Jaimon Lidsey is the 2024 FIM Oceania speedway champion after producing a blemish-free scorecard in the Gillman SA-hosted event on Saturday, January 27.
The 2020 World Under 21 champion came out all guns blazing in his opening heat and then waltzed through the evening en route to victory in the final ahead of Tai Woffinden, Brady Kurtz and Justin Sedgmen.
Lidsey’s victory in the Oceania Championship – promoted by the Speedway Riders Association of SA – continued a stellar summer for the 23-year-old from Red Cliffs, who won the Speedway Centenary meeting in North Brisbane before finishing fourth in the Australian title to wrap up a spot in 2024 Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) qualifying.
“After being injured for most of the last Aussie summer, and then with Covid before that, I really haven’t had a good go at racing domestically for a while now, so the last couple of months have been great,” said Lidsey.
“I have been trying to win the Oceania Championship for ages, so to get the win and go through the card unbeaten was really satisfying.
“I didn’t feel too fast in practice, but when I started racing everything just clicked and came together.
“In the final, I got the jump before Tai came under me, but I passed him back on the second corner and held onto the lead for the rest of the race.”
After a large chunk of the field had made the 400km road trip from Mildura to Gillman – Mildura’s 75th anniversary meeting was held the night before – to compete in the 2024 Oceania Speedway Championship, the big guns immediately loomed large as Lidsey (15pts) completed the heats ahead of triple world champion Woffinden (13), Josh Pickering (13), Brit Sam Hagon (11), Kurtz (11) and Sedgmen (10).
Lidsey and Kurtz then progressed from the opening semi-final with Pickering and Fraser Browes eliminated, and the second semi saw Woffinden and Sedgmen make it to the decider at the expense of Hagon and Glen Keleher.
There were two major talking points ahead of the final: who would become the new Oceania champion, and would Kurtz or Sedgmen lock in the final 2024 SGP qualifying spot?
Lidsey’s decisive early move on Woffinden emphatically answered the first question, while Kurtz also had Sedgmen’s measure as they flashed across the line in third and fourth.
FIM OCEANIA SPEEDWAY CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
HEAT SCORES:
1 Jaimon Lidsey 15 Points
2 Tai Woffinden 13 Points
3 Josh Pickering 12 Points
4 Sam Hagon 11 Points
5 Brady Kurtz 11 Points
6 Justin Sedgmen 10 Points
7 Fraser Bowes 9 Points
8 Zane Keleher 7 Points
9 Michael West 7 Points
10 Jacob Hook 7 Points
11 Sam Martin 5 Points
12 Dayle Wood 4 Points
13 Jack Morrison 2 Points
14 Declan Knowles 2 Points
15 Matt Marson 2 Points
16 Jake Turner 1 Point
SEMI-FINAL 1: Lidsey, Kurtz, Pickering, Bowes.
SEMI-FINAL 2: Woffinden, Sedgmen, Hagon, Keleher.
FINAL: Lidsey, Woffinden, Kurtz, Sedgmen.
