Aussie international Ryan Douglas will sit out the 2025 Australian Championship next month after suffering ankle ligament damage.
Douglas sustained the injury during a motocross training session, denying him the chance to race in the four-round series, which gets underway at Adelaide venue Gillman on January 3.
The Leicester and Poznan star confirmed: “I won’t be able to compete in the upcoming meetings in Australia as I need to take a month off to recover. Not the news I wanted to share, but I’ll be back and ready to go soon.”
Speedway GP trio Jack Holder, Max Fricke and Brady Kurtz are among those competing in the Aussie Championship series, along with reigning champion Rohan Tungate, 2012 Speedway GP world champion Chris Holder and 2020 FIM Speedway Under-21 world champion Jaimon Lidsey. Douglas’ place in the field looks set to be taken by first series reserve Fraser Bowes.
After getting underway at Gillman, the series also visits Victorian venues Mildura (January 5) and Albury Wodonga (January 8), before concluding at the Darcy Ward-promoted North Brisbane track on January 11.
The top two riders in the Aussie Championship earn places in the 2025 Speedway GP qualification rounds where they will battle to reach the FIM SGP Challenge in Holsted on August 9. The top four riders at the Danish event secure spots in the 2026 Speedway GP series.
Another berth in the SGP qualifiers is also on offer to the winner of the FIM Oceania Championship, which takes place at Gillman on January 25.