Billy Ryan beat a star-studded Pro 450 field on home soil; Grace Hudson secured her first Pro Women title. Griffith delivered plenty beyond the headline result. Full AFTN report and results.

2026 Aussie Flat Track Nationals

Round Five – Griffith

Billy Ryan defended home turf against one of the strongest Pro 450 fields of the season at Griffith, ending Cameron Dunker’s unbeaten run of round victories as the returning Tom Drane joined them on the podium at round five of the 2026 Yamaha Aussie Flat Track Nationals.

Dunker had arrived at The Pines Speedway with considerable momentum. Six wins, two second places and both Superpoles at the previous Wodonga double-header had delivered 440 of a possible 450 points, stretched his advantage over Max Whale to 82 points and kept his perfect record of round wins intact.

Drane’s return added another measure of the Australian field. Fresh from a second successive American Flat Track Singles title and nine wins in 2026, the Forbes rider was back in AFTN competition for the first time since winning six of eight starts at the 2024 Gunnedah finale. Younger brother Sam also joined the Pro 450 field, while Whale brought his own recent American podium form into the contest.

Ryan, however, had won at Griffith last year and had already interrupted Dunker’s dominance with a race victory at Wodonga. Across an afternoon on the TT layout and an evening of flat track under lights, the local rider delivered three victories from six Pro 450 starts to take the overall honours.

Dunker’s round-winning streak ended, but his championship advantage grew. Elsewhere, Grace Hudson secured the Pro Women title, while close contests in the junior classes reshaped the points heading towards the Gunnedah finale.

Pro 450

Ryan takes the early initiative on the TT

Tom Drane topped qualifying for the three afternoon TT races, but Ryan made the opening statement when the points were on offer. The local rider beat Dunker by 1.4 seconds in the opener, with Drane third, then led the second race from start to finish to beat the American champion by 1.6 seconds.

Dunker finished third in that second encounter, just over a tenth behind Drane, before responding with victory in the final TT race. Ryan followed him home by 1.4 seconds, with Sam Drane less than half a second further back in third.

Ryan therefore left the TT portion with two wins and a second, establishing the consistency that would underpin his overall success. Sam Drane’s first podium also confirmed that both brothers would feature at the sharp end.

Superpole speed, then a costly final corner

Dunker claimed Superpole for the evening’s flat-track program, his 23.668-second lap beating Tom Drane by three-tenths, with John Lytras third.

Race four presented a different challenge: two eight-lap parts, each awarding half points, separated by only a three-minute break. Dunker won the first part by 1.8 seconds from Tom Drane, with Sam third and Ryan fourth.

Ryan and Dunker then fought over the second part, but the championship leader fell at the final corner of the last lap. Dunker remounted to finish 11th, salvaging points as Ryan took the win from Tom Drane and Whale. Behind them, Cooper Archibald edged Sam Drane for fourth by just 14 thousandths of a second.

Tom Drane finally reached the top step in the last race of the night, beating Ryan by 1.4 seconds. Dunker finished third, only three-tenths behind Ryan, while Sam completed his day with fourth.

Ryan wins the round as Dunker extends his series lead

Ryan’s sequence of first, first, second, fourth, first and second across the six starts delivered 259 points, 15.5 clear of Dunker. Tom Drane finished only another 2.5 points back in third, having made the podium in five of his six starts.

The timing sheets also underline Dunker’s pace despite the setback. He recorded the fastest lap in each of the first five Pro 450 Group A starts before Tom Drane took that distinction in the finale. Ryan’s success came from turning his opportunities into victories and backing them up with strong finishes throughout the day.

Billy Ryan

“Dunker had been to one of our club days a few weeks ago, I knew he was on the pace. He was quicker than me in some spots but I knew if I could do what I usually do – get good starts and hold my own, then I’d be right.”

Ryan admitted the late confirmation that the Drane brothers would race had made the challenge more daunting, but also made the home victory more satisfying.

“It’s always good to win on your home track, but when you’ve done it against arguably the best in the world – Tom with two American Flat Track titles, his brother Sam, Cam Dunker, Max Whale – he’s riding awesome and we know how good he performed in America. It was a pretty cool feeling!”

