whowasthatberntpersson

Very interesting. The qualifier looks very tough. Jason Doyle didn't even get seeded into last weeks NSW Title, he had to qualify yet he's straight in this time. Not quite sure how Sam Masters got directly in either. A couple of good youngsters missing from the qualifier too.

Under 21's 1st Josh Auty 2nd Mitchell Davey 3rd Hugh Skidmore 4th Tyson Nelson Nelson beat Josh Grajczonek in run off for last final spot Big crash involving Skidmore, Ashley Cathcart and Clinton Dennis, with Cathcart and Dennis taken to hospital. Under 16's 1st Nick Morris 2nd Robert Gottardi 3rd Harley Brigden 4th Matthew Day

The New South Wales Under 16 350cc Championship was held on the same day. Twelve riders competed with the top three going directly to the A Final, and a B Final to decide the last qualifier. 1st Nick Morris 2nd Dylan Blain 3rd Bryce Johnson 4th Dane Cartwright. Blain won the B final ahead of Harley Brigden and Robert Gottardi

The ones I know for sure are; Mason Campton 15 (16 in November), Bryce Johnston 15 (16 in December) Robert Branford 15, Penfold is about 17 and Cathcart 18. Jake Anderson must be the oldest by a year or two out of that lot but I'd be guessing. Excuse my ignorance but I've never heard of Jackson Milne.

I'll be visiting the UK with my Son for a few weeks in late August. We hope to ride in a few Acadamy events as well as amateur and second half stuff at various tracks. Be great to catch up with parents and kids at some of the tracks.

I'm almost certain less riders nominated from Australia. None of the top four from the Australian Under 16 Titles are in the event, although Brady Kurtz was very very unlucky not to make the podium in the Aussie Under 16 Title in january. It all comes down to expense and the fact that quite a few of the top Aussie juniors have given the small bikes away to concentrate on 350's or 500's or simply can't afford to enter.

Not so many Aussies competing this year, although I'm sure the three youngsters from OZ will give their all. Brady Kurtz is a real dark horse, he'll be in the thick of the action, Cameron Heeps may do well too but I don't think Matthew Day is up to this level of competition. Wouldn't be at all surprised if Kurtz does very well here, he's a tiny rider who was very unlucky in this year's Aussie Under 16 Championships.

Results from Saturday 20th June 2009 Thanks to Jan Grainger for these results posted on the Aussie yahoogroups list ausm@yahoogroups.com Four rounds of heats and final FINAL 1. Alex Davies (first out of the gate, never challenged) 2. Taylor Poole (excellent pass on Sam Masters to take 2nd) 3. Sam Masters 4. Daniel Begley 5. Ricky Wallace 6. Harley Horwood 350's Nick Morris unbeaten, ahead of local rider Bryce Johnson (no final) Evos Craig Hyde won despite falling in one of his four heats no final) Junior Solos Fletcher Tydd won from North Queenslander's Hayden Barr and Robert Gottardi Sidecars FINAL - A good clean start considering 6 competitors, excellent race. 1. Brodie Cohen (settled down after first couple of rides and thoroughly deserved first place) 2. Wayne Munck 3. James Hinton 4. Phil Hudson 5. Chris Pym 6. Mick Farrell (Apart from the Newman crash in which rider sustained a rib injury, the meeting was accident free) Apparantly a good day of racing in cold conditions.

I think our system would work better if the talented riders were allowed to ride 500's before they turn 16, similar to how 15 year olds can ride in the National League in England. At the moment they can ride 350cc machines from 14 - 16, but even if the kids are very good on the 350's they can only practice alone on 500cc bikes from 15 years old (and the powers that be even tried to stop that) As for teams/league racing in Australia, the distances involved and current lack of riders would prevent it. There could be one off teams meetings but any regular league setup would be too expensive for our clubs to even consider.

I wasn't including Arthur in the current crop mainly because of his age and the fact that speedway is not a prority for him at this stage. However it doesn't hide the fact that he can go to the UK and ride a 500 (at 13), whereas here in Australia we have a whole heep of very talented 15 year olds who cannot actually race a 500 until they turn 16. Our system seems to be working but I reckon it would work even better if the authorities were a little more flexible and allow the Under 16's that are capable permission to race with the big boys. For example; here is a list of 15 year olds who could easily step onto a 500 and race with adults now, there are more but these are the riders that spring to mind - Mason Campton, Nick Morris, Robert Branford, Bryce Johnson, and Brenton Barnfield. Interesting to see "Todd Kurtz" a 16 year old who I overlooked in the intial post (by mistake) score 10 points on his NL debut for Newport. Todd has only just come back from injury after breaking his ankle during the Aussie U21 Title. Another great talent who has a absolutely fantastic record in Dirt Track racing here in OZ.

