Adams steals the show at home
On the cusp of title No. 10January 8, 2009
Hometown hero Leigh Adams metered out more punishment to claim victory in the second and penultimate round of the 2009 Australian Speedway Championship at Olympic Park in Mildura (Vic) last night.
The reigning world No. 4 again showed his peers that he's still the boss, with the final incision a no-fuss victory in the A-Final ahead of Chris Holder and Troy Batchelor.
Jason Doyle was the fourth finalist, but he crashed while challenging Adams in the first attempt and was then excluded from the rerun.
"I felt excellent and the bike was working really well," Adams said. "It was just another meeting and I was trying to get good starts which I got sorted in the end.
"It was great to win in front of my home crowd and in front of family. It was a great crowd in here tonight.
"It was pretty hard to come back when Doyley (Jason Doyle) crashed, to come back and do it again, but as I said the bike was working awesome, and it was just a great night."
Adams is now undefeated in the opening two rounds of the championship, which has been contracted from five rounds to three in 2009.
The final round will be held in Gillman (SA) on January 10 and, if Adams wins the A-final, it will be the second year in succession that a rider has gone through the title with maximum points.
In the absence of Adams and then title holder Jason Crump, Holder scored the clean sweep in 2008.
In fact, only three riders have won the A-Final in the last 12 rounds of the Australian Speedway Championship dating back to 2007 - Holder (five), Adams (four) and Jason Crump (three).
Crump, the dual world champion, eventually won the 2007 title, but hasn't returned to national action since.
Holder sits in second spot overall on 35pts, five behind Adams (40) and in front of Rory Schlein (33), Doyle (32), the consistent Cameron Woodward (28) and Batchelor (27), who was in resurgent form at Olympic Park after a disappointing opener in Newcastle (NSW).
Holder worked hard to get himself into the A-Final in Mildura by winning the B-Final ahead of Schlein, Davey Watt and Cory Gathercole.
The final round in Gillman can be heard live on the internet by clicking here. The service is being run by Radio Fremantle.
2 Chris Holder 18
3 Troy Batchelor 17
4 Jason Doyle 16
5 Rory Schlein 15
6 Dave Watt 14
7 Cameron Woodward 13
8 Ty Proctor 12
9 Darcy Ward 11
10 Kozza Smith 10
2 Holder 35
3 Schlein 33
4 Doyle 32
5 Woodward 28
6 Batchelor 27
7 Watt 27
8 Proctor 26
=9 Ward 17
=9 Smith 17
Pic: Crump leads Adams in this year's world speedway title
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