Sam Drane finished fourth overall on 215 points, ahead of Whale on 207, Archibald on 188.5 and Lytras on 181. Further down the order, Zackary Johnson won all five Group B races to finish 14th overall.

Dunker’s run of round victories ended, but his championship advantage grew. With Whale fifth for the day, Dunker extended his lead from 82 to 118.5 points. Ryan jumped from fifth to third in the standings and closed to within 70.5 points of Whale.

Cameron Dunker

“It was a little bit unfortunate about that crash, but we live to fight another day. Our winning streak was broken here today but a big congratulations must go to Billy and his team.”

Tom Drane

“I’d like to say a big thanks to my dad and Darren Herrick who worked on my bike all day and made it the best it could be. It was so good to be back in Australia and have a ride against everyone here and just enjoy it and have some fun.”

Junior Lites

Fyffe recovers to edge Edwards

Jed Fyffe followed his perfect Wodonga weekend with another round victory, but Tahj Edwards made him work considerably harder at Griffith. Four wins from five races ultimately gave Fyffe a six-point advantage, 266 to 260, after Edwards qualified fastest and finished first or second in every race.

The opening TT race set the tone, with Fyffe beating Edwards by just 51 thousandths. A crash while leading race two then dropped Fyffe to seventh, leaving Edwards in control.

Fyffe’s recovery proved crucial. He worked back to third and beat Lenny Duggan to the line by only six hundredths, limiting the damage before winning the remaining three races. Edwards still led the round standings after the TT program; Fyffe only moved ahead in race four.

Jed Fyffe

“It was another solid day today and a lot of fun on the track.”

“I had to calm down after the crash, put my head down and try and make back as many positions as I could!”

Nate Jaeger completed the round podium on 228 points, seven ahead of Duggan. Fyffe’s championship lead over Edwards increased only slightly, from 156 to 162 points, while Jaeger moved to within 11 points of third-placed Duggan.

Junior 85

Quinn turns consistency into victory

Cooper Quinn and Flynn Beard shared four of the five Junior 85 wins, but Quinn’s unbroken run of podium finishes decided the round. His third, first, second, second and first delivered 256 points, seven clear of Beard, with Brody Ford third on 234.

Beard qualified fastest and won two of the first three races, building a 14-point round advantage. That was reduced to just two when Ford won race four, Quinn finished second and Beard slipped to sixth. Quinn then won the finale as Beard finished third, completing the turnaround.

Ford’s race-four victory also helped him edge Jye French for third overall by three points.

There was still a significant championship gain for Beard. His lead over Kru Tulloch grew from 71 to 125 points, but Quinn is now only three points behind Tulloch in the contest for second, having arrived at Griffith 64 adrift.

Pro Twins

Lytras keeps winning as Banks closes in

John Lytras maintained his unbeaten Pro Twins race record with pole and three victories aboard the Pritchett & Sons Moto Racing Suzuki SV650, extending his winning sequence to seven races across Wodonga and Griffith.

Corey Banks finished second each time, but the margins tightened from 4.3 seconds in the opener to one second in race two and half a second in the finale. Banks also set the fastest lap in the first and third races, ensuring Lytras had to keep pushing.

John Lytras

“It’s been a good day but I’ve actually been crook all week. Now I’m here racing motorbikes so I can’t complain too much!”

Lytras collected 170 points to Banks’ 150, with Bede Hunt third on 135. The series margin between Lytras and Banks increased from 29 to 49 points.

All Powers Over 35

Girdler brothers lock out the top two

Neil Girdler produced the most commanding performance of the day, qualifying fastest, winning all five races and setting the fastest lap in each to collect the maximum 280 points.

Brother Jeffrey finished second in every race, a strong result after only recently returning to competition, making it a family one-two across the entire program. Neil’s smallest winning margin was still more than five seconds.

The battle for third overall was considerably closer. Four third places helped Ajay Muggleton overcome a tenth in race two and beat Mitch Wolfe by a single point, 214 to 213.

Neil now leads the championship on 1074 points, 182 ahead of Muggleton, with Jason Griffin third on 837.

Pro Women

Hudson takes the title, Gow takes the round

Grace Hudson secured the 2026 Pro Women championship and the Bunda Fine Jewels Championship Ring in her first season, finishing second overall at Griffith behind Lori Gow.

