New Zealand Solo Championship Explained

New Zealand Championship
Sport:	motorcycle speedway
Founded:	1929
Most Champs:	Jason Bunyan (10)

The New Zealand Solo Championship is the annual individual motorcycle speedway championship of New Zealand. The championship has been running since 1929, although the event has not been held during various years.^{[1] [2] [3]}

History

Throughout the history of the championship, New Zealand has produced some of the best riders of all-time. Ronnie Moore, the first world champion from the country in 1958, became the champion of the New Zealand on four occasions. Two legendary riders Ivan Mauger and Barry Briggs, who won ten world individual titles between them, only won four national championships because they spent significant parts of their careers based in England and did not always compete.^{[4] [5] [6]}

From 1979, the final of the New Zealand Solo Championship regularly doubled up as the New Zealand qualification round for the Speedway World Championship, although during various years this has not always been the case due to factors like licensing.

Since the early 1990s, the standard of speedway in New Zealand has decreased significantly and no rider has managed to win a competition of note.

Key

• Unless stated, all riders are from New Zealand
• (wc) indicates that it was a world championship qualifier

Past winners

width=40px	Year	width=250px	Venue	width=200px	Winner	width=200px	Runner-up	width=200px	3rd place
1929	Kilbirnie Speedway		Dave Managh
1930	Kilbirnie Speedway		Alf Mattson		Harry Mangham		Eddie Naylor
1931	Western Springs Stadium		Alf Mattson		Wally Kilmister
	1932 not held
1933	Monica Park		Charlie Blacklock		Norm Grey
	1934 to 1935 not held
1936	Monica Park		Wally Kilmister		Wally Rhodes
	1937-1940 not held
1941	Western Springs Stadium		Charlie Buchanan		Ron Seed		Henry Falls
	1942-1944 not held due to World War II
1945	Western Springs Stadium		Jack Hunt		Ron Seed		Norman Morgan
1946	Western Springs Stadium		Len Perry		Norman Morgan		George Mudgway
1947	Western Springs Stadium		Gil Craven		Harold Fairhurst		George Mudgway
1948	Western Springs Stadium		Jack Hunt		Len Perry		Alf Clarkin
1949	Palmerston North Showgrounds		Harold Fairhurst		Gil Craven		Bruce Abernethy
1950	Hutt Speedway		Bruce Abernethy		Alf Clarkin		Trevor Redmond
1951	Aranui Speedway		Bruce Abernethy		Jack Parker		Peter Dykes
1952	Tahuna Park Speedway		Ron Johnston		Mick Holland		Maury Dunn / Norman Parker
1953	Not held
1954	Western Springs Stadium		Harold Fairhurst		Merv Neil		Gerald Jackson
1955	Not held
1956	Aranui Speedway		Ronnie Moore		Eric Williams		Ron Mountford
1957	Not held
1958	Rotorua Speedway		Maury Dunn		Jules Benson		Goog Allen
1959	Rotorua Speedway		Barry Briggs		Ivan Mauger		Len Jelaca
1960	Western Springs Stadium		Ray New		Maury Dunn		Bryce Subritzky
1961	Rotorua Speedway		Ray New		Maury Dunn		Bob Anderson
1962	Palmerston North Showgrounds		Ronnie Moore		Merv Neil		Ken McKinlay
1963	Palmerston North Showgrounds		Barry Briggs		Ronnie Moore		Geoff Mardon
1964	Western Springs Stadium		Geoff Mardon		Peter Moore ()		Bob Andrews
1965	Ruapuna Speedway		Murray Burt		Allan Brown		Jack Hart
1966	Waiwakaiho Speedway		Bob Andrews		Murray Burt		Bryce Subritzky
1967	Ruapuna Speedway		Howard Cole		Doug Templeton		Ronnie Moore
1968	Ruapuna Speedway		Ronnie Moore		Frank Shuter		Bob Andrews
1969	Palmerston North Showgrounds		Ronnie Moore		Bob Andrews		Goog Allen / Bill Andrew / Howard Cole
1970	Western Springs Stadium		Chris Bailey		Bill Andrew		Bryce Subritzky
1971	Ruapuna Speedway		Frank Shuter		Allan Brown		Roger Wright
1972	Ruapuna Speedway		Bruce Cribb		Roger Wright		Graeme Stapleton
1973	Western Springs Stadium		Gary Peterson		Bob Andrews		Graeme Stapleton
1974	Ruapuna Speedway		Ivan Mauger		Ronnie Moore		Barry Briggs
1975	Palmerston North Showgrounds		Dave Morton		John Davis		Craig Pendlebury
1976	Meeanee Speedway		Larry Ross		Colin Farquharson		Paul Church
1977	Stratford Speedway		Larry Ross		Graeme Stapleton		Robin Adlington
1978	Penlee Speedway		Larry Ross		Barry Briggs		Mike Fullerton
1979	Ruapuna Speedway (wc)		Larry Ross		Mitch Shirra		Ivan Mauger
1980	Western Springs Stadium (wc)		Larry Ross^[7]		David Bargh		Tony Briggs
1981	Meeanee Speedway (wc)		Ivan Mauger		Mitch Shirra		Larry Ross
1982	Western Springs Stadium		Mitch Shirra		John Goodall		David Bargh
1983	Ruapuna Speedway (wc)		Mitch Shirra		Larry Ross		David Bargh
1984	Penlee Speedway		Mitch Shirra		Larry Ross		David Bargh
1985	Ruapuna Speedway		Larry Ross		Alan Mason		Roger Wright
1986	Awapuni Speedway (wc)		David Bargh		Larry Ross		Mitch Shirra
1987	Western Springs Stadium (wc)		David Bargh		Mitch Shirra		Larry Ross
1988	Ruapuna Speedway (wc)		Larry Ross		David Bargh		Gary Allan
1989	Western Springs Stadium (wc)		Larry Ross		Gary Allan		Mark Thorpe
1990	Ruapuna Speedway (wc)		Larry Ross		Mark Thorpe		Craig Wilkie
1991	Awapuni Speedway (wc)		David Bargh		Chris Martin		Mark Thorpe
1992	Meeanee Speedway (wc)		Gary Allan		Mark Thorpe		Paul Atkins
1993	Ruapuna Speedway (wc)		Mark Thorpe		Mark Lyndon		Andy Walker
1994	Stratford Speedway (wc)		Mark Thorpe		Tony Nagel		Mark Jamieson
1995	Kihikihi Speedway		Andy Walker		Nathan Murray		Robert Davidson
1996	Ruapuna Speedway		Mark Thorpe		Graham Hartshorne		Mark Jamieson
1997	Stratford Speedway		Chris Penny		Robert Price		Graham Hartshorne
1998	Meeanee Speedway		Paul Atkins		Mark Jamieson		Michael Long
1999	Ruapuna Speedway		Mark Jamieson		Andy Walker		David Bargh
2000	Awapuni Speedway		David Bargh		Kris Jemmet		Sean Cox
2001	Ruapuna Speedway		Graham Hartshorne		Daniel McKinlay		Scott Boyce
2002	Kihikihi Speedway		Andrew Appleton		Nathan Murray		Graham Hartshorne
2003	Ruapuna Speedway		Sam Taylor		Blair McKinlay		John Tuffley
2004	Te Marua Speedway		Jason Bunyan		Simone Terenzani ()		Craig Ramsay
2005	Awapuni Speedway		Jason Bunyan		Glen Phillips		Attila Stefani ()
2006	Rosebank Speedway		Jason Bunyan		Mattia Carpanese ()		Daniele Tessari ()
2007	Ruapuna Speedway		Andrew Bargh		Dale Finch		Jason Bunyan
2008	Oreti Park Speedway		Jason Bunyan		Larry Ross		Andrew Bargh
2009	Arena Manawatu		Jason Bunyan		Jade Mudgway		Larry Ross
2010	Oreti Park Speedway		Jason Bunyan		Grant Tregoning		Larry Ross
2011	Rosebank Speedway		Grant Tregoning		Jason Bunyan		Ritchie Hawkins
2012	Moore Park Speedway		Jason Bunyan		Grant Tregoning		Dale Finch
2013	Rosebank Speedway		Jason Bunyan		Dale Finch		Sean Mason
2014	Oreti Park Speedway		Jason Bunyan		Grant Tregoning		Sean Mason
2015	Moore Park Speedway		James Sarjeant^[8]		Hayden Sims		Dale Finch
2016	Rosebank Speedway		Jason Bunyan		Bradley Wilson-Dean		Sean Mason
2017	Oreti Park Speedway				Grant Tregoning		Dale Finch
2018	Moore Park Speedway				Andrew Aldridge		Ryan Terry-Daley
2019	Rosebank Speedway		Bradley Wilson-Dean^[9]		Dylan Hancock		Ryan Terry-Daley
2020	Oreti Park Speedway		Bradley Wilson-Dean^[10]		Andrew Aldridge		Ryan Terry-Daley
2021	Moore Park Speedway				Andrew Aldridge		George Congreve
	2022 not held
2023	Oreti Park Speedway		George Congreve^[11] ^[12]		Ben Whalley		Finn Reed
2024	Oreti Park Speedway		Bradley Wilson-Dean^[13]		George Congreve		Ben Whalley

