5th January 2008                 Aussie Championship

 

It's the 3rd round at Mount Gambier today and Radio Fremantle, featuring ace reporter Chris Seaward have been continuing their coverage of the 5 round series.

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On a big, wide circuit, capable of coping with 6 riders, Joe Screen with his all action, leg trailing style, should be right on the pace. Chris Holder is very much the "golden boy" of the series, having won both of the first two rounds. In addition to Screen, the two other internationals are Filip Sitera and Freddie Lindgren.

Wins for Screen in heat 3 and Holder in heat 4 suggest that these two will be there for the A final at the sharp end of the meeting.

Holder chalks up second win in heat 5 with Doyle dropping back to last and losing valuable ground on Holder. Lindgren and Woodward battle hard in heat 6 while Gathercole toils at the back. Lindgren takes the win, his second of the night. The hitherto unbeaten Tom Hedley and Joe Screen clash in heat 7 but Headley jumps the start and is excluded for touching the tapes.

After two completed rounds leading scorers are Joe Screen, Freddie Lindgren and Chris Holder (6 points), Troy Batchelor and Filip Sitera (4), Cory Gathercole (3) and Jason Doyle (2).

Doyle gates superbly in heat 9 and wins from Joe Screen and Josh Grajczonek. Gathercole loses his steel shoe and has to pull out. Batchelor and Lindgren clash in heat 10. The Swindon lad pulls out a lead on lap 2 and then blasts away from the Swede in a very quick time. Sitera takes heat 11 from Richard Sweetman, the late replacement for Travis McGowan. Holder takes his third victory in heat 12 by quite some margin from Woodward and Tom Hedley.

After three completed rounds it's Holder on 9 from Screen and Lindgren (8), Batchelor and Sitera (7) and Doyle on 5.

Heat 13 and a surprise as Tom Hedley takes an early lead from Batchelor and Doyle. Batchelor goes very wide out into the dirt and then cuts back under Hedley who just holds on to take the 3 points.

Brilliant line up for heat 14 - Lindgren leads from Screen with Holder back in 3rd. Screen blasts around the outside, sparks coming up from the concrete wall on the back straight, and takes the win from Lindgren and Holder. Chris Seaward thinks it's the ride of the championship thus far.

Woodward takes a relatively easy win in heat 15 while Sitera just holds out a resurgent Lee Herne in heat 16.

Four rounds down and Screen (11), Holder,Sitera & Lindgren (10), Batchelor (9), Hedley (7) and Doyle (6).

Heat 17 sees Doyle win from Woodward and Harding in 61.80. Doyle and Woodward both finish on 9 points from their 5 rides.

Lindgren gates in heat 18 while Sitera blows an engine at the back. Hedley chases Lindgren but can't catch him. Lindgren to 13 points while Sitera ends on 10 and Hedley on 9.

Heat 19. Holder gates from Batchelor with Cathercole and Proctor battle out for third place. Holder wins from Batchelor and moves to 13 points whilst Batchelor ends with 11.

Heat 20 is halted when Lee Herne falls. Richard Sweetman was leading from Joe Screen at the time of the curtailment. Re-run ordered minus Herne. Screen gates well second time round but race halted when Sweetman crashes. Re-run. Paramedics are on the track treating Sweetman so thee will be a delay before the re-run. Screen wins a matchrace re-run from Robert Ksiezak.

B final : Filip Sitera, Tom Hedley, Jason Doyle and Cameron Woodward.

Even start then Hedley shows Woodard and Doyle with Sitera at the back. Woodward squeezes through a narrow gap at the start of the last lap to take the win from Tom Hedley, Jason Doyle and Filip Sitera.

A final : Joe Screen, Chris Holder, Freddie Lindgren and Troy Batchelor.

Screen off gate 1, Holder gate 2, Lindgren gate 3 and Batchelor, resplendent in Leszno kevlars, in gate 4. Great start from Holder from Screen and Batchelor. Screen is buzzing around behind Holder but can't find a way through. Holder wins, Screen second with Batchelor third and Lindgren 4th. It's the third successive round win for Holder.

Travis McGowan

Of course, the main news for all Swindon fans is the latest news on Travis McGowan. Trav, who signed for the Robins for 2008, crashed very heavily on turn 3 of the first lap of the B final at round 2 in Gillman and knocked himself about quite badly.

He was unconscious on the track for sometime but had recovered his senses by the time that the ambulance too him away to hospital for X rays and a check up, particularly on his previously injured shoulder.

The good news is that Travis discharged himself from hospital at 4.30am the following morning and his family drove him the 450km home. There is no break inn the shoulder area although there is a slight separation of the "AC" joint. Apparently, rest is the best for this type injury. Travis has only withdrawn from the Mount Gambir round but it is unlikely that he will ride in the rest of the series.

Some conjecture as to how Trav managed to crash so badly however, despite reports that his throttle may have stuck open, the referee at Gillman believes that Travis had to move his front wheel entering the third bend to avoid the back wheel of the rider in front and lost his balance slightly, straightening up and then trying to get away from the bike as it hurtled into the solid wooden fencing.