Speedway stars line up for North Brisbane Cup
Aussie Speedway aces Josh Grajczonek and Jake Allen have parked their sliders and will mount up a pair of Husqvarna FC 450s for this star-studded Gear Factor North Brisbane Cup, which takes place this Saturday at the club’s Raubers Road venue at Northgate.
The event features an invitational Legends 20-lap final that includes the likes of MotoGP riders Garry McCoy and Chris Vermeulen, Supersport World Champion Karl Muggeridge, Superbike aces Daniel Stauffer and Robert Baird, Multiple Speedway World Champion Jason Crump and former Mr Motocross Stephen Gall.
Backed by JR’s motorcycles in Townsville for the North Brisbane Cup, Josh Grajczonek has just completed his fifth season as a professional speedway rider in the UK.
His stellar 2013 season included a stint with the Premier League-winning Somerset Rebels team which also claimed 2013 Best Pairs and Knockout champions mantles.
Grajczonek also rode in the Elite League in the same year, helping Poole Pirates to their championship victory.
Supported this weekend by Full Throttle Motorcycles, Jake Allen is the youngest ever winner of the Duke of Edinburgh Trophy which is given to the premier class winner of the Australian dirt track championship every year.
The son of road racer, Barry Allen, Jake also shares with Billy Macdonald the honour of being the only rider grandfather/grandson duo to win the Duke of Edinburgh Trophy.
Jake is about to embark upon his first season in Premier League in the UK.
Josh Grajczonek – “I picked the Husky up from JR’s motorcycles about three weeks ago and have just been trying to get the feel for it, and set the suspension up.
“I’ve been doing some motocross on it because you can still get the bike very much how you want it. I’m absolutely in love with it! I’ll never get on a Jap bike again I don’t reckon. Once I got used to the thing and how it turns, the thing is unreal. I love them.
“I haven’t done a dirt track meeting in about two years and I’m looking forward to this weekend. I was brought up doing dirt track when I was a Junior and I won a few Aussie long track titles and nine state titles, so it’s sort of my background, but after I moved onto speedway, now I just dirt track down when I’m at home.
“This event’s while I’m at home so it’s the perfect opportunity to have a crack. I saw the rider’s list yesterday and I was pretty blown away – it can be tough, but its 20 laps, anything can happen. Someone can have a crash and that’s their day over, I’ll just try to stay on and put in 20 solid laps I suppose.”
Jake Allen – “This event two years ago in 2012 was my last track meeting, so it’ll be good to shake the cobwebs off. I’m trying to concentrate on speedway because I just got a contract to race overseas for next year, but Jon Hafey from Husqvarna rang me up one night and offered me a bike, so I thought I would do it for old time’s sake.
“Jon is a good friend of mine so I thought, why not, it should be good fun. I’m pretty excited to get out there with all my old rivals. I can’t wait to bang bars with pretty much all of them. It should be good fun.
“I haven’t had much time on the Husky, but Friday afternoon I should be able to get out there and have a little bit of a squirt on it. I’ll get enough practice Saturday morning before the race, and I’m racing two other classes before the big 20 lap at the end anyway, so even if I’m a bit of a rookie for the first couple of races I’d say I should be good for the final.“
For more information on Husqvarna motorcycles visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com
