The Albury Wodonga Motorcycle Club is all set to host the 2023 WEC Australian Senior Dirt Track Championship meeting this weekend at its Lincoln Causeway track.
There are six championship classes – four two-wheel classes, as well as Dirt Track Sidecars and the ATV Open class, with the absence of the 2022 champions from the weekend’s lineup confirming the crowning of new champions. Last year saw Queenslander Jarred Brook add two more class wins to his already impressive record by winning both the Pro 450 and MX Open classes. The 25-year-old, however, but will miss the chance to defend those titles as he will be contesting the final round of the World Flat Track Championship this weekend in France.
Teenager Rory McQualter is one of the few Queenslanders who will make the trip south and he will be among the favourites along with fellow young guns local rider Remmie Fyffe, Newcastle duo Luke Bush and Cody Lewis, Connor Ryan from the Central Coast and lone South Australian Kyle Machin.
Sydney rider David Smith, who is coming off a record-breaking fourth win in the Central Coast Cup, perennial placegetter Daniel Wicks who is always prominent whenever he appears, and the likes of Tom Herrick, Grant Charnock, James Sawdy and Mildura rider Rowan Tegart are also touted to be serious contenders.
The Pro 250 class is invariably closely fought and this weekend’s edition should be no exception. Both James Sawdy and Grant Charnock have previously won the Australian Track Championship, and along with Rory McQualter and Remmie Fyffe loom as major contenders.
In the absence of defending champion Briony Hendrickson in the Pro Women’s class, former Track champion Tayla Street is among the favourites to take the title. That said, fellow Victorian Kelsey Jensen and the experienced Hunter area duo Bree-Anna Etheridge and Sharnelle Sipple will also hope to make their presence felt over the weekend.
Both the three and four-wheel categories will feature the 2022 champions.
In the Dirt Track Sidecars, it will be the young Queensland cousins Troy Pritchard and passenger Ethan Wade facing some red-hot opposition from the New South Wales brigade including Jarred Marko / Shaun Fuller, Corey Forde / Darren Freudenstein and Jim Jobling / Tom Northey who have all shown good form in recent track meetings.
Josh Griffiths is the defending champion in the ATV Open class and as is often the case, his toughest opposition could come from his brother Matthew who won the recent Australian Track Championship.
The Pro Women’s class will be decided over five point-scoring rounds, so every placing in each round is vital.
All other championship classes will feature four rounds of heats, then a repechage and a final.
In addition to the championship classes there will also be five support classes – an ATV 450 class, Over 35s and three junior classes which will give fans a chance to watch some of the great young talent coming through the age groups.
Practice gets underway at 9am on Saturday, and then on Sunday, there will be a parade lap of competitors, with the National Anthem scheduled at 9.30am.
Fans can see the action for an entrance fee of just $10 per car.
Press Release prepared by Peter Baker 0409 903196; bakerp@westnet.com.au on behalf of Albury Wodonga Motor Cycle Club