Jaimon Lidsey is the 2024 FIM Oceania speedway champion after producing a blemish-free scorecard in the Gillman-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 FIM 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.”

Lidsey’s summer has gone from strength to strength

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 FIM 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 Zane Keleher.

There were two major talking points ahead of the final: who would become the new FIM 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, 2 Tai Woffinden 13, 3 Josh Pickering 12, 4 Sam Hagon 11, 5 Brady Kurtz 11, 6 Justin Sedgmen 10, 7 Fraser Bowes 9, 8 Zane Keleher 7, 9 Michael West 7, 10 Jacob Hook 7, 11 Sam Martin 5, 12 Dayle Wood 4, 13 Jack Morrison 2, 14 Declan Knowles 2, 15 Matt Marson 2, 16 Jake Turner 1.

SEMI-FINAL 1: Lidsey, Kurtz, Pickering, Bowes.
SEMI-FINAL 2: Woffinden, Sedgmen, Hagon, Keleher.
FINAL: Lidsey, Woffinden, Kurtz, Sedgmen.

Images: Judy Mackay