Under 16 World Champs

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KIDS HEAD FOR POLAND

Former rider Mick Poole will head up a 10 strong team of riders and fathers heading for the Under 16 World Champion ships at Czestochowa in Poland. They leave on June 27 and return in Mid July. There will be 6 youngsters from down under competing and MA has kindly arranged matching race suits for the riders.


www.speedwaybikeaustralia.com

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Speedway Youth Gold Trophy 80cc in Czestochowa (POL) 11-14 July 2007

Three riders, according to their result of last year competition, will be directly seeded into the Semi-finals.

Samuel Masters (AUS) and Anders Mellgren (SWE) will be seeded into the Semi-final 1 and Michael Jepsen Jensen (DEN) will be seeded into the Semi-final 2.

The ballot for the Semi-finals and the Final will be made by the International Jury at the meeting.

FIM Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy 80cc, Qualifying Round 1, Czestochowa / Poland – Wednesday 11 July 2007
Starting N° Name & first name FMN Country
1 Jeppe SCHMIDT DMU DEN
2 Jasmin ILIJAÐ HMS CRO
3 Jacob BUKHAVE DMU DEN
4 Darcy WARD MA AUS
5 Joel LARSSON SVEMO SWE
6 Mikkel B. JENSEN DMU DEN
7 David NILSEN SVEMO SWE
8 Kamil CIESLAR PZM POL
9 Simon FISCHER DMU DEN
10 Emil N¨RRET DMU DEN
11 Mateusz LISZKA PZM POL
12 Clinton DENNIS MA AUS
13 Lasse KRAGH DMU DEN
14 Damian SYNOWIEC PZM POL
15 Nikolaj JAKOBSEN DMU DEN
16 Mathias THÖRNBLOM SVEMO SWE
Substitute 17 tba PZM POL
Substitute 18 tba PZM POL

FIM Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy 80cc, Qualifying Round 2, Czestochowa / Poland – Wednesday 11 July 2007
Starting N° Name & first name FMN Country
1 Alex DAVIES MA AUS
2 Kasper Lykke NIELSEN DMU DEN
3 Anders NIELSEN DMU DEN
4 Rafal MALCZEWSKI PZM POL
5 Emil MEYER DMU DEN
6 Jacob THORSELL SVEMO SWE
7 Kim FRIDELL SVEMO SWE
8 Roland BENKO MAMS HUN
9 Michelle SCH¨LER DMU DEN
10 Mika LOPPI SML FIN
11 Oliver BERNTZON SVEMO SWE
12 Thomas J¨RGENSEN DMU DEN
13 Taylor POOLE MA AUS
14 Niklas PORSING DMU DEN
15 Szymon WOZNIAK PZM POL
16 Pontus ASPGREN SVEMO SWE
Substitute 17 tba PZM POL
Substitute 18 tba PZM POL

FIM Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy 80cc Qualifying Round 3, Czestochowa / Poland – Thursday 12 July 2007
Starting N° Name & first name FMN Country
1 Victor PALOVAARA SVEMO SWE
2 Marcin BUBEL PZM POL
3 Stefan PEDERSEN DMU DEN
4 Freddy GODLUND SVEMO SWE
5 Richard DE BIASI FFM FRA
6 Mikkel MICHELSEN DMU DEN
7 Lasse BJERRE DMU DEN
8 Jarkko PALMI SML FIN
9 Rasmus JENSEN DMU DEN
10 Todd KURTZ MA AUS
11 Dino KOVAÈIÃ HMS CRO
12 Mikkel SALOMONSEN DMU DEN
13 Tim P. NORBERG SVEMO SWE
14 Marcel SZYMKO PZM POL
15 Kalle FLEETWOODCARLSSON
SVEMO SWE
16 Marc RANDRUP DMU DEN
Substitute 17 tba PZM POL
Substitute 18 tba PZM POL

