MILDURA locals Oliver Hamilton and Jaimon Lidsey secured fourth-place finishes in their respective finals on Saturday night at Albury-Wodonga.
Oliver Hamilton – 2015 Victorian U16 250cc Speedway Championship
Hamilton, 15, from Irymple impressively qualified for the A Final for the 2015 Victorian U16 250cc Speedway Championship after winning the B Final from Mitchell Grech and Albury-Wodonga local Aden Clare.
“The heats went pretty well, to be honest. I rode pretty consistently, didn’t get any fourth places. I had to go through the B Final but I made a good start and rode some smooth laps and got the win,” Oliver said.
“I had Gate 4 in the A Final, which is a pretty hard gate. It’s a long way from the first corner but apart from that it was really good,” he added.
Competition started at 7.30pm just as the temperature started to drop. “It was still pretty warm during practice at 5.30pm. When the temperature dropped it was good. The track was pretty good too. It developed a few holes and some ruts towards the end of the meeting but it wasn’t too bad,” Oliver continued.
“I can’t really complain finishing fourth to Matthew Gilmore who is a World Champion and Declan and James who are some of the best riders in the country. I was able to mix it with them and to be on the podium with them that was even better,” he added.
On the rest of the year, Oliver plans on competing in the 2016 Australian U16 250cc Speedway Solo Championship at Gillman Speedway in South Australia on January 23 and he’ll be moving into the 500cc grade in March. “I’m really looking forward to racing in the seniors next year. It should be really good,” Oliver added.
Oliver would like to thank his parents, the Riordan family for transporting them to Albury-Wodonga, and the Albury-Wodonga Motorcycle Club for hosting the event and everyone else that’s supported him.
2015 Victorian U16 250cc Speedway Championship – Final Standings
First – Matthew Gilmore (NSW)
Second – Declan Knowles (WA)
Third – James Davies (VIC)
Fourth – Oliver Hamilton (VIC)
Jaimon Lidsey – 2015 Victorian U21 500cc Speedway Championship
Jaimon Lidsey, 16, from Red Cliffs also impressively qualified for the A Final for the 2015 Victorian U21 500cc Speedway Championship after beating fellow Victorian Cooper Riordan and Jye Ethridge from New South Wales in the B Final.
Jaimon was happy with his overall result. “It was a good result in the end. I had a pretty good night. I had two heat wins, and had a few bad heats, getting third, but I managed to get first pick for the gate in the semi-final,” Jaimon said. “It was a hot day, but we managed to fight through it and managed to come away with a good result,” he added.
Jaimon enjoyed racing against the likes of Jack Holder and Max Fricke in his first season on a 500cc bike. “They were really good. They’ve been competing overseas all year so it was good to mix it up with them. I wasn’t far behind them,” Jaimon said.
“This is my first season on a 500cc bike. Things don’t happen overnight but we’re getting there,” he added. “The track at Albury-Wodonga was good considering how hot and windy it was. They did a really good job,” he added.
Jaimon will be competing in the coveted Australian U21 Speedway Solo Championship in South Australia on January 23.
He would like to thank his supporters and everyone who helps him get to where he is today.
2015 Victorian U21 500cc Speedway Championship – Final Standings
First – Jack Holder (NSW)
Second – Zaine Kennedy (QLD)
Third – Max Fricke (VIC)
Fourth – Jaimon Lidsey (VIC)