Sam Masters Mildura
Newcastle rider Sam Masters took out round two of the Australian Solo Speedway Championship Series at Olympic Park Speedway on Saturday night. Masters lead from start to finish ahead of Max Fricke, Davey Watt and the excluded Justin Sedgmen.
Masters has made it no secret of his liking to the Olympic Park track after winning the Phil Crump International Trophy earlier in the Australian season.
Despite two air fence crashes for the night Mildura’s Justin Sedgmen remains second in the Australian solo speedway titles after the second round was held at Mildura’s Olympic Park speedway on Saturday night.
Sedgmen crashed heavily in the second race of the night, causing some injury to his shoulder but he came back to win his next four heats in style and then put in an electrifying finish to take out the b Final in the last 20 metres.
The Mildura rider was in second place behind defending champion Brady Kurtz as the pair charged together for the whole race.
Kurtz was still in front around the final corner but Sedgmen charged through to snatch victory right on the line.
He had been pushed back to the B Final after three riders – Max Fricke, Sam Masters and Davey Watt – finished with 13 points after the 20 heats. By having four wins Sedgmen finished with 12 points.
For the final Fricke picked gate one, Davey Watt gate two, Masters picked three and Sedgmen began from the outside.
But disaster struck on the first bend with the field drifting up the track leaving Sedgmen with no racing room as he hit the air fence.
After the race Sedgmen described the decision by the steward as a “joke”.
“But from time to time these things happen in speedway,” he said.
The local crowd was a little dumbstruck by the decision and even speedway visitors thought a re-start for the whole field would have been the better decision.
In the re-run Fricke and Masters were quick to battle it out with Davey Watt back third.
It was a great final with Masters just getting the lead to win by a bike length. Watt had dropped back with clutch trouble in the final lap.
“I kind of like this track,’ Masters said after the winning the A Final.
There was a sensation in heat six when the bike of Troy Batchelor caught fire in the back straight as it began to slow down.
A stunned Batchelor had to jump off and within a few seconds his main bike was engulfed in flames
Round Two Australian Solo Speedway titles at Mildura.
13 – Max Fricke, Sam Masters, Davey Watt
12- Justin Sedgmen
10- Brady Kurtz
8 – Troy Batchelor, Nick Morris, Josh Pickering
7 – Jack Holder
6- Jaimon Lidsey
5 – Jordan Stewart, Ty Proctor
4- Mason Campton, Todd Kurtz
3 – Rohan Tungate
2 – Cooper Riordan
Coomy Club B Final: Justin Sedgmen 1; Brady Kurtz 2; Nick Morris 3, Troy Batchelor 4. Time 59.56 seconds
Coomy Club A Final: Sam Masters 1, Max Fricke 2; Davey Watt 3, Justin Sedgmen (excluded)
SOLO CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER TWO ROUNDS:
32- Davey Watt
29– Justin Sedgmen
27 – Sam Masters
25 – Max Fricke
22 – Nick Morris
20- Troy Batchelor
15 – Brady Kurtz
13 – Rohan Tungate, Josh Pickering, Jack Holder
11- Jaimon Lidsey, Ty Proctor
9 – Todd Kurtz
7 – Jordan Stewart, Mason Campton
6 – Cooper Riordan