PIRATES charger Brady Kurtz defied the odds to wrap up a dramatic Australian Championship win at the first time of asking.

The 19-year-old from New South Wales had only secured his place in the four-round event – his first senior series – in a qualifier last week.

But Kurtz squeezed into the A final in Mildura having scored 11 points in heats and won the B final despite relentless pressure from Nick Morris.

Matters took an unexpected turn in the A final when Kurtz rolled into the tapes, meaning victory for Sam Masters would have earned him top spot.

But Masters could only finish third behind meeting winner Justin Sedgmen and Max Fricke, handing the Poole ace the crown by a single point.

As a result of finishing in the top four, Kurtz earned a place in the Speedway Grand Prix qualification quarter-finals.

Pirates ace Chris Holder, Jason Doyle and Troy Batchelor, all of whom raced in the 2015 GP series, did not take part in this year’s Australian Championship.

Final standings: 1 Brady Kurtz 55, 2 Sam Masters 54, 3 Max Fricke 52, 4 Rohan Tungate 51, 5 Nick Morris 48, 6 Justin Sedgmen 46, 7 Jack Holder 42, 8 Mason Campton 36, 9 Ty Proctor 28, 10= Brodie Waters 23, Jordan Stewart 23, 12 Josh Pickering 16, 13 Alan McDonald 13, 14 Kieran Sproule 9, 15= Josh Grajczonek 7, Cooper Riordan 7, 17 Josh McDonald 5.