BIG NIGHT FOR MILDURA By Rod Colquhoun on behalf of Heffernan Motorsports The Olympic Park Speedway in Mildura has undergone a massive re-vamp over the past two years and tonight will be by far the biggest meeting held there since the work was done. The track itself has more banking, better lighting, re-located pits and looks to me as though it will ‘ride a lot bigger’ than the previous layout. There were some murmurs that the track surface was a little unpredictable as it started to bed in (12 months ago) but no doubt Gavin Sedgmen and his team will have that well under control for tonight. There is a lot to race for tonight and the redesigned track might play a huge part in just who shines and who doesn’t. On the old lay out I’d suggest that Doyle would have been most comfortable along the Sedgmen and North, but this is not the old layout. The shape, length and width of this new track reminds me a lot of the old Oxford circuit in the UK (hope that helps paint a picture for foreign readers) and it has banking a bit like Mildenhall so it will be ultra fast. Whilst Mildura has never been Chris Holder’s favourite track he has still performed very well there and this slight re-jigging of the track could play right into his hands. Jason Doyle has a 10 point lead over Holder at the moment and if Chris can defeat Doyle when they meet in the heats tonight that will make a small but possibly telling dent in the gap between the two, not to mention Dakota North, Justin Sedgmen, Rohan Tungate, Josh Grajczonek and Max Fricke all of whom are right in the thick of this battle. Chris’ engine gave up at the end of his second ride at Gillman and no doubt he has left no stone unturned as he prepares for tonight’s mouth watering encounter. I think we can expect more of the same from the top seven and if the track gets rough and difficult to ride I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tyson Nelson shine – he is a balls to the wall racer and it might be just what he’s after. Sam Masters is another that will be looking to move up a few spots tonight given the scintillating form he’s shown in the UK in 2014 and Australia since returning home. Australian Championship progress points heading into round 2 at Mildura tonight. (Points are awarded 3,2,1,0 in the heats and 4,3,2,1 in the final) 1. Jason Doyle (NSW) 18 2. Rohan Tungate (NSW) 16 3. Dakota North (Vic) 14 4. Justin Sedgmen (Vic) 14 5. Josh Grajczonek (Qld) 11 6. Max Fricke (Vic) 10 7. Chris Holder (NSW) 8 8. Tyson Nelson (Qld) 8 9. Sam Masters (NSW) 8 10. Jake Allen (Qld) 6 11. Jack Holder (NSW) 6 12. Kieran Sproule (NSW) 3 13. Brodie Waters (Vic) 3 14. Joey Ringwood (NSW) 2 15. Jack Fallon (Vic) 2 16. Josh Coyne (Qld) 1 The weather forecast for Mildura as of Midday today: The chance of a thunderstorm this afternoon. Winds S/SE 15 to 25 km/h. Daytime maximum temperatures in the mid to high 30s. Night time temperature 22 degrees. SARGEANT WINS James Sargeant is the New Zealand Speedway Champion after winning the event in Christchurch over the weekend. I believe James is an English rider and he is sponsored by a good friend of mine, UK based radio announcer Adrian Juste. Unfortunately up and coming North Island racer Bradley Wilson did not take part but that by no means takes away fom Sargeant’s achievement. CHRIS CELEBRATES Former multiple Australian Longtrack and Dirt Track champion Chris Watson celebrated his 50th birthday over the weekend and was joined by a myriad of former riders who helped celebrate the occasion. Chris was also an Australian speedway championship finalist and his best finish was sixth in a one off final at Mildura – an impressive effort for a big track specialist. BRANDAN OUT Young Queensland gun Brandan Coglan looks like being on the sidelines for about three months following his huge crash with Jimmy Jones on December 19. Coglan has a fractured T7 vertebrae and wedged T5 and T6 so he definitely needs time out. He turns 16 in twelve months, but has decided to sell the 250cc machine and concentrate on practicing aboard a 500. Jimmy Jones was at Kurri on Boxing Day as a spectator and was sporting a badly bloodshot eye which came as a result of the impact on his head and he also has a broken arm (or wrist). CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT West Wyalong’s Hunter Anderson continues to improve as he moves toward complete health following his shocking grass track crash in England 5 months ago. I saw Hunter on the weekend and whilst I didn’t get to speak to him he certainly looked to be back on track and his dad said Doctors are pleased with his progress.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 01:06:37 +0000
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