Fresh from dominating Trackmasters, young flat track star Tom Drane has signed with the Estenson Racing team again in American Flat Track Parts Unlimited 2024 Championship.
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The benefits of a full season of flat racing in the US were on show for fans to see when Forbes teenager Tom Drane was the standout performer at the 32nd staging of the Trackmasters motorcycle meeting at the Barleigh Ranch Raceway on Sunday.
"I will be riding for Estenson Racing team again in American Flat Track Parts Unlimited 2024 Championship. I am looking forward to another great year and can not wait to get back on track," Drane said..
Drane only recently returned home after finishing runner-up in the season-long chase for the AMA Flat Track Singles class championship and showed the benefits of more racing, longer races and intensive training regimes that he was part of.
It was not that the local stars had bad days, but Drane turned in a polished and faultless day, winning all his heats, and then the finals of both the Pro 450 and Unlimited Trackmasters classes.
The Pro 450 win meant he added his name to the Rod Allen Memorial Trophy awarded in memory of the long-time dirt track and speedway commentator.
Local stars Cody Lewis and Luke Bush had a titanic battle behind Drane before Lewis took second place.
Two other youngsters stood up in the Unlimited final as Jett Carter and Blake Wilby chased Drane home.
Drane put the icing on the day when he triumphed in a series of match races to win the Max Troth Golden Helmet, a trophy that was first awarded back in 1965 and has some legends of the sport inscribed as previous winners.
The Don Begley Memorial Trophy in memory of the inaugural secretary of the Raymond Terrace Motorcycle Club was awarded on the Slider class and produced the only 'old hand' winner as James Bevan took the honours.
The George Watson Memorial Trophy, honouring the multiple championship winning dirt track sidecar rider over many years, was won by Corey Forde / Darren Freudenstein, who had finished second last year.
This time they came out on top of a tough battle to hold out Jarred Marko / Wade Robertson.
The riders receiving each of the memorial trophies were pleased to know that their names will be forever inscribed on those trophies.
The Pro 250 class showed how quickly 16 year olds can take to senior competition when Thoren Openshaw came on top in his very first senior meeting.
Joshua McCosker won the very competitive Over 40s class while the only women entrant Bree-Anna Etheridge raced with the Pro 250 class and got involved in some close racing in the those events.
In the juniors fans got to see some of the promising riders coming through the ranks as local Cohen McCosker and Gunnedah rider Hugo Holmes both scored two class wins.
First time visitor to Barleigh Ranch Spencer Doyle left with a class win, while in the older junior age bracket, the 13 - Under 16s, it was Sam Drane coming out on top of Max Earl and Gage Gower.
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