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Revised Line up

FIM Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy 80cc Qualifying Round 1 Czestochowa / Poland – Wednesday 11 July 2007
Starting N° Name & first name FMN Country
1 Jeppe SCHMIDT DMU DEN
2 Jasmin ILIJAÐ HMS CRO
3 Jacob BUKHAVE DMU DEN
4 Darcy WARD MA AUS
5 Joel LARSSON SVEMO SWE
6 Mikkel B. JENSEN DMU DEN
7 David NILSEN SVEMO SWE
8 Kamil CIESLAR PZM POL
9 Simon FISCHER DMU DEN
10 Emil N¨RRET DMU DEN
11 Mateusz LISZKA PZM POL
12 Clinton DENNIS MA AUS
13 Lasse KRAGH DMU DEN
14 Damian SYNOWIEC PZM POL
15 Nikolaj JAKOBSEN DMU DEN
16 Mathias THÖRNBLOM SVEMO SWE
Substitute 17 tba PZM POL
Substitute 18 tba PZM POL

FIM Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy 80cc Qualifying Round 2 Czestochowa / Poland – Wednesday 11 July 2007
Starting N° Name & first name FMN Country
1 Alex DAVIES MA AUS
2 Kasper Lykke NIELSEN DMU DEN
3 Anders NIELSEN DMU DEN
4 Lukasz PIECHA PZM POL
5 Emil MEYER DMU DEN
6 Jacob THORSELL SVEMO SWE
7 Kim FRIDELL SVEMO SWE
8 Roland BENKO MAMS HUN
9 Michelle SCH¨LER DMU DEN
10 Mika LOPPI SML FIN
11 Oliver BERNTZON SVEMO SWE
12 Alexander ANTIPIN MFR RUS
13 Taylor POOLE MA AUS
14 Adrian CYFER PZM POL
15 Szymon WOZNIAK PZM POL
16 Pontus ASPGREN SVEMO SWE
Substitute 17 tba PZM POL
Substitute 18 tba PZM POL

FIM Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy 80cc Qualifying Round 3 Czestochowa / Poland – Thursday 12 July 2007
Starting N° Name & first name FMN Country
1 Victor PALOVAARA SVEMO SWE
2 Marcin BUBEL PZM POL
3 Stefan PEDERSEN DMU DEN
4 Freddy GODLUND SVEMO SWE
5 Richard DE BIASI FFM FRA
6 Mikkel MICHELSEN DMU DEN
7 Lasse BJERRE DMU DEN
8 Jarkko PALMI SML FIN
9 Alexander LOKTAEV MFR RUS
10 Todd KURTZ MA AUS
11 Dino KOVAÈIÃ HMS CRO
12 Mikkel SALOMONSEN DMU DEN
13 Tim P. NORBERG SVEMO SWE
14 Marcel SZYMKO PZM POL
15 Kalle FLEETWOODCARLSSON
SVEMO SWE
16 Marc RANDRUP DMU DEN
Substitute 17 tba PZM POL
Substitute 18 tba PZM POL

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Australian junior Speedway riders Taylor Poole and Alex Davies have stormed their way through to the semi-finals of the 2007 FIM Individual Youth Gold Trophy in Czestochowa, Poland.

Both Poole and Davies went through to the semis via the second qualification round at the event on day one, with Poole dominating the 16-rider field to win overall after a first-place race-off.

Heading into the final four heats, Poole and Davies were first and second overall, with Poole managing second place in his final heat and Davies withdrawing after a crash.

Davies was in the lead of his final heat and looked likely to sure up second spot, before an unexpected crash left him with no points in the heat.

However, wonderful performances in his opening four heats – which included to wins and two second placings, were enough to Davies advance through.

But it was Poole who was the most consistent Australian rider on the opening day, with three wins and two second placings taking him through to a race-off.

Poole won the race-off when the other rider was disqualified after bringing both riders down, and the young gun admitted that he was over the moon with the way he rode.

“I’m well chuffed,” he said. “I was starting in third gear and everyone else was in second, but when they’d all change I would catch back up. I’m pretty happy about it.”

Davies was disappointed with the outcome of his final heat, but in putting the day into perspective said that he was happy with the overall result.

“I was happy with my starts and I just went from there. I held a good line and everything was sweet,” he said.

“There was a little hole over there and I mucked it up a little bit which was a little disappointing, but I got 10 points so I am pretty happy.

