Fricke on the road to stardom

It takes a special kind of talent to win a world under 21 speedway title, and 20-year-old Aussie Max Fricke is one of those.

The Mansfield (Vic) born and bred rider not only clinched the three-round U21 title in 2016 against a crack field of emerging contemporaries, but his withering year in the cauldron of top-flight speedway also saw him figure prominently in the four major domestic leagues in the UK and Europe and represent Australia in the Speedway World Cup.

After the breakout season, Fricke has now returned to Australia and will be the first reserve for the final round of the 2016 Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) series at Melbourne's Etihad Stadium on Saturday, October 22 – the pinnacle of speedway competition.

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Unless calamity strikes another rider Fricke won't get the chance to show his wares on Etihad Stadium's expansive 346-metre layout, but it certainly won't detract from what has already been a season full of frequent highs.

"This year has been a great one for me," said Fricke. "My consistency went to another level and I was just able to pull it altogether and the results started to flow.

"My confidence also skyrocketed, and to win that U21 world title was a dream come true. That was definitely the highlight of the year, but I was also lucky enough to win a couple of domestic leagues and represent Australia in the Speedway World Cup."

A typical week for the Coventry-based Fricke has him competing in Poland on a weekend, followed by a meeting in Sweden on Tuesday and then onto Denmark and the UK before it starts all over again. Rounds of other championships like the U21 title also have to be factored into his busy schedule, but it's a lifestyle Fricke has embraced as he searches for a permanent spot in the SGP series.

The Aussies who preceded Fricke as U21 world champions, Leigh Adams (1992), Jason Crump (1995) and Darcy Ward (2009-10), all went onto become SGP regulars, with Crump – an ambassador for the Etihad Stadium round – winning three titles.

A top three result in January's Australian speedway title will get Fricke a spot in overseas qualifying rounds to become an SGP incumbent in 2018, but at the moment he's not placing too much pressure on himself.

"My immediate goal in 2017 is to defend the U21 title and continue to be competitive across the board," continued Fricke. "I am still young so if I don't get an SGP spot in 2018 it's not a huge thing. If I don't succeed I will just keep on trying.

"However, even if it doesn't happen this Saturday, I would dearly love to compete at Etihad Stadium one day as I like the bigger circuits and I reckon I would be very competitive there."

American Greg Hancock heads into the final round of the SGP series in a commanding position, holding what is effectively a 19pt lead over reigning world champion Tai Woffinden. Aussie Jason Doyle is second in the standings, just 11pts behind Hancock, but he is a scratching because of injuries sustained at the penultimate round in Poland.

Doyle's non-appearance opened the door for Aussie Sam Masters to claim the 16th and final spot in the field, where he will be joined by countrymen Chris Holder and reigning Australian champion Brady Kurtz.

Holder, the 2012 SGP champion, has a chance to finish second in the 2016 title if results fall his way at Etihad Stadium.