Herrick tops Saturday at Gunnedah AFTN as points leader crashes hard

2025 Aussie Flat Track Nationals
Rounds Six – Flat Track Layout

The penultimate round of the 2025 Aussie Flat Track Nationals took place on Saturday, with Round Six marking the final Flat Track layout of the year, ahead of Sunday’s Round Seven TT final. It was Thomas Herrick topping the leaderboard after championship leader Tom Armstrong crashed heavily in the opening race, ruling him out of further participation over the weekend.

Herrick took two race wins to seal the round ahead of Michael Kirkness, with Cameron Dunker in third after taking victory in the opening race.

Sam Drane showed the benefit of his international experience by taking out a close battle with Jed Fyffe in Junior Lites, while George Holmkvist showed consistency to grab the Junior 85s round win.

Ashley Wilesmith secured the first-ever Pro Twins Australian Flat Track Championship this afternoon, coming out on top after three rounds and nine races across the series.

Luke Gough put on a show for the crowd today, riding an Indian FTR 750 to three victories in what is believed to be the first ever time this model has raced in Australia.

Round 6 – Flat Track Layout

Current Pro 450 champion Thomas Herrick (Husq) had his best form on show on the tricky Balcary Park flat track, starting the day with five points to take out Superpole. ASBK Superbike star Cam Dunker (Yamaha) took out the opening race after a restart following a serious crash to points leader Tom Armstrong (Honda).

Herrick then showed impeccable lines and speed to clinch the second bout ahead of former champion Michael Kirkness (Honda). Kirkness was determined, however, and made his pass stick in the third race on the final lap to leave Cooper Archibald (Husq) in second and a frustrated Herrick in third.

Herrick showed grit in the final race, withstanding a fierce attack from Kirkness. “The track was very tricky today,” Kirkness said. “In the first turn, there was one big bump that I kept on hitting but if I went inside that, it felt like the front would tuck.”

With Armstrong now ruled out of action for the weekend, Herrick moved ahead in the points with the TT round to be held tomorrow.

Thomas Herrick

“It was a day of firsts for me, first time winning Superpole and first time for the round win. It’s unfortunate what happened this morning with one of my mates, Tommy (Armstrong). I hope he’s resting up and that he’s going to be alright. Hopefully the weather holds off tomorrow and we can have some great racing.”

Sam Drane (Yamaha) and Jed Fyffe (KTM) shared the spoils in Junior Lites to take two wins and two second placings each, with Drane the fastest qualifier. “It’s been a really good day, starting with pole. The bike’s been handling well and I’ve had some fun battles,” Drane said.

The pair put on a real show with both displaying clean lines and a high level of racecraft, making passes with ease.

Nate Jaeger (Husq) broke through for three podiums while Neiko Donovan (Husq) struggled on the Balcary Park surface, taking a best of third place in the opening race. Fyffe now has one hand on the year-end trophy with a 62-point lead heading into the final round.

In Junior 85s George Holmkvist (KTM) backed up his round win at Griffith with another round win on the Gunnedah flat track, consistently mounting the podium as well as one race win. “It was a fun day, I quite like the surface,” Holmkvist said on the podium. “I haven’t been here before and the oil track is a bit different. I figured out the lines in the second qualifying session.”

Lucy Heaton-New (KTM) was another stand out, taking two race wins and moving into second place in the overall points. Championship leader Beau Baker (KTM) languished on the oil surface but still holds a commanding lead heading into the final day of competition.

Former American Flat Track competitor Luke Gough was handed the enviable task of riding Matt Drane’s Indian FTR 750 in the Pro Twins class and Gough said the goal was to simply look after one of the most unique flat track machines in the world and have some fun.

Luke Gough

“It was an absolute pleasure to ride. Thanks so much to Matt for giving me the opportunity to ride it. I had to keep it somewhat smooth and not destroy the damn thing! I’d like to thank my brother for supporting me and putting me on this bike, even though I thought it was a bad idea! I’ve raced against some great guys at great locations, all I can say is bring on next year!”

Gough took out all three Pro Twins races while Ashley Wilesmith (Ducati) wrapped up the first ever Pro Twins title with another consistent performance.

The 2025 Yamaha BLU CRU Aussie Flat Track Nationals season concludes tomorrow, November 16, with round seven of the series being held on the Balcary Park TT layout.

Dave Maddock – Series Organiser

“Nobody likes seeing a serious incident in any form of racing, and our thoughts are with Tom and his family. As for the racing today, the competitors showed the class that they have in dealing with changing weather conditions and putting on a great show for race fans. There were many lead changes and new faces on the podium throughout the round, which sets up an impressive showdown tomorrow on the TT track.”

AFTN Round Six Results

Pro 450

Junior Lites

Junior 85

Pro Twins

Clubman Open

AFTN Series Standings after Round Six

Pro 450

1. Thomas HERRICK 1141
2. Daniel WICKS 1053
3. Tom ARMSTRONG 1044
4. Billy RYAN 993
5. Cameron DUNKER 950
6. Brandon BURNS 799
7. Jett CARTER 781
8. Cooper ARCHIBALD 749
9. Ben GRABHAM 696
10. Callan BUTCHER 669

Junior Lites

1. Jed FYFFE 1323
2. Neiko DONOVAN 1261
3. Hugh HOPE-HODGETTS 1071
4. Lenny DUGGAN 1024
5. Jonny COOPER 882
6. Tahj EDWARDS 810
7. Max CARTER 584
8. Jarrod BANKS 542
9. Riley FENECH 524
10. Ryke HALLER 408

Junior 85

1. Beau BAKER 1149.5
2. Lucy HEATON-NEW 1051
3. Brody FORD 1044.5
4. Jye FRENCH 1022
5. Flynn BEARD 1018
6. George HOLMKVIST 999
7. Roy DUGGAN 778
8. Chad ARMSTRONG 582
9. Hugo HOLMES 567
10. Jake STRANEY 533

Pro Twins

1. Ashley WILESMITH 457
2. Ryan NEW 418
3. Keeley PRITCHETT 364
4. Corey BANKS 306
5. Peter SMITH 245
6. Bede HUNT 186
7. Luke GOUGH 170
8. Kristian O’DONNELL 146
9. Shane RICHARDS 127
10. Daniel LAWRENCE 116

Clubman Open

1. Sam HOLLANDS 921
2. Rhys IRVIN 747
3. Cooper CARNIE 720
4. Wesly BARNES 701
5. Tyler DAVIES 688
6. Rhys SANDOW 544
7. Neil GIRDLER 501
8. Jason GRIFFIN 483
9. James GLENNON 459
10. Alex GLENNON 426