Cameron Dunker has secured his maiden Yamaha Aussie Flat Track Nationals Pro 450 Championship following the final round at Gunnedah’s Balcary Park on November 7–8, defeating a field featuring some of Australia’s leading flat track and international competitors.
Dunker entered the final weekend with the championship within reach and did enough across the two-day event to secure the title ahead of Max Whale, who finished runner-up in the standings.
While Dunker walked away with the championship and the $5000 Bunda Fine Jewels championship ring, Tom Drane was the standout performer during Sunday’s seventh round, winning two races and finishing second in the other two to claim the overall victory on the TT layout.
The final round delivered close racing throughout the Pro 450 field, with Dunker, Whale and the Drane brothers fighting for positions across the four-race programme.
Drane set the pace early, producing another fast Superpole lap to secure the top qualifying position before winning the opening race ahead of Whale.
Whale knew he needed a strong final round and favourable results elsewhere to have any chance of overturning Dunker’s championship advantage, but the points leader remained in contention for race victories rather than simply riding conservatively.
Dunker finished third in the opening race before moving into second behind Drane in race two, which was interrupted when Sam Drane crashed at turn three following contact while battling near the front.
The incident forced a restart, but Tom Drane maintained his advantage to take another victory, with Dunker second and Billy Ryan fourth.
Dunker responded in the third race, grabbing the holeshot and pulling clear of the field to win by more than three seconds over Tom Drane.
Sam Drane finished third in that race ahead of Whale, giving Dunker another important result as the championship moved firmly into his control.
The final race was less straightforward for the new champion, who crashed early at the hairpin before the jump and dropped out of contention for the win.
Sam Drane capitalised on the incident and held off his younger brother Tom to take victory by just three-tenths of a second, with Whale third and John Lytras fourth.
Despite the crash, Dunker had already done enough to secure the championship, finishing the season on 1436.5 points compared with Whale’s 1331.
Billy Ryan completed the championship podium with 1179.5 points, ahead of Cooper Archibald and Lytras.
Archibald finished sixth overall on Sunday and fourth in the championship, having been singled out earlier in the weekend by injured Ducati Desmo450 MX rider Daniel Wicks as his standout competitor of the season.
Veteran Mick Kirkness was also competitive around the top five throughout the weekend, while defending champion Tom Herrick returned for a one-off appearance at Gunnedah.
For Dunker, the championship represents another Australian title to add to his racing record, with flat track continuing to play an important role in his preparation for road racing.
“As weird as this sounds, I could see this title happening from the start of the year. Franko builds an unreal bike, and even last year where I missed a round and ended up third, that felt really special,” Dunker said.
“Using flat track as a training tool for road racing has also been unreal, it means I’m always on a bike and riding something different. To finally add another Australian title to my resume after a few years, I’m super happy!”
FYFFE DEFENDS JUNIOR LITES CHAMPIONSHIP
Jed Fyffe completed a dominant final round in Junior Lites, winning all four races on Sunday to secure his second consecutive championship.
After narrowly missing out on the Junior Lites title during Saturday’s racing, Fyffe responded with a clean sweep on the TT layout to finish the season with 1606 points.
Tahj Edwards finished second overall on Sunday and runner-up in the championship with 1387 points, while Nate Jaeger completed both the round and championship podiums.
Fyffe also recorded the fastest qualifying time, completing a weekend in which he was the rider to beat.
“This feels awesome, to see the result of all the hard work we’ve put in through the year,” Fyffe said.
“This year I had more bike time and similar training program, but I’ve grown a little bit in size and that has helped me muscle the bike around a bit. It’s also really good to achieve this on a different brand this season, especially with Franko putting in all the work that he does.”
BEARD SECURES JUNIOR 85 TITLE DESPITE QUINN’S DOMINANCE
Cooper Quinn dominated the final Junior 85 round, taking three race victories and setting the fastest qualifying time at Balcary Park.
However, Flynn Beard had built enough of a championship advantage to secure the title despite finishing fourth overall on Sunday.
Quinn won the final round ahead of Cohen McCosker and Brody Ford, but Beard finished the championship on 1451 points, comfortably ahead of Quinn’s 1324.
Ford completed the championship podium with 1277 points, narrowly ahead of Kru Tulloch on 1264.
The result gave Beard the Junior 85 title after a season of consistent performances, while Quinn finished the year by establishing himself as the fastest rider at the final round.
FORD WINS INAUGURAL 65 TRACKERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Harley Ford has become the first 65 Trackers champion in Yamaha Aussie Flat Track Nationals history, securing the inaugural title with 955 points.
Ford finished third overall during Sunday’s final round, behind Axel Kirkness and Hux Davies, but his season-long results were enough to seal the championship.
