HERRICK CLAIMS 2025 AFTN CHAMPIONSHIP

Now a two-time Pro 450 Yamaha BLU CRU Aussie Flat Track Nationals champion, Thomas Herrick gets to keep his number one plate for another year as he took the coveted Bunda Fine Jewels trophy ring at the season’s finale on Sunday at Gunnedah’s Balcary Park. Finishing fifth overall for the round, Herrick still sealed the championship on a day where ASBK star Cameron Dunker was unbeatable, with Dunker claiming Superpole and every race win.

In Junior Lites, Jed Fyffe closed out the title with a third place for the round as chief rival Neiko Donovan claimed victory on the TT track with Sam Drane in second. Beau Baker regained form on Sunday to seal the Junior 85s title, but it was Flynn Beard who scored his second TT round win of the year. Sam Hollands continued his dominance in Clubman Open – taking both the round and title in convincing style. The Pro 450 win for Dunker capped off an impressive season for Townsville based Franko’s Race Shop, who also prepared championship winning machines for Fyffe and Baker.

While Yamaha-mounted Dunker emerged from the Gunnedah TT track undefeated, scoring four victories on Sunday to beat local Daniel Wicks (KTM), the final round was all about the championship outcome. Thomas Herrick went into the round holding a decent points lead over Wicks, and as the rain cleared the tireless Gunnedah Motorcycle Club crew began preparing the track, the mood lifted with news that former points leader Tom Armstrong’s condition had improved overnight following his crash at Saturday’s Round 6.

Dunker came out firing, two seconds clear of Michael Kirkness (Honda) in the opener and backed that up with a three-second win over Wicks in the second event. Dunker stepped it up a notch for a five second win over Kirkness in the third race and completed his dominant display with victory over rising star Cooper Archibald in the final race. Dunker was a standout, showing extreme pace all day while Herrick rode a smart four races to come home in fifth and seal his second championship.

Pro 450 series champion, Thomas Herrick:
“The year didn’t start out too well at Maryborough, but then to carry through all these rounds plus a trip to America, it has been a long season and I’m grateful to finish on top. Yesterday I was really happy with the way I rode…today I didn’t feel like I had enough in me but we made it work in the end and got the job done. I think if it wasn’t for Tommy Armstrong having an unfortunate crash yesterday things might be different. Big shoutout to him, he’s been riding awesome and he’s a great mate, I hope he heals up ok. I’d also like say a massive thanks to my dad Darren for his tireless work preparing this bike, he’s developed the bike from day one and put in so much time and effort as well as my beautiful partner Zoe who is always out supporting me and all the guys at Davies Motorcycles. Maybe a three-peat next year!”

Pro 450 round winner, Cameron Dunker:
“Today was nothing short of perfect for me, really! Superpole and four race wins which is pretty cool, that’s the first time I’ve ever done that in flat track. I can’t thank Franko, Adam and Fyffey enough for getting this bike set up awesome. Also the guys prepping the track, they did an incredible job all weekend and to be on tracks like this definitely creates great racing. Big thanks also to Dave for running an amazing series. I look forward to coming back next year and seeing if we can go a few places better.”

Strong results on Saturday’s flat track round set Fyffe (KTM) up for the Junior Lites title, eventually winning by 40 points over TT round winner Donovan. “It feels awesome,” Fyffe said. “We’ve worked hard for this but I’ve been consistent. I’ve been training all week, every week, going out riding and making sure I get enough bike time. Neiko rode well all year and made it tough for me, but we got there in the end.” Donovan shared two wins apiece with pole sitter Sam Drane, with Fyffe on the podium in every race to top off an exciting year-long rivalry.

Baker (KTM) recaptured form on the TT track at Gunnedah to take third for the round and a 101-point victory in the title race. “I don’t feel like I rode my best this year, but it does feel good to finish of 85s with an Aussie title,” Baker said. “I struggled on oil at Griffith so I knew this weekend would be challenging but I managed to get enough points up to keep my lead.” Flynn Beard took out the round with two race wins, with Brody Ford and Lucy Heaton-New the other winners on the TT track.

Sam Hollands (Honda) continued his triumphant return to racing by sealing the Clubman Open title with second place at the Gunnedah TT round. “It’s been a good year but I didn’t think I was going to get on the podium, let alone win it!” Hollands admitted. “I was talking to Tom Armstrong before the first round and I said I’d be happy with a top five. I’d like to thank my mum and dad, Nathan Reece and also Tom. We were riding nearly every weekend back home…I’m really glad to hear he is going to be alright. Like Tom, I didn’t race for twelve years and I hadn’t raced on a 450. We’ll definitely come back next year and go up a class.” Rhys Irvin and Cooper Carnie were also stand-outs with Irvin grabbing every race win on the TT track.

Series Organiser Dave Maddock:
“Firstly, I’m relieved to say that Tom Armstrong’s injuries, while serious, aren’t as bad as we initially feared. It was a heavy crash but it looks like he will be able to make a gradual recovery. The racing certainly didn’t disappoint and I’d like to offer some huge congratulations to Tom Herrick on winning his second ring. He showed great speed on the flat track on Saturday and is always a fierce competitor.

Junior Lites showed the younger generation are coming for the older guys! Jed Fyffe and Neiko Donovan put on an awesome display with Sam Drane as a perfect international level yardstick. In Junior 85s, it was great to see Beau Baker find form on Sunday. He’s been so strong all year and we are looking forward to see how that whole field progresses in the coming years, particularly Lucy Heaton-New who really stuck it to the boys.

Sam Hollands was in a class of his own in Clubman Open this year, but we’ve unearthed some exciting new talent in Rhys Irvin and Cooper Carnie. Cooper needed an age exemption to race this season, he will be one to look out for in the coming seasons. We’ve been very proud this year to take the AFTN series to some new areas and the response from the Maryborough, Albury and Griffith regions has been amazing. The clubs that are involved have gone above and beyond at every round, especially Gunnedah this year when the weather really threatened to derail the weekend! The planning for the 2026 season is well underway and what I can say is the locations and dates will be similar to this year and we look forward to sharing the details with everyone in due course.”