Yes, its should be good for the sport. Although the big dufference with the young Aussies these days is that most have two years of 350 racing experience in them before they turn 16. This years Australian Under 21 Championship was full of 16/17 year olds, and they were really going for it.

In my opinion Australia is about to unearth the best crop of youngsters they and possibly other nations have seen in a very long time. There are so many talented teenagers about to be unleashed on the world stage. At this moment I'd say the pick of the bunch is Alex Davies, hot on the heels of Darcy Ward this kid is going to be very good, but there are many more. Tyson Nelson has only just turned 16 and looks an outstanding prospect, Taylor Poole, Sam Masters, and Michael Penfold all look like they could do very well in the sport and there are a few under 16's coming through too, thanks in no small way to the 125 and 350cc scene.

Why did Davey withdraw?

He must be about 18. Had some injury problems which have hampered his progress in the sport, but he did help Leigh Adams in this years Aussie Titles. Dakota has some catching up to do with all the talented teenagers currently in Australia, Id say he's way down the pecking order.

How do the Under 15's get into the Championship series? Are they selected? Do they nominate? or is it open to anyone? Is this the best Under 15 riders or the best without a league spot? Is it possible for someone to ride in selected meetings or do they have to do the whole series?

Thanks to Gavin Elmes Just a few days after his 16th birthday, Tyson Nelson faced the tough test of making his senior solo debut as a member of the Queensland team in an interstate match against New South Wales. At the Gladstone Showground on 16 May, Nelson not only won his first ever race at senior level, but went on to top score for the home side. However, his 10 points from seven riders were not enough to stop a comfortable win by the southerners, who were victorious by 52 points to 38. Gating was an all important factor on a track which produced fast racing, but little passing. Queensland got off to a bad start when Ashley Cathcart missed the start completely, with no green light in operation. Nelson had a shocker from the gate in his second outing. NSW's opening 5 - 1 was matched by a Qld 5 - 1 in Heat 2. But the "Blues" hit back with three successive 5 - 1's to lead 21 points to 9, and from then on, the home side was never really in the hunt. There were however, a couple of very exciting finishes, with three riders crossing the line in very close company. Cathcart and Nelson each registered two race wins, with Harley Horwood the only other race winner for Qld. Alex Davies starred for NSW, dropping just two points from six starts, for a total of 16. Scores: Queensland 38 - Tyson Nelson 10, Ashley Cathcart 9, Harley Horwood 6, Clinton Dennis 5, Steven Reid 4, Damien Koppe 4, Tim Murray 0. New South Wales 52 - Alex Davies 16, Michael Penfold 11, Sam Masters 8, Kurt Shields 7, Anthony Perks 6, Ricky Wallace 4, (Rider Replacement for James Bevan) Nick Morris took out a "Junior Double", winning the finals of both the 125cc class and the 350ccs. Junior Final - 1 Nick Morris, 2 Robert Gottardi, 3 Dylan Blain, 4 Matthew Day (dnf - broken chain at start) 350cc Final - 1 Nick Morris, 2 Jayden O'Malley, 3 Bryce Johnston, 4. Dylan Blain.

Sorry missed this thread Chopper. 350cc racing has proven to be very succesful in Australia, the riders progressing from juniors to the senior ranks are on the pace, due in no small part to the experience they gain on the 350's. The 350's are almost as quick as the 500's, possibly quicker at some places (don't quote me on that). As others have said, many kids outgrow the 125's in their early teens, my boy doubles up on both but he's getting too tall for the 125 now, and only does it for fun (not for too much longer though). The comparrisson between Justin Sedgman and Arthur Sissis is a good one, also Robert Branford and Nick Morris is a good example, I've got a photo of Rob and Nick standing side by side at last year's SA U16 Title and its David v Goliath. Prior to the 350's kids really had to continue on the 125's until they were way too big, at least now they can get on the 350's and continue riding, whereas previously I'm sure we lost riders because there was no competetive racing for them from 14-16. Here are some clips, one from the Aussie 350 Title and a couple from the last Gold Coast meeting Aussie Championship - Gold Coast 350's 18/4/09 - Gold Coast 125's 18/4/09 -

