Reigning NSW speedway champion Jack Holder has beaten former Aussie champions Rohan Tungate and Brady Kurtz and German star Eric Riss to win the 2019 Jason Crump Classic Cup at Kurri Kurri Speedway on Boxing Day.
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Holder's win ended Tungate's outstanding winning run at Kurri Kurri which included the Hunter leg in his 2018 Australian Championship winning series and last year's series.
Tungate was headed for a perfect night as he took on a world class field. He completed his five qualifying heats undefeated capped off with a thrilling last to first performance in his opening heat.
He was running in a new engine which had only just landed in Australia and delivered on Christmas Eve. Much to the delight of the Tungate fans in the big crowd, he was proving unstoppable setting fast times on a testing track.
German international speedway star Riss was clearly showing his determination, for despite riding on a borrowed bike from the Kane Lawrence team, he qualified directly to the cup final along with the inform Holder from Appin, both riders finishing on 12 points.
Former Australian speedway solo champion Brady Kurtz from Cowra completed the cup inal line up by winning the B final in convincing fashion.
Current Australian speedway solo champion and 2020 World Speedway Grand Prix rider Max Fricke from Victoria was a last minute withdrawal from the event.
Fricke advised the Kurri Kurri Club that his machinery had not yet landed in Australia from overseas. He was not only disappointed that he could not take his place but was now concerned that he would be best prepared for the defence of his Australian title in just over a week's time.
The cup final turned out to be a brilliant speedway solo race. Nothing separated Riss, Tungate and Holder in the race through the first turn, but it was Holder who wrested the lead from Riss and Tungate.
In a clinical performance, Holder maintained a buffer for the remainder of the race and Riss seemed to have second place in his keeping until Tungate made a desperate pass in the last turn relegating Riss to third place.
Holder finishes 2019 on a high winning the inaugural FIM Oceania speedway solo title at Gillman Speedway in South Australia in November, winning the 2019 NSW speedway solo championship at Kurri Kurri Speedway three weeks ago and topping it all off with a win in the 2019 Jason Crump Classic Cup.
He will now focus on the 2020 Australian Speedway Solo Championship which begins at Kurri Kurri Speedway on Saturday, January 4..