(SPEEDWAY 1)

MAN of the moment Sam Masters has spoken of his delight after his dramatic Australian Championship triumph.The Wolverhampton and Edinburgh favourite clawed back a three-point deficit to overhaul Justin Sedgmen in the final round in Kurri Kurri on Saturday and claim his maiden national title.“It feels really good to be Australian Champion!” Masters said. “It was such a tough series, so to finish with the title is something I’ll never forget.“I got home, trained hard and I always felt I’d done to right thing to prepare for it. I’m really pleased the hard work paid off. “It’s definitely a good start to the year, so hopefully I can take that confidence into the new season in the UK.”

(SPEEDWAY 2)

THE British Youth Championship has gained new backers in the form of APT Car Sales of Bournemouth.Preparations are being put in place for the 2017 series, which is set to run over eight rounds once more, with dates and venues to be confirmed in the near future.British Youth boss Neil Vatcher said: “It is always a special feeling when new people come on board to support the British Youth, and Mr Ian Loder of APT who has a long association of speedway sponsorship - mostly at Poole and the Isle of Wight - will now be part of the Young Lions set-up.“It is an exciting time of the year as we all looking forward to the new season, and as with all our other series sponsors it is a pleasure to have APT joining us for what will hopefully be another successful season for everyone connected with the Young Lions.”