The second QLD v NSW State teams meeting takes place at the big Gladstone Showground venue next Saturday 16th May. These meetings showcase some of the best home based Aussie talent, and quite a number of riders in both teams look set to compete Overseas in the not too distant future. The last time these teams met was at at the Gold Coast last month where a very close contest ended all square 41-41. There was some great racing and no shortage of spills and contreversy. A couple of minor changes on both sides, with 16 year old Gun Tyson Nelson making his senior racing debut for QLD, Bundaberg rider Tim Murray also steps in for QLD who have lost Scott Smith from the first meeting (QLD also used RR for Sam Taylor last time). For NSW 23 year old Kurt Shields comes in to replace Taylor Poole who impressed at the Gold Coast. Daniel Begley is also missing from the NSW team. Also on the huge programme are Sidecars, and an impressive junior lineup which includes 8 350's and 16 125's, the 125's will be racing on the infield track and will kick off the programme in the afternoon. Gladstone will stage this years Queenslland Under 16 Championship later in the year so this is a good opportunity for the young guns to have a serious hit out on the relatively new junior circuit. Lineups QUEENSLAND: 1. Ashley Cathcart 2. Steven Reid 3. Damien Koppe 4. Tim Murray 5. Harley Horwood 6. Clinton Dennis 7. Tyson Nelson Team manager: Craig Hyde NSW-FARRELL TRANSPORT 1. Sam Masters (captain) 2. Kurt Shields 3. Alex Davies 4. Anthony Perks 5. Michael Penfold 6. Ricky Wallace 7. James Bevan Team manager: Peter White Under 16's - 350's Bryce Johston Jayden O'Malley Jake Moore Nick Morris Harley Brigden Dylan Blain Hayden Barr Glen Squires Under 16's - 125's Glen Squires Hayden Barr Zaine Kennedy Matthew Day Nick Morris Jayden O'Malley Brandon Coglan Dalton Nilsen Michael Detenon Harley Brigden Bryce Brigden Dylan Blain Scott Schofield Tyson Snow ??? Bates TBA

It was a very good meeting despite lots of crashes. The youngsters were going for it again. There were a couple of very serious looking falls, however no long term injuries. Danny Begley in particular is very fortunate, I was standing right by where he ploughed into the tyre wall at full speed. NSW were slightly the better team, but lost points due to engine mishaps and falls. I think Alex Davies stopped three times and was leading in at least two of them. A couple of changes to be made to both teams for the next meeting at Gladstone, a different format is being used, so six riders instead of seven, Queensland loose Scott Smith and I think Harley Horwood will be replaced too, he was very dissapointing at the Gold Coast and did himself no favours by clearly giving up and pottering round in a couple of heats. I think Kurt Shields comes in for NSW but I'm not sure who he will replace. Some good support racing on the night, with a couple of the North Queenslanders fighting for a team spot when the tour reaches their kneck of the woods. Shame we can't get SA and Vic involved in a series like this, during the off season.