Kirkness, who had been fastest qualifier during Saturday’s programme, stepped up his performance on the TT layout to claim two race victories and the overall round win.
Davies finished second on Sunday, while Kade Wilesmith recorded the fastest qualifying time.
Ford secured the championship ahead of Wilesmith on 811 points and Lachlan Webber on 786, with Davies finishing fourth in the final standings.
The new 65 Trackers category was introduced to provide younger riders with a pathway into flat track competition, with organisers confirming the class had achieved its intended purpose during its inaugural season.
GIRDLER COMPLETES OVER 35s CLEAN SWEEP
Neil Girdler wrapped up the inaugural Over 35s All Powers Championship with another clean sweep at Gunnedah.
Girdler qualified fastest and won the final round ahead of Ajay Muggleton and Jason Griffin, completing a dominant championship campaign.
He finished the season on 1524 points, well clear of Muggleton’s 1292 and Griffin’s 1186.
The Over 35s All Powers category was introduced for 2026 alongside the 65 Trackers class, expanding the championship to accommodate riders at both ends of the age spectrum.
ORGANISERS LOOK AHEAD TO 2027
Series organiser Dave Maddock praised the standard of competition throughout the championship, particularly Dunker’s consistency in Pro 450 and the performances of the younger riders.
“That’s a wrap on another great season of Aussie Flat Track Nationals, with a huge congratulations to all our champions for 2026,” Maddock said.
“This year, Cam Dunker really stepped it up a notch, he’s been consistent all season and he’s won the title against some very tough opposition. Jed Fyffe, he’s such an exciting prospect. Flynn Beard also delivered, the lap times for the juniors have been outstanding this year so the future looks bright.”
Maddock also highlighted the introduction of the two new categories, which organisers believe have strengthened the championship.
“Our inaugural season with 65 Trackers has also been a big success, congratulations to Harley Ford and all the 65 Trackers riders – we think it’s vitally important to develop junior talent,” he said.
“Switching up our support class to include Over 35s has also worked out very well, congrats to Neil Girdler and those two new classes has achieved what we hoped, giving an opportunity for riders to get on track at all points of the age spectrum.”
Maddock thanked the host clubs and volunteers who supported the seven-round championship, with the Gunnedah event bringing the 2026 season to a close.
Plans for the 2027 Yamaha Aussie Flat Track Nationals are expected to be announced at a later date.
ROUND 7 RESULTS – GUNNEDAH TT
Pro 450
- Tom Drane
- Max Whale
- Sam Drane
Superpole: Tom Drane
Junior Lites
- Jed Fyffe
- Tahj Edwards
- Nate Jaeger
Fastest qualifier: Jed Fyffe
Junior 85
- Cooper Quinn
- Cohen McCosker
- Brody Ford
Fastest qualifier: Cooper Quinn
65 Trackers
- Axel Kirkness
- Hux Davies
- Harley Ford
Fastest qualifier: Kade Wilesmith
Over 35s All Powers
- Neil Girdler
- Ajay Muggleton
- Jason Griffin
Fastest qualifier: Neil Girdler
2026 FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Pro 450
- Cameron Dunker – 1436.5
- Max Whale – 1331
- Billy Ryan – 1179.5
- Cooper Archibald – 1123
- John Lytras – 1118
- Brandon Burns – 884
- Jack Griffin – 749
- Daniel Wicks – 747
- Jordan Dall – 737
- James Sawdy – 732
Junior Lites
- Jed Fyffe – 1606
- Tahj Edwards – 1387
- Nate Jaeger – 1242
- Archie Ryman – 990
- Benji Lowe – 906
- Lenny Duggan – 888
- Jonny Cooper – 804
- Riley Fenech – 693
- Ryke Haller – 644
- Lockie Duggan – 625
Junior 85
- Flynn Beard – 1451
- Cooper Quinn – 1324
- Brody Ford – 1277
- Kru Tulloch – 1264
- Zac Salmon – 1104
- Ryder Vass – 1001
- Roy Duggan – 934
- Jye French – 757
- River Vass – 687
- Max Mifsud – 501
65 Trackers
- Harley Ford – 955
- Kade Wilesmith – 811
- Lachlan Webber – 786
- Hux Davies – 765
- Slater Beard – 650
- Hudson Raffin – 648
- Axel Kirkness – 610
- Regan Quinn – 534
- Vincent Marsh – 455
- Jackson Bourke – 422
Over 35s All Powers
- Neil Girdler – 1524
- Ajay Muggleton – 1292
- Jason Griffin – 1186
- Mitch Wolfe – 1086
- Gary Rautman – 860
- Jeffrey Girdler – 809
- Glenn Smith – 761
- Wesly Barnes – 728
- Daniel Perdikis – 554
- Wayne Drake – 482
Image credit: RB Motolens