“It is my first time overseas racing, and it is the first time I have raced at this track, so I am pretty happy with that.”

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Two of Australia’s riders at the 2007 FIM Individual Youth Speedway Gold Trophy have exited the competition, with both Darcy Ward and Clinton Dennis going out in the opening qualification round.

Both riders caused their fair share of controversy throughout the opening round, with Ward being disqualified from his opening two races, and Dennis having a protest thrown out after he was clipped and fell mid-race.

The Ward situation was a controversial one, and had his team members scrambling around the pit area seeking clarification on his disqualification.

As it turned out, the disqualification ruling was made by officials, after they were informed by another rider that Ward was riding with the wrong size rear wheel rim.

According to the FIM rules, the wheel rims must not exceed 1.6 – a rule that is not in place in Australia where it is acceptable to ride with rims which are sized up to 1.85.

Despite the bike having gone through scrutineering without the mistake being picked up, Ward was automatically disqualified from the first heat that he had competed in.

His team failed to make the appropriate change to his bike in time for his second heat, and by not getting to the starting gate within two-minutes of riders having been called, he was once again ruled out.

The upset teenager claimed a fourth, third and second from his remaining three races, which was not enough to see him go through.

Dennis earned himself five third places from his five heats competed in, meaning that he too did not have enough points overall to progress.

In his third heat he was leading from the outset, however Dennis unfortunately had his back tyre clipped causing him to fall and finish the race in third (another rider had already been disqualified).

Despite lodging a complaint with the event Referee, it was automatically dismissed and the result from the heat was ordered to stand.

Speaking as he packed up his son’s bike, Ward’s father Brian admitted to being extremely disappointed, but said that a lesson would be learnt from the incident.

“I think a lot of people have got a lot to learn, including ourselves,” he said.

“We did have a bit of bad luck - a lot of bad luck unfortunately.

“But I guess we are in Poland, and you have to do what the Romans do, so there’s not much we can do now…We’ll cop it on the chin and just get on with it.”

An upset Darcy Ward did well to hold back his emotions, but was clearly upset with the events of the qualifier.

Despite not having much to say, his character really shone through as he wished his fellow team-mates well for the duration of the event.

“I’m feeling pretty ripped off, but what do I do?” he said.

“I hope that Australia still does well, and I hope that the other guys all do really good.”

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Sam Masters received a stroke of luck at the Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy in Poland today, after a bike malfunction threatened to end his overseas adventure.

Having been seeded straight through to the semi-finals, Masters took his bike out on day two of the event for a practise session where after two laps, a gear-stick selector problem ended his day.

The Australian contingent, led by his father Pete, frantically went to work to get to the crux of the issue, and before long the bike had been stripped down with the problem identified.

With not much chance of locating a new part for the bike, Pete headed to a factory next door to the track where he located a welding machine and went to work on fixing the part.

Soon after, the bike was put back together, and while Sam will not be able to give it a thorough testing until tomorrow’s semi-final practice run, the problem appears to have been fixed.

Speaking after what was a hectic few hours of repairs, Pete Masters said that he feared the worst for Sam, but was relieved that the crisis had been averted for the time being.

“The gear-stick selector shaft seized up on us, and we’ve pulled the bike down,” he said.

“There is a little welding factory next door and so I welded it up, and I think we’ve fixed it.

“I thought it was going to be all over. I thought it was gone.

“But we’ve soldiered on through and used a few bushman’s tricks and we’ve fixed it up.”

Masters was quick to note that there was plenty of support and knowledge on hand from within the Australian team to help deal with the matter.

“All the Aussies got together and helped us out, so I think we’ll be alright.

“I think it was good luck rather than bad luck, but we will see how we go tomorrow!”

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Australian Todd Kurtz has put in a stellar day of racing to finish equal first, before eventually coming second in a three-rider race off, in the third qualification meeting at the Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy in Poland.

Kurtz was on fire early taking three heat wins from his first three starts, with two second places following on to ensure that he made it through to a final race-off.

Despite leading early in the race-off, Kurtz could only manage second for the race, taking him through to the semi-finals where he will join fellow Australian riders Taylor Poole, Alex Davies and Sam Masters.