State Teams Racing comes to the Gold Coast Speedway this Saturday night. With some of the best home based Aussies taking part. Its Queensland v New South Wales, with seven man teams doing battle, they will be using the British 15 heat format. Also on the programme is the Barry Brigden Memorial for Under 16's, which will take place prior to the main programme (3-5pm) Preview Courtesy of the Gold Coast website http://goldcoastspeedway.homestead.com/ Interstate Match to End Season - Posted 6 April, 2009 by Gavin Elmes & photo by Shane Bell Queensland takes on New South Wales in a "State of Origin" solo clash on Saturday, 18 April. When the sides met last October, the home side scored a comfortable win, with Darcy Ward scoring double figures. This time Qld will be without Ward and two other local riders. More than half of the team comes from Townsville and Ayr. Scott Smith again captains Qld, with Sam Taylor and Harley Horwood the other southern based riders. Joining the team from the north are Steven Reid, Ashley Cathcart, Damien Koppe and Clinton Dennis. Sixteen year-old Dennis makes his Gold Coast debut on a 500cc machine, but has learnt the Gold Coast "ropes" on a 350cc. New South Wales also sport a rookie in 16 year-old Daniel Begley. It will be Begley's first time around the Labrador circuit. Promising Newcastle youngster Sam Masters captains the Blues and has put in some very fast times here in the past. Michael Penfold, Alex Davies and Taylor Poole are familiar faces who have knocked up many Gold Coast race wins and should notch up respectable scores. Tim Heffernan was a member of the last NSW team, and Ricky Wallace returns after his only appearance three years ago. Support solos on the main programme bring together Kurt Palmer and Mitchell Weismantel (both of Townsville), Todd Groves, Geoff Tomkins and Guy Mallett. Nick Morris will be out to maintain his winning ways in the 350cc division, with Jayden O'Malley, Jake Moore and Harley Brigden providing the opposition. Sidecars see the return of Darren Cafe/Don Morris from New South Wales, who face Silver Sash winners Ross Brown/Steve Kelly, Jeff Barth/Dave Oliver, Robbie Wilson/Cameron Bell, Paul & Daniel Newman, Peter Wilken/Kelly Cooper, Jason Kenyon/Jo O'Brien and Antony Schofield/Les Tighe. The afternoon programme starting at 3pm features the Barry Brigden Memorial Trophy for junior solos, encourage solos and evos. Main programme starts at 6pm. Admission $20 adults, $15 concessions, with free entry for children under 12.

Yes, no assisted passages this week BFD. Here are his races Where was the original Silver Sash held? The Gold Coast also has The Laurels, courtesy of Gavin's previous association with Wimbledon, we only need The Internationale and the Daily Express Spring Classic now..

The 350cc Title was run using a rather unusual format with the top 8 getting an additional ride, but instead of sudden death semi finals the extra ride couted on points. Qualifying positions for the semis in brackets 1st Semi Tyson Nelson 1st (Top Scorer) Bryce Johnston 2nd (5th) Brenton Barnfield 3rd (4th highest) Dylan Blain 4th (8th) 2nd Semi Mason Campton 1st (2nd highest) Nick Morris 2nd (3rd) Fletcher Tydd 3rd (7th) Robert Branford 4th (7th) So Tyson Nelson, Mason Campton and Nick Morris went straight to the final, with one spot being decided from the consolation final Consolation Final Bryce Johnson 1st Brenton Barnfield 2nd Robert Branford 3rd Fletcher Tydd 4th Final 1st Tyson Nelson 2nd Mason Campton 3rd Nick Morris 4th Bryce Johnston Some really fantastic racing, Branford and Barnfield had a reall neck and neck affair in the consolation race. Whilst in the heats there were some very close affairs. The final was probably the race of the night, a very even start saw Nelson ahead from gate 2, but Morris and Campton were right in amongst it, Morris swept round the boards from gate 4 passing Campton but Mason kept challenging until finally on the very last bend Morris made a mistake and left a big enough gap for Mason to creep under. A very good meeting with the biggest turnout of riders I've seen in a long time. Over 60 events and the meeting was still over at a reasonable hour.

Oakburn Park Speedway in Tamworth New South Wales will host the 2009 350cc Championships this coming Saturday 28th February 2009. There is also a massive support programme of 20 senior solos, 20 junior (under 16) solos, plus junior and senior sidecars. The 350cc Title will feature some of Australia's rising stars, with a field including the likes of Tyson Nelson and Nick Morris QLD, Mason Campton and local lad Bryce Johnson NSW, Robert Branford SA, and Brenton Barnfield Vic. The winner should come from those but there are plenty of others out there to make them work hard for their points. Last year's title was won by Todd Kurtz after a very eventful final which saw both Darcy Ward and Tyson Nelson excluded, after the two Queenslanders had topped the scoresheet in the heats, Alex Davies was the other finalist. Practice starts at 4.30pm with racing at 6pm.

Poole and Davies are 16, I think Masters is 17, Skidmore is about 18, not really 100% about the rest but Anderson is Under 21, Shields and Taylor aren't.

Since last weekends Aussie Under 21 Championships, there hasn't been much to write about re Aussie action. However there are a couple of good meetings coming up before the season really starts to wind down. Saturday 21st February - Dave Booth Memorial / Gold Coast, good field of seniors and juniors with the Under 16's going for the Dave Booth Shield on 350's, and possible junior teams racing (depending on numbers, as it looks like being a really big turnout, with around twenty nominations) Saturday 28th February - Australian Under 16 350cc Championships / Tamworth (with a big support programme)