lucky to have avoided injury himself. From his first ride he didn't seem quite 100%, and I guess the back injury combined with a bout of food poisoning and the enforced bike problems later on took there toll. Both Brisbane meeting were very well run, and produced good quality racing. Certainly set the benchmark for the remaining two rounds. Tungate has really taken my eye and I predict him to the the sensation of 2012. Absolutely fantastic crowd, by far the biggest I've seen at North Brisbane, even without the likes of Crump and local boy Darcy Ward, imagine if they had rode? we'd still be lining up to get out of the place. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dekker 239 Posted January 8, 2012 I'd say very very hard riding was the cause. neither are shrinking violets on track and it was a national championship on the line. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagpuss 10,784 Posted January 8, 2012 It looks like it was the footrest which caused the crash, just a hard but fair piece of racing leading up to the riders coming off. Definitely a gap there to go for and Kozza was within his rights to try and close the door, just highly unfortunate that the machines locked together. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigFatDave 258 Posted January 8, 2012 (edited) Wow! What a night! A bumper crowd - estimated as up to 3500 - packed the Mick Doohan Raceway for last night's round one of Ozchamps, and all in attendance were rewarded with some excellent racing and not a little drama. I'm not sure if the club had expected such a large crowd but parking was well-organised and the inevitable queues for grog & tucker were orderly and kept moving along - I heard no complaints from either patrons or hard-working volunteers. The only problems I noticed were the sound system, which left a bit to be desired in some areas of the arena. The antics of the in-field announcer, Cracker, were a welcome change from some we've had to put up with; the riders were all relaxed with his easy-going style during the parade, and I particularly liked him introducing the junior 350s support riders first, rather than as an afterthought. Certainly the juniors were very entertaining - some great racing from in particular Jack Holder, unbeaten on the night, along with Ellis Perks, Brady Kurtz, Max Fricke and young Dalton Nilson, who along with Matty Day, Josh Fletcher and Ben Dowling more than made up for their relative inexperience with their abundant enthusiasm. I'm pretty sure they'll all be on 500s next season; something to really look forward to. The weather was great; the lighting problems evident on Friday night had been sorted and the track held up well during the meeting, although some of the Southern riders weren't too happy with the surface. The Mozzies which plagued us during the qualifier were still in evidence, but with the much larger crowd they had more choice and went for the fresh blood rather than the regulars. Some of the riders who in their race suits were relatively insect-proof during the meeting were in for a nasty surprise when they changed into shorts & singlets after the racing was over, particularly Cam Woodward, whose rendition of the Dance of the Bities was well-received in the bar. From the opening heat, when Davey Watt scorched round for a new track record, knocking 2/10ths of a second off Darcy Ward's old mark, it looked as though it was going to be an inside gate special, with the first three heats all going to the Red Gate, but Chris Holder's win from Yellow in Ht 4 put an end to that, and Ht 5 saw Davey out of Blue smoking Chris in Red. Rohan Tungate was looking in ominous form with Taylor Poole also performing well, and everything was ticking along nicely until Ht 8, when Troy and Kozza had a nasty coming-together at the very end of a four lap duel, also bringing down Jake Anderson in his efforts to avoid the wreckage. You'll probably have seen the excellent video from Lance by now and doubtless made your own minds up, but it looked to me from my viewpoint at the start of the home straight to be just hard racing between two determined riders, alas with a bad result for Kozza. Get well soon mate. A pretty long delay resulted but no-one begrudged the ambos doing their job in the right manner, and it gave many people a chance to catch up with old acquaintances. Where I was plonked soon turned into the North Brisbane equivalent of Gillman's famous Has-beens' Hill, with past champions in abundance as well as a significant proportion of Queenslanders who'd thrown a leg over a bike at some time in their lives. Mike Farrell, Steve Paine, Vaclav Verner, Jim Airey and Phil Crump were only a few of the names in attendance, along with several current riders including Adam Shields, Darcy Ward and Nick Morris. Their anecdotes and recollections were well worth a listen. Also it was good to catch up with International Man of Mystery and Undercover Scottish Spy Gordon Pairman making his regular off-season trip Downunder to check out the talent - no, the Riding Talent - we didn't need any help checking out the local hotties! Once Racing had resumed Troy's run of bad luck continued: having bent bike no 1 in the crash, when he came out for his next heat he proceeded to Chernobyll the Clutch on bike No 2 while practicing a start, and he was forced to pull out from the rest of the meeting. This meant that both reserves Harley Horwood and Tyson Nelson got a couple of rides with interesting results; Tyson flipping his bike at the start of Ht 16 ended his night although he was up quickly and walked back to the pits unaided; ditto with Harley, who Kummagutza following help from Mickey Dyer in the next heat, resulting in them both missing the re-run. Several riders had nights which were good in parts: Corey started off poorly with a last then an EF but picked up eight out of nine in his last three rides - and didn't fall off! Sedgy scored a couple of good wins at what is not his favourite track and Sam Masters was consistent if a touch unlucky. Daine Stevens was one of the surprises of the night, picking up a well-deserved heat win over Sam and Taylor in the final round of heats. The class of the night as expected came from Chris and Davey, with Taylor and Rohan both exceeding expectations and performing well, along with Cam Woodward, who won a couple of exciting duels. On the down side Robbie Ksiezak looked a little rusty and never came to terms with the track, while Mickey, Jake and James Holder were well off the pace. Improvement is expected from all four next week at Kurri Kurri. Finals