FRICKE: TEAM EFFORT NEEDED TO LAND AUSSIE GOLD

Australian champion Max Fricke admits only a joint effort will help his country end its 19-year wait for a world team title at the Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations Final in Manchester on Saturday and Sunday.

The Roos last won gold at the 2002 FIM Speedway World Cup Final in Peterborough, but Aussie trio Fricke, Jason Doyle and under-21 rider Keynan Rew are among the title favourites as they take on Great Britain, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia and France.

Fricke topped the Aussie score chart at the 2020 Final in Lublin on 12 points, while Doyle scored five. But JD was the hero in Togliatti in 2019, scoring 30 of Australia’s 41 points as they bagged the bronze medals, while Fricke notched nine and Jaimon Lidsey added two.

With a strong team performance essential if the Roos are to make history this weekend, Fricke is determined to play his part on a Manchester track where he used to race for the Belle Vue Aces.

He said: “In the past we have done well and got medals – we were third in Togliatti. Jason scored the majority of those points, but I would like to think I have grown into more of an established rider now.

“Hopefully I can give Jason a bit more of a hand than I have in the past, and especially at a track like Belle Vue.

“We are in a good position. It just depends on the day. There are a lot of strong teams there and a lot of teams who want that top position. It’s going to be a big couple of days.

“Australia has been one of the stronger teams over the last however many years. They are always up there, whether it has been in the World Cup or the Speedway of Nations.

“There is a lot of history of Australia doing well. But we haven’t seen too many gold medals in recent years, so I think we have a good opportunity, going to a track that I know reasonably well.”

Fricke raced for Belle Vue from 2015 to 2019 and was part of the Aces side when they moved into the National Speedway Stadium in 2016.

Doyle is also a very familiar face to UK fans. The Swindon legend raced in the SGB Premiership as recently as 2019, leading the Robins to the first league and cup double in their history.

While there will be plenty of fans backing the Brits in Manchester, Fricke hopes the Aussies will also get a warm welcome.

He said: “Doyley and I have both done a lot of laps in the UK and hopefully that should help us.

“We get a lot of support from the crowd here as well. Jason and I have ridden for lots of teams in the UK over the years and we appreciate the support we get. Hopefully that little bit of extra support will give us a bit more motivation to go that extra mile.”