POOLE Pirates new boy Brady Kurtz claimed a rip-roaring victory in the third round of the Australian Speedway Championship to hit the summit ahead of Sunday's finale.
The 19-year-old Wimborne Road asset, who had to qualify for his series debut, leads the way by three points after a bumper 17-point yield in Gillman today.
Unreal feeling. Not over till the fat lady sings. But I'm still pumped no matter how the next round goes 👌🏻
— Brady Kurtz (@BradyKurtzBkr) January 8, 2016
Kurtz, a world under-21 finalist, finished second to Jack Holder and Nick Morris in his opening two races but went on to claim a trio of blistering victories from the gate to go straight into the A final.
Sam Masters, former-Pirate Rohan Tungate and Justin Sedgmen – Kurtz's three nearest challengers in the overall standings – lined up in the final but Matt Ford's winter recruit hit the front from a tight first corner.
From there, Kurtz performed well and was helped by a ding-doing battle for second occupying Sedgmen and Tungate with Masters trailing in their wake.
Another 17-point haul in Adelaide would ensure gold for Kurtz.
OVERALL STANDINGS: (top 10) 1 Brady Kurtz 43, =2 Sam Masters 40, Rohan Tungate 40, 4 Justin Sedgmen 38, =5 Max Fricke 37, Nick Morris 37, 7 Jack Holder 31, 8 Mason Campton 30, 9 Ty Proctor 19, 10 Brodie Waters 18.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here