SAM SECOND

NEWS Saturday 2nd January 2016, 11:26am

by Toby Lerone

  Edinburgh Monarchs

After a slow start to the meeting Sam Masters eventually finished second in the final of the first round of the Australian Championship at Kurri Kurri on Saturday.

He was out in the first race of the evening but a great gate from Max Fricke saw him an easy winner ahead of Sam. He made an awful start in his second race , in heat 6, and there was no way back against race winner Sedgy and second placed Jack Holder.

Things were not looking good at that stage but he passed Tungate in heat 10 for the win and won again in heats 14 and 18 to give him the third direct qualifying place to the final behind Tungate and Fricke. Brady Kurtz picked up the other final spot with a win in the B Final.

The Final produced the race of the night on an evening of great races. Max and Rohan made the start and rode down the back straight side by side only for Sam to charge through to the front. Tungate wasn't finished though and blasted past Sam for the win.

So Sam finds himself in second place with three rounds to go, the next at Undera, a more technical track, on Wednesday.