World Speedway of Nations Champion Jack Holder has taken out the 2023 500cc Australian Speedway Championship after a thrilling final round at Mick Doohan Speedway in North Brisbane tonight.
Holder, the younger brother of 2012 World Champion Chris, rode a flawless final to win the round and gather enough points to overhaul Newcastle's Jason Doyle who had been the championship leader after the first three rounds.
Sadly for Doyle, North Brisbane wasn't his night, and he was bundled out of the semi finals by a hard charging Max Fricke and Brisbane wild card, Ryan Douglas. At that stage, Doyle had a competition points lead of only two, which meant if Jack Holder finished first or second in the final he would take the 2023 crown.
The final lined up with fellow Speedway of Nations Champion Max Fricke (Vic) on red; Jack Holder (NSW) on blue; Rohan Tungate (NSW) white and Ryan Douglas (Qld) on yellow.
Fricke was first to turn one but was undercut by Holder on the back straight... with them finishing Holder first; Fricke 2nd; Tungate 3rd and Douglas 4th.
Fricke, the 2022 Australian Champion, had his best night of the series, winning four of his heats, his semi, and coming second in one heat and the final for a meeting tally of 17 points.
The final points in the championship -
Jack Holder 63
Jason Doyle 61
Max Fricke 53
Rohan Tungate 51
Brady Kurtz 45
Josh Pickering 39
The top four get automatic inclusion into the 2023 Speedway Grand Prix qualifiers for the 2024 SGP series. There is also a possibility a fifth rider ( at the discretion of authorities) may also be included.
Holder, the younger brother of 2012 World Champion Chris, rode a flawless final to win the round and gather enough points to overhaul Newcastle's Jason Doyle who had been the championship leader after the first three rounds.
Sadly for Doyle, North Brisbane wasn't his night, and he was bundled out of the semi finals by a hard charging Max Fricke and Brisbane wild card, Ryan Douglas. At that stage, Doyle had a competition points lead of only two, which meant if Jack Holder finished first or second in the final he would take the 2023 crown.
The final lined up with fellow Speedway of Nations Champion Max Fricke (Vic) on red; Jack Holder (NSW) on blue; Rohan Tungate (NSW) white and Ryan Douglas (Qld) on yellow.
Fricke was first to turn one but was undercut by Holder on the back straight... with them finishing Holder first; Fricke 2nd; Tungate 3rd and Douglas 4th.
Fricke, the 2022 Australian Champion, had his best night of the series, winning four of his heats, his semi, and coming second in one heat and the final for a meeting tally of 17 points.
The final points in the championship -
Jack Holder 63
Jason Doyle 61
Max Fricke 53
Rohan Tungate 51
Brady Kurtz 45
Josh Pickering 39
The top four get automatic inclusion into the 2023 Speedway Grand Prix qualifiers for the 2024 SGP series. There is also a possibility a fifth rider ( at the discretion of authorities) may also be included.