Australian Under-16 Individual Speedway Championship
The Australian Under-16 Speedway Championship is a motorcycle speedway junior championship held each year in Australia since 1982 to determine the Australian Under-16 national champion. The event is organised by Motorcycling Australia (MA) and bikes are limited to 125cc engines, although there are also MA sanctioned 250cc and 350cc Australian U/16 Speedway Championships. The U/16's racing on the larger capacity bikes generally use full size speedways where the 125cc class race on the smaller (usually 110-150 metre) junior tracks.
The first ever Australian Under-16 Speedway Championship, named for 1982, was actually held on 30 August 1981 at the Sidewinders Speedway in Adelaide, South Australia. The championship was won by Adelaide youngster Paul Snadden from Western Australians Michael Carter and David Cheshire.
Jason Hawkes (Victoria), Rusty Harrison (SA), Mark Jones (Vic) have two championship wins each. Arthur Sissis (SA) currently holds the record for most championship wins with three wins
Riders who have won the championship and gone on to have successful senior careers include: triple Speedway World Champion and once Under-21 World Champion Jason Crump, 10 times Australian Solo Champion Leigh Adams (who also won the 1992 World Under-21 Champion), national champions Ryan Sullivan and Troy Batchelor, and multiple state champions Shane Parker (SA), Craig Hodgson (SA), Travis McGowan (Vic), Rusty Harrison (SA), and Rory Schlein (SA).
The current (2015) Australian Under-16 Champion is second generation South Australian rider Jack Norman (the son of the 1990 and 1993 South Australian Champion Scott Norman) who won the title at the Ipswich Junior Speedway on 24 January.
Placegetters since 1982
| Year | Venue | City/State | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Sidewinders Speedway | Adelaide, SA | Paul Snadden (SA) | Michael Carter (WA) | David Cheshire (WA) |
| 1983 | Olympic Park Speedway | Mildura, Vic | Craig Hodgson (SA) | Jeff Meyer (SA) | Leigh Adams (Vic) |
| 1984 | Bibra Lake Speedway | Perth, WA | Michael Carter (WA) | Bill Lellmann (SA) | Craig Hodgson (SA) |
| 1985 | Sidewinders Speedway | Adelaide, SA | Shane Parker (SA) | Leigh Adams (Vic) | Scott Norman (SA) |
| 1986 | Olympic Park Speedway | Mildura, Vic | Leigh Adams (Vic) | Jason Lyons (Vic) | Shane Parker (SA) |
| 1987 | Bibra Lake Speedway | Perth, WA | Jason Hawkes (Vic) | Leigh Adams (Vic) | Cory Richardson (SA) |
| 1988 | Sidewinders Speedway | Adelaide, SA | Jason Hawkes (Vic) | Jason Crump (Vic) | Mark Lemon (Vic) |
| 1989 | Olympic Park Speedway | Mildura, Vic | Brett Tomkins (SA) | Jason Crump (Vic) | Jason Hawkes (Vic) |
| 1990 | Bibra Lake Speedway | Perth, WA | Jason Crump (Vic) | Ryan Sullivan (SA) | Brett Woodifield (SA) |
| Year | Venue | City/State | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| 1991 | Sidewinders Speedway | Adelaide, SA | Ryan Sullivan (SA) | Ashley Watson (SA) | Brett Woodifield (SA) |
| 1992 | Olympic Park Speedway | Mildura, Vic | Troy Wyten (SA) | Ford Keane (SA) | Brett Woodifield (SA) |
| 1993 | Northline Speedway | Darwin, NT | Travis McGowan (Vic) | Nigel Sadler (SA) | Chris Ferguson (Vic) |
| 1994 | North Brisbane Speedway | Brisbane, Qld | Nigel Sadler (SA) | Nathan Hawkes (Vic) | Travis McGowan (Vic) |
| 1995 | Bibra Lake Speedway | Perth, WA | Rusty Harrison (SA) | Steve Viner (Qld) | Travis McGowan (Vic) |
| 1996 | Tamworth Speedway | Tamworth, NSW | Brendon Mackay (NT) | Travis McGowan (Vic) | Kevin Doolan (Vic) |
| 1997 | Sidewinders Speedway | Adelaide, SA | Rusty Harrison (SA) | Broc Parkes (NSW) | Chris Ferguson (Vic) |
| 1998 | Kurri Kurri Speedway | Kurri Kurri, NSW | Jaye Stevens (NSW) | Daine Stevens (NSW) | Jay Schafer (Qld) |
| 1999 | Olympic Park Speedway | Mildura, Vic | Mark Jones (Vic) | Daine Stevens (NSW) | |
| 2000 | Northline Speedway | Darwin, NT | Rory Schlein (SA) | Daine Stevens (NSW) | Mark Jones (Vic) |
| Year | Venue | City/State | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| 2001 | Tamworth Speedway | Tamworth, NSW | Mark Jones (Vic) | ||
| 2002 | Sidewinders Speedway | Adelaide, SA | Trevor Harding (WA) | Mark Jones (Vic) | Jason Norman (SA) |
| 2003 | Bibra Lake Speedway | Perth, WA | Troy Bachelor (Qld) | Jason Norman (SA) | Daniel Harding (WA) |
| 2004 | Olympic Park Speedway | Mildura, Vic | Aaron Summers (SA) | Sam Masters (NSW) | Bob King (WA) |
| 2005 | Allen Park Speedway | Somersby, NSW | Jason Norman (SA) | Darcy Ward (Qld) | Sam Masters (NSW) |
| 2006 | Sidewinders Speedway | Adelaide, SA | Ryan Sedgmen (Vic) | Taylor Poole (NSW) | Robert Medson (SA) |
| 2007 | Gold Coast Speedway | Gold Coast, Qld | Dakota North (Vic) | Darcy Ward (Qld) | Justin Sedgmen (Vic) |
| 2008 | Pinjar Park Speedway | Wanneroo, WA | Arthur Sissis (SA) | Darcy Ward (Qld) | Clinton Dennis (Qld) |
| 2009 | Undera Park Speedway | Undera, Vic | Arthur Sissis (SA) | Nick Morris | Manson Campton |
| 2010 | Tamworth Speedway | Tamworth, NSW | Brady Kurtz (NSW) | Arthur Sissis (SA) | Tyler King |
| Year | Venue | City/State | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place |
| 2011 | Sidewinders Speedway | Adelaide, SA | Arthur Sissis (SA) | Tyson Snow (Qld) | Blake Russell (WA) |
| 2012 | Loxford Park Speedway | Kurri Kurri, NSW | Brady Kurtz (NSW) | Jack Holder (NSW) | Lawson Walters (NSW) |
| 2013 | Olympic Park Speedway | Mildura, Vic | Brody Eves (Qld) | Brice Brigden (Qld) | Ben Cook (NSW) |
| 2014 | Pinjar Park Speedway | Wanneroo, WA | Jaimon Lidsey (Vic) | Mathew Gillmore (NSW) | Declan Adams (Vic) |
| 2015 | Ipswich Junior Speedway | Ipswich, Qld | Jack Norman (SA) | Kyran Rew | Jaimon Lidsey (Vic) |
Prior to 2007, the championship was run under speedways traditional 20 Heat format with the winner decided by total points scored (with a runoff for placings 1-4 if required). A Final race for the top 4 riders was added from 2007 until 2010 before reverting to the original format in 2011. The "A Final" was reinstated from 2013.
References
- Books
- Loader, Tony (1991). Loader's International Speedway Annual 1991. Tony Loader. p. 66. ISSN 1036-4404.