Kurtz showed riding maturity beyond his years in his opening heat as he slickly overtook two riders from three-wide on the second lap, to take a lead which he never relinquished.

In the second heat, Kurtz found himself half-a-lap clear in the lead, and sensibly he made sure that he would claim all three heat points by easing his bike to the finish line.

After making it through to the race-off, the Aussie was lucky enough to draw the red-inside starting position, but in a split moment he drifted back into second spot which was where he finished.

Speaking after claiming his trophy on the podium, Kurtz admitted that he was not fazed by losing the race-off, and said that there was a lot more riding to take place before the event is over.

“Unfortunately I got a little bit distracted, but not to worry. You don’t win it in the quarter-final,” he said.

“I made a perfect start to the day with the three heat wins, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Kurtz has an impressive family entourage following him in Poland, with his parents Sue and Steve, and younger brother Brady, out in force to cheer him on and lend their support.

The Kurtz family, along with other supporters among the Australian contingent, have certainly made the Australian presence felt at the event.

Australian flags – including several sporting the boxing kangaroo have adorned the track, and there is a real sense of the riders competing not only for themselves, but for their country also.

With the Australian’s proving themselves to be a force both on the track and off it over the first two days of competition, Todd’s attitude probably best summed up how the Australian’s are travelling to date.

“Well we haven’t come all this way for nothing, so it is certainly Aussie all the way.”

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Australian Alex Davies has been knocked out of the 2007 Individual Speedway Gold Trophy in Czestochowa, Poland, after finishing 13th in the first semi-final.

Despite not recording any points throughout his first four races, Davies’ spirit really shone through in his final heat, where on the final corner a wonderful passing manoeuvre catapulted him into second position.

Davies struggled to find his rhythm early, as his pre-race nerves which were clearly evident, shone through onto the track.

However, in true Aussie fashion, Davies regathered himself and put in a brave performance to clinch the two points in his final heat of the day.

Speaking after his final race Davies remained upbeat, and said that he was looking forward to going to Denmark to compete in the event next year.

“It was a bad day, but that’s what happens in racing,” he admitted.

“But there’s always next year so I guess we’ll just see what happens.”

Davies said that he was looking forward to the team World Cup on Sunday, and was hopeful that Australia’s strong line-up would be in with a big chance.

“It is going to be great and I hope Australia wins.

“We’ve got some good riders in the team, and it should be a good day.”

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Seeded Australian rider Sam Masters has breezed through to final of the 2007 Individual Speedway Gold Trophy in Czestochowa, Poland, finishing fifth outright in the first semi-final.

Masters, who had been gifted a spot in the semi due to his impressive performance at the event last year, registered one win, three seconds and a third from his five heats, to take him through to tomorrow’s final.

His bike showed no signs of the gear problems he suffered in yesterday’s practice session, and Master started off well with a second placing in the first heat of the day.

In his final race, Masters started from the coveted red inside position and took a lead off the start which he never looked like relinquishing.

A delighted Masters said that he was happy with his final race, and admitted that he did not care how he performed in the final – he was just stoked to have even made it that far.

“Well I had the outside gates in the first couple of heats, and in the last one I had to pretty much win to go through,” he said.

“I had the inside gate which is the best gate, and it paid off.

“I don’t really care...I’m just happy I’m in it (the final) and I really don’t care where I come from here.”

Masters admitted that he was initially concerned about the bike problems he suffered yesterday, but said that as the day wore on, the bike performance just got better.

“It is all good now thank god, but it certainly looked as though we were in a bit of trouble there yesterday,” he said.

“I didn’t like it at the start and I got a bit worried, but we got the bike sorted out and so it was good.”

The final will be run at 2pm local time on Saturday (10pm EST), with a World Cup featuring the Australian riders taking place on Sunday.

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A huge downpour in the middle of the second semi-final at the 2007 Individual Speedway Gold Trophy in Czestochowa, Poland, has handed Australian Todd Kurtz a huge reprieve.

