The 2018 Australian Under-21 Speedway Championship heads to Olympic Park in Mildura from 20-21 January.
Former champions and front-runners
Max Fricke,
Jack Holder,
Brady Kurtz and
Josh Pickering have come of age and are no longer available, paving the way for a new generation.
The new-era kicks off with qualifying on the Friday night, the pack of 16 riders will do battle for the remaining six spots in Saturday night's final.
There are 10 riders already in the final on Saturday night, with two-time world Champion
Matthew ‰Û÷Happy‰Ûª Gilmore leading the new wave of riders looking to claim the Under-21 500cc Australian Speedway Championship.
Gilmore will have a tough time holding off a pack which includes
Joshua McDonald,
Dale Borlace,
Brayden Mcguiness and
Mitchell Cluff, who are all looking to better their 2017 results.
Jedd List will make the jump to the Under-21 class after taking out the Under-16 250cc class in 2017,
Tom Dixon,
Declan Kennedy and
Issac Howes will also make the step up.
The Under-21 500cc championship is the final stepping stone for these junior riders before they jump into senior racing full time.
The full rider entry list is available here.