See also

• New Zealand national speedway team
• Sport in New Zealand

Notes and References

1. Web site: Roll Of Honour. Motorcycling New Zealand. 30 June 2021.
2. Web site: History Zestawienie Wynikow 1929-2023 . Speedway History . 15 February 2023.
3. Book: Loader, Tony. Loader's International Speedway Annual 1991. Tony Loader. 1991. 299–301. 1036-4404.
4. Web site: History, Speedway and Longtrack. Speedway.org. 13 February 2024.
5. Book: Bott, Richard. The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4. 1980. 97–98. Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. 0-09-141751-1.
6. Book: Matthews/Morrison, Peter/Ian. The Guinness Encyclopaedia of Sports Records and Results. 1987. 289–290. Guinness Superlatives. 0-85112-492-5.
7. Book: Oakes, Peter. 1981 Speedway Yearbook. 1981. 91. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. 0-86215-017-5.
8. "Brytyjczyk mistrzem Nowej Zelandii", nicesport.pl, 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015
9. Hurndell, Shane (2019) "Speedway: Wilson-Dean captures third consecutive national title", New Zealand Herald, 7 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019
10. Web site: Four In A Row For BWD . 12 January 2020. Peterborough Panthers.
11. Web site: CONGREVE GOES UNDEFEATED TO SEAL NZ SOLOS . Driven by Dirt . 26 January 2023.
12. Web site: Invercargill teen surprises himself on national speedway stage . Stuff.co.nz . 26 January 2023.
13. Web site: Solo Championships . Speedway New Zealand . 13 February 2024.