In the middle of the sixth heat of the semi-final the rains came calling the meet off for the day, with the second semi-final to start from scratch tomorrow morning.

The news was great for Kurtz, who registered a third placing in his first heat, and was disqualified from his second heat (the sixth overall) in dubious circumstances.

As the rain thundered down, Kurtz fell in his second race, before another two-rider crash called the race off.

Despite the young Aussie having climbed back on his bike and having nothing to do with the second crash half a lap away, the FIM Referee ruled that he had failed to get his bike starting up again before the race-ending crash.

Kurtz argued that his bike had never actually stopped and that he was back riding before the red lights were flashed, but his plea fell on deaf ears.

The result meant that with three races remaining where he would be twice starting in the yellow gate, and once starting in the white gate, Kurtz was unlikely to make it to the final.

However, a greater force than the FIM Referee smiled on Todd, and with the rain leaving the track absolutely soaked, the meeting was ordered to begin again tomorrow from scratch.

“I think the ref made a bad decision,” Kurtz admitted.

“He stopped it because of the other crash, not because of mine – I was ready to get back up and finish the race, but that’s the way it goes and I guess we can’t change it now.

“I’m pretty relieved. The nerves have gone down a bit now, and hopefully I can get out there, get a better result and can get into the final.”

While Kurtz was thanking his lucky stars that the heavens opened up on Czestochowa, Australia’s other second semi-final competitor, Taylor Poole, was not so happy about the outcome.

Poole had won his opening race in convincing fashion in and was scheduled to ride his second race with only two riders – handing him a guaranteed two points.

However with the rain and the news of the rescheduling, Poole has been brought back to level pegging alongside his 15 other competitors.

Poole said that it was a disappointing outcome given that he would have been on a guaranteed five points, but realised that it is a part of racing that can’t be helped.

“I’m pretty disappointed...I was definitely getting two points if I stayed on,” he said.

“It’s not bad for Todd, but it’s pretty bad for me. Well it’s not bad, but it’s not the best.”

The second semi-final has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning at 9.30am local time (5:30pm EST) with the final to be run at 2:00pm (10:00pm EST).

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Taylor Poole has made it through to the final of the 2007 Individual Speedway Gold Trophy in Poland, after comfortably negotiating a difficult second semi-final.

Poole was not the dominant force he was in the quarter-final on Wednesday, however he did more than enough to secure a spot in the final and prove that he will be one of the main competitors for the title.

Joining Sam Masters in the final, Poole became the second Aussie into the field of 16 for this afternoon’s main event, and despite some concentration lapses during his heats said he was just happy to have made it through.

“It was pretty hard, but I came good at the end,” he said.

“I am just happy that I am in it and I don’t care where I come now.

“I only needed to get two points from the last heat to get through, and I got those so I am pretty happy.”

The final will take place today at 2pm local time (10pm EST).

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Aussie Todd Kurtz has gallantly been eliminated from the 2007 Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy in Czestochowa, Poland, after finishing ninth in the second semi-final.

With eight of the 16 riders qualifying from the semi, Kurtz finished the day one point outside eighth spot having started off slowly before storming home in his last two races.

After he was handed a slice of luck yesterday when rain forced the whole semi-final to be re-run, Kurtz could not capitalise on his good fortune as he claimed third and fourth from his first two races.

Riding them in the red and blue starting positions, the results ultimately signalled the end of his Poland adventure.

However Kurtz fought hard and managed a second in his penultimate heat before winning his last one, which was just not enough to secure a position in this afternoon’s final.

Speaking after the semi-final, Kurtz said that he was disappointed with the way he started, but overall was very happy with the way he performed throughout the event.

“Things didn’t go quite to plan,” he admitted.

“I had a good finish to the day but the start wasn’t perfect.

“I don’t know what happened really. I muddled up the gears a little bit, but I can’t change it now.”

Kurtz is gunning for a return to the competition next year, but has now turned his thoughts to tomorrow’s World Cup, which he hopes will show just how good the Aussies are.

“Hopefully I will be back next year,” he said.

“I mean it is so hard over here and I did my best I suppose.

“There’s not really much more I can do, so I hope we can give it to them in the World Cup.”

