Cody Lewis holds firm as Levi Meyn rises in milestone Central Coast Cup weekend

The 20th staging of the Splitfire Spark Plugs Central Coast Cup long track meeting delivered two days of close, fast and dramatic racing last weekend (June 20–21), with the milestone event producing plenty of hard-fought battles and memorable performances across both senior and junior ranks.

The Central Coast Cup finals for seniors and juniors (13 to under 16s) wrapped up a big weekend programme on Sunday afternoon, with both eight-lap deciders only settled after intense fights for race wins and minor placings right to the final laps.

In the Senior Central Coast Cup, there was no new name added to the honour roll as 2024 winner Cody Lewis backed up with another victory, although he admitted it didn’t come easily.

At least early in the final, Lewis was under pressure from four-time winner David Smith, who later reflected that he was simply pleased to be back racing after suffering serious injuries at the corresponding event last year.

Veteran rider Grant Charnock claimed third, despite openly acknowledging he didn’t particularly enjoy the full eight-lap journey. However, he did enjoy the one-lap Shootout, where he came out on top to claim that prize.

Defending Cup champion Luke Bush finished fourth, ahead of impressive teenagers Thomas Gotts and Jayden Holder, after being forced to switch to a 250cc machine when his 450cc bike expired at the end of the earlier Pro 450 final.

Lewis also took out that Pro 450 final ahead of Smith and Gotts, although it was Gotts who delivered one of the standout rides of the meeting when he won the MX Open final, beating Lewis and Bush in a highlight performance.

Bush still found success in the 250cc class, claiming the John Wilkes Memorial Trophy with a dominant display, while the rest of the field produced strong battles for the minor positions. Smith also overcame Josh McCosker to once again win the Over 35s class.

In the Junior Central Coast Cup, no previous winners featured in the line-up and it was host club rider Levi Meyn who emerged victorious, holding off last year’s runner-up Tahj Edwards throughout the eight-lap final, with Hayden Duggan finishing in third.

The junior programme carried extra significance with a strong contingent of visiting riders travelling from as far as Townsville, Albury and Griffith, using the event as valuable preparation for the Australian Junior Track Championship, which will be held at the same venue on October 3–4.

Meyn’s strong weekend continued beyond the main title, with the local rider also winning the supporting 4-stroke class as well as the junior Shootout.

Across the nine junior classes covering various age brackets, Gold Coast rider Cooper Quinn was the only dual winner, while other race wins went to Forbes pair Hayden Duggan and Taylah Duggan, host club riders Cade Finn and Cohen McCosker, Oscar Ryan from Albury-Wodonga, and Kruze Anderson from Kurri Kurri.

The depth of talent on display among the juniors was a strong indicator of what is expected at the national title meeting in October, where an even larger and highly competitive field is anticipated.