Australia national under-21 speedway team

Australia
Association Motorcycling Australia
FIM code MA
Team manager Mark Lemon
Team captain Max Fricke
World Championships
Team U-21 — 1 —
 Best result 2nd (2012)
Individual U-21 5 4 4
 Best result 1st - last one in 2010 (Darcy Ward)

The Australia national under-21 speedway team is the national under-21 motorcycle speedway team of Australia and is controlled by the Motorcycling Australia. Like the senior Australian team, the Under-21's are managed by former rider Mark Lemon.

The team has qualified to the Under-21 World Cup Final on four occasions, though they only raced in the Final three of those times. These came in 2008 when they finished fourth, 2011 when they won their Semi-final but were forced to withdraw due to travel cost and visa problems, 2012 when the team finished in second place, and again in 2013 when they finished fourth.

The Australian team is guaranteed a place in the 2015 World Championship Final due to it being held at the Olympic Park Speedway in Mildura on 31 October. It will be the first time that the Under-21 Team Championship Final will be held outside of Europe and will be held just one week after the 2015 Speedway Grand Prix of Australia is run in the Victorian state capital Melbourne.[1]

Australia has produced three Under-21 World Champions: Leigh Adams (1992), Jason Crump (1995) and Darcy Ward (2009 and 2010). In 1983, Steve Baker won the European Under-21 Championship open for riders from all continents. The European Championship was renamed as the World Championship in 1988.

Crump would go on to win the Speedway World Championship in 2004, 2006 and 2009. Adams has won a record 10 Australian Championships and jointly holds the record for Australian Under-21 Championships with four wins with 2012 World Champion Chris Holder, while Ward is also a triple Australian Under-21 Champion. Baker won the South Australian Championship in 1985 and second in the Australian Championship in 1987.

The current Australian Under-21 team (at the 2014 World Championship) was Ryan Douglas, Nick Morris, Mason Campton and two-time reigning Australian U/21 champ Max Fricke. The team finished second in the first Semi-final in Teterow, Germany to just miss qualifying for the teams first World Final since 2008 after the Czech Republic's captain Václav Milík, Jr. defeated Morris in a runoff with both teams finishing the Semi on 37 points

Competition

Team Speedway Junior World Championship
Year Place Pts. Riders
2005 — — Withdrew from Qualifying Round Two and was replaced by Denmark B
2006 Did not enter
2007 — — 3rd place in Qualifying Round One
Chris Holder, Troy Batchelor, Trevor Harding, Cory Gathercole, Robert Ksiezak
2008 4 33 Chris Holder (16), Troy Batchelor (7), Tyron Proctor (7), Robert Ksiezak (2), Kozza Smith (1)
In Qualifying Round started also: Aaron Summers
2009 — — 3rd place in Qualifying Round One
Darcy Ward, Richard Sweetman, Justin Sedgmen, Mitchell Davey, Josh Grajczonek
2010 — — 2nd place in Qualifying Round One
Darcy Ward, Richard Sweetman, Sam Masters, Justin Sedgmen, Josh Grajczonek
2011* — — Won Semi-final Two
Darcy Ward, Richard Sweetman, Sam Masters, Justin Sedgmen, Josh Grajczonek
2012 2 44 Darcy Ward (14), Nick Morris (11), Dakota North (8), Sam Masters (6), Alex Davies (5)
2013 4 20 Darcy Ward (14), Alex Davies (4), Nick Morris (3), Tyson Nelson (2)
In Semi-final One started also: Todd Kurtz
2014 — — 2nd place in Semi-final One
Max Fricke (10), Mason Campton (10), Nick Morris (9+2), Ryan Douglas (8)

* Due to cost of travel and visa problems, Australia withdrew from the 2011 Final,

Honours

Individual Under-21 World Championship

* Steve Baker's win in 1983 was when it was known as the European Under-21 Championship

See also

References

  1. ↑ [http://www.ma.org.au/index.php?id=12&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=14155&tx_ttnews[backPid]=6&cHash=d9a9cbe69f Mark's Mildura Delight]

External links