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Australian Sam Masters has finished the final of the 2007 Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy in Czestochowa, Poland in a creditable 11th position.

Having drawn two yellow gate starts in the final, Masters was always going to be up against it in the main event, however he did well to record six points overall for the meet.

Those six points included a wonderful race win in Masters’ third heat of the day, where he led from start to finish from the red starting gate and beat the eventual winner from Sweden, Anders Mellgren.

In his opening two heats Masters claimed multiple third positions – his first race saw him leading at one point before a break in concentration and a wide turn saw him drop back to third.

But the young Aussie bounced back hard by winning his third race, and despite finishing fourth in his penultimate heat, still managed to steal a point from his final race where he started from the widest gate.

Masters, who has been rarely sighted without a beaming smile on his face, was thrilled to have beaten Mellgren in their heat, but said that it was tough riding on a different bike to last year.

“That’s the only upside about the meeting,” he said of beating the eventual winner. “But it’s hard work out there.

“Last year I did a bit better…Last year we had a different bike which was already set up for Speedway, and this year dad worked really hard to get the bike going, but we had a bit of fun.”

Masters is looking forward to riding for his country at tomorrow’s World Cup, and is now confident that the Australian Team can give the quest for number one position a real good shake.

“I’m keen as. I can’t wait – it will be a bit of fun, a bit of a learning curve I suppose.

“We have a really good chance of winning it which I didn’t think we had at the start of the week.

“But seeing how everyone else went, we have a pretty good chance I think.”

Masters will play an important part of the Australian Team in the World Cup, and if his riding form over the past few days is anything to go by, he will certainly be bringing home some big results for the Aussies.

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Australian Taylor Poole has performed exceptionally well on the international stage today, when he finished fifth overall at the 2007 Individual Speedway Youth Gold Trophy in Czestochowa, Poland.

After qualifying for the 16-rider field earlier in the morning semi-final, Poole got off to an exceptional start in the final by winning his first two heats in convincing fashion.

Riding against Swede Pontus Aspgren in the opening heat (who later went on to tie with Poole for points and claim outright fourth), the young Aussie led from start to finish in one of his best rides of the week.

Poole’s second heat was a different story.

Having started off the blue gate, Poole started well to take the lead and control of the race at the first corner.

However, on the final corner, Dane Rasmus Jensen skipped past Poole, and in a sprint to the line the Aussie managed to get his bike in front to win the heat by the smallest of margins.

A second placing in his third race had Poole as the outright leader heading into the final two heats, however he was unable to claim more than two third place finishes from his yellow and white starting gates.

Poole’s final race was an absolute stunner, with all four riders part of the top-five contesting for the outright win, as well as the podium positions.

However Poole’s fairytale script was not to have the magical ending that the whole Australian camp was hoping for, but despite that, there were plenty of proud, smiling Aussie faces littered amongst the crowd.

Speaking after a long day of racing, Poole said that being pitted against the best riders in the final couple of heats made his quest for a podium placing tough.

“It was pretty hard because I had some easy races early and some very hard ones at the end,” he said.

“I could have got third but I’ve ended up with fifth.

“I just got some hard riders to ride against and in both of the last heats I had the worst gates. In the first two heats I had better gates.”

Poole also agreed that he hadn’t had the rub of the green with starting positions in the semi-final or the final, and also said that initially he wasn’t concerned where he would finish until he won his first few heats.

“I have only had one good draw and that was in the quarter-finals which wasn’t even that hard.

“Yesterday I was much more excited about the World Cup that for the racing today!

“I cared after the first two rides when I went really well. That certainly made me start to care about it!”

On the day, Swede Anders Mellgren took overall honours after he registered a second in his final heat to win the event by one point.

In the battle for second and third places, Dane Mikkel Michaelson was triumphant in a race-off against countryman Mikkel B Jensen.

At 11am on Sunday morning (7pm EST), Australia will take part in the Teams World Cup. The Australian team for the event is as follows:
1) Taylor Poole
2) Sam Masters
3) Todd Kurtz
4) Alex Davies
5) Clinton Dennis (Substitute)