October 27, 2020
There was rain, mud and a lot of racing at the Kingaroy Showground on Saturday morning for the fifth annual John Titman Golden Steel Shoe Challenge.
The young 125cc riders from the Kingaroy Bees Junior Motorcycle Speedway Club didn’t seem to mind the wet but to help their spectators they raced through their heats as quickly as possible!
An added attraction on the day were exhibition laps on the big 500c bikes by Cordell Rogerson and Flynn Nicol who enjoyed riding on the short track.
The Steel Shoe Challenge is usually raced earlier in the year but had been delayed due to the pandemic.
Presented with the Golden Shoe for first place was Tate Zischke, from Grandchester, who has been dominant this season after taking home the 125cc and 250cc trophies at the Barry Stead Memorial Shield club day in August and the 250cc Solos and the 125cc Pairs State Titles in September.
In second spot was Anika Loftus followed by Jetzen Lyons in third.
The Steel Shoe Challenge is named in honour of former international speedway rider John Titman who not only raced at the Brisbane Ekka and Sydney Showground tracks but also competed in England, raced in the world finals and represented Australia.
Kingaroy Bees president Simon Rogerson thanked everyone for persevering through the rain.
“The track was a little bit of a challenge but I thought it held up quite well,” he said.
He also said it was good practice for the young riders – especially if they hoped to ride in England one day.
“You have to learn to ride in all conditions,” he said.
Simon thanked all the parents and volunteers for helping the young riders to compete throughout the year.
The meeting also was an opportunity for the announcement of the Kingaroy McDonald’s Club Championship winners.
Not surprisingly, Tate Zischke – who is in his last year of Junior racing – was presented with the Club trophies in both the 125cc and 250cc categories.
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2020 Junior Bees Club Championships
125cc
1. Tate Zischke
2. Jaidyn Eaton
3. Jetzen Lyons
4. Seth Tregea
250cc
1. Tate Zischke
2. Flynn Nicol
3. Josh Beetham