time was on us all too soon: first up, the B Main which pitted Sedgy, Cam, Sam and Taylor against each other started off with all four riders locked together for over a lap, then Taylor drifted out and fell on turn 2 lap 2 (but cleared the track allowing the race to continue). the race then turned into a match between Sam and Sedgy; Sam getting the upper hand on the last lap to book his spot in the A Main. The 350s final was next, and Jack Holder continued his unbeaten run with a strong victory over Max Fricke. Ellis Perks fell and Brady Kurtz EF lap four. Sheep Stations time and the A Main was the chance for Chris to get his revenge over Davey for his only loss in the Heats, and he seized it with both hands.Tthe race split into two sections, with the EL Championship winning pair duelling up front while Sam and Rohan fought it out at the rear: Chris clearing out after three laps while Rohan got the edge over Sam on the last lap to secure a podium finish in his first crack at the Aussie Title. All in all a good round with some excellent races, tempered by the loss of Kozza with a broken leg and Troy, whose luck just wasn't with him tonight: I suspect his recent injury may have played a hand in his decision to withdraw from the series, but credit to him, he took it on the chin when I caught up with him in the pits afterwards, and I feel that another tilt at the title will be on the cards in the future - unfinished business and all that. Congratulations to all involved with the organisation and running of the meeting, a real credit to Queensland Speedway As for me, I had my usual enjoyable experience soaking up the best Speedway Australia can offer, in fact by the end of the evening I was as enjoyable as a parrot, due in no small doubt to our decision to head for the bar for some serious mingling immediately the meeting ended rather than attempt to clear the car park right away; in fact, when we wended our way back to the limo after last orders it was relatively easy to find even for me - OK, it was the only one left in the paddock! Onwards and Upwards - Kurri Kurri is next on the agenda, although somehow I feel a little more wallowing in the fleshpots of Surfers Paradise may be in order before heading off to the Hunter Valley - the Birthplace of Speedway - for round two. I'll have to get into serious training as well; with Lunchy looking like he'll be unavailable for texting Updates it could be down to Yours Truly to keep Planet Speedway informed up to date - don't expect the results of the juniors! Many thanks to Mr & Mrs Trackman and Yorkshire Fishcake for putting up with me; I'll be back! Edited January 8, 2012 by BigFatDave Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KEITH M 850 Posted January 8, 2012 Just a racing incident through trying to pass. I agree with you but I think you would of posted something different if Kozza Smith had of been Chris Holder 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigFatDave 258 Posted January 8, 2012 (edited) From http://australianspeedway.com NORTH BRISBANE HEAT SCORES: Chris Holder 14, Davey Watt 13, Rohan Tungate 12, Cameron Woodward 12, Justin Sedgmen 9, Taylor Poole 9, Sam Masters 9, Cory Gathercole 8, Daine Stevens 8, Todd Kurtz 8, Kozza Smith 4, Robert Ksiezak 3, James Holder 3, Mickey Dyer 3, Jake Anderson 2, Troy Batchelor 2. B FINAL: Masters, Sedgmen, Woodward, Poole. A FINAL: Holder, Watt, Tungate, Masters. AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER ONE ROUND OF THREE): 1 Chris Holder 20, 2 Davey Watt 18, 3 Rohan Tungate 17, 4 Sam Masters 16, 5 Justin Sedgmen 15, 6 Cameron Woodward 14, 7 Taylor Poole 13, 8 Cory Gathercole 12, 9 Daine Stevens 11, 10 Todd Kurtz 10, 11 Kozza Smith 9, 12 Robert Ksiezak 7, 13 James Holder 6, 14 Michael Dyer 4, 15 Jake Anderson 3, 16 Troy Batchelor 2. Edited January 8, 2012 by BigFatDave Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedcarRacer 228 Posted January 8, 2012 Sedgman looking in good form, more and more happy with his signing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gavin Elmes 4 Posted January 8, 2012 It looks like it was the footrest which caused the crash, just a hard but fair piece of racing leading up to the riders coming off. Definitely a gap there to go for and Kozza was within his rights to try and close the door, just highly unfortunate that the machines locked together. The white line was actually when the dark part of the track meets the light part. It was about 2ft out from the witches hats that you see around the track. I was standing near the fence in the pits, very close to where it happened and had a very good, front on view. I would say that there was no room for an inside pass. Gavin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pollyanna 1 Posted January 8, 2012 Can't agree with that. Kozza's riding the inside and Troy smashes him out the way. Ridiculous attempt at a pass I agree screamer. Reckless move by Batchelor and has ruined Kozza's start to the season. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A ORLOV 8,628 Posted January 8, 2012 Very good report BFD thanks for that and look forward to next sat, but will you have to stay off the amber nectar and JD till you have finished texting. Have a good week Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Edward Barrett 83 Posted January 8, 2012 Well, looked at from the u-tube recording it seems that Batchelor had 2 goes at Smith, the second one being the one that did the damage; a correct decision by the referee to penalise what was a blatant piece of unfair riding, (fairly typical of Batchelor, unfortunately!). As posted elsewhere, no doubt Mr Shovlars dismissive comment would be somewhat different if Holder had been on the receiving end of Batchelors antics!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Shovlar 10,439 Posted January 8, 2012 What a load of nonesense this has become. I am certainly no big fan of Batchelor and the right decision was made to exclude him. But speedway is a mans sport and things like this happen every night of the week. This is the National Championships and Batchelor wanted to win. If there's a gap a rider will go for it and Batchelor went for the gap in a last gasp effort to win the heat. Smith closed the door, they clashed and Batchelor was rightly excluded. Unfortunatly Smith came off badly and broke his leg. Hope he gets well soon. More often than not all riders would get up and walk back to the pits. I don't think Batchelor tried to cause an accident and wasn't "dirty". Just hard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