Gow qualified fastest and won the first four races, although Hudson came within 15 thousandths of beating her in race three and just over a quarter of a second in race four. Hudson also recorded the fastest lap in both encounters.

The final race brought a change at the front. Matilda Heaton-New led the first six laps before Hudson took over on lap seven and went on to claim her first win of the day. Ruby James edged Heaton-New for second by just 64 thousandths, with Gow fourth.

Gow finished the round on 268 points, ahead of Hudson on 241 and Heaton-New on 232. Hudson’s championship-winning total of 691 left her 89 clear of James, while Gow finished third on 588.

Grace Hudson

“Thank you all for helping out. It’s been an awesome series in my first year.”

Hudson also thanked Pritchett & Sons Moto Racing and Garage 308 for their support.

65 Trackers

Ford takes a three-point championship lead

Harley Ford turned an eight-point championship deficit into a three-point lead with victory in 65 Trackers, but Hudson Raffin kept the title contest finely balanced by winning the final race.

Ford qualified fastest and won the opening three races, beating Raffin by around half a second in each of the first two before the margin shrank to just 96 thousandths in race three.

Raffin responded in the finale, winning ahead of Kade Wilesmith and Ford, with Ford finishing just over three-tenths behind Wilesmith.

Ford took the round on 216 points to Raffin’s 205, with Wilesmith third on 182. That 11-point swing leaves Ford on 651 and Raffin on 648 heading to Gunnedah.

Tom Armstrong returns for demonstration laps

An emotional moment came as Tom Armstrong returned to the track for demonstration laps while his son competed at the event.

Dave Maddock – Series Organiser

“His son was racing and it was also very emotional to see Tom himself do some demonstration laps. In many ways it was a celebration and also a way for Tom to acknowledge all his family and friends that have helped him in his recovery so far.”

Maddock said Armstrong had also been providing feedback on ideas for the series as organisers continued to develop the championship.

Pro 450 – Round Five Results


Pos	Name	1A	2A	3A	Pole	4A1	4A2	5A	Total
1	B. Ryan	55	55	50		21.5	27.5	50	259
2	C. Dunker	50	46	55	5	27.5	14	46	243.5
3	T. Drane	46	50	40		25	25	55	241
4	S. Drane	43	40	46		23	20	43	215
5	M. Whale	40	43	43		20	23	38	207
6	C. Archibald	36	36	36		19	21.5	40	188.5
7	J. Lytras	38	34	38		18	19	34	181
8	B. Burns	34	38	30		16	15	26	159
9	J. Griffin	30	30	34		14	18	32	158
10	D. Wicks	19	32	32		17	17	36	153
11	J. Sawdy	32	20	26		15	16	30	139
12	R. Irvin	26	26	24		12	13	28	129
13	L. Moody	28	24	28		11	12	24	127


Pos	Rider	1B	1A	2B	2A	3B	3A	4B	4A1	5B	Total
14	Z. Johnson	18		18		18		18		18	90
15	J. Dall		24		28		22		13		87
16	T. Davies	17		15		17		17		16	82
17	H. Collins	16		17		13		16		17	79
18	R. New	15		16		15		15		14	75
19	C. Carnie		22		22		20		10		74
20	J. Glennon	14		14		14		13		15	70
21	J. Banks	13		13		16		14		13	69
22	K. Robinson	12		12		11		12		11	58
23	S. Walker	11		10		12		11		12	56
24	G. Rautman	10		9		10		10		10	49
25	A. Glennon		20		19				9.5		48.5
26	R. Chaplin	9		11		9		9		9	47

Junior Lites – Round Five Results


Pos	Rider	Pole	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Total
1	J. Fyffe	—	55	46	55	55	55	266
2	T. Edwards	5	50	55	50	50	50	260
3	N. Jaeger	—	43	50	46	46	43	228
4	L. Duggan	—	46	43	43	43	46	221
5	H. Holmes	—	40	40	40	38	38	196
6	J. Cooper	—	36	38	38	40	40	192
7	A. Ryman	—	38	36	36	34	36	180
8	B. Lowe	—	34	34	34	36	34	172
9	R. Fenech	—	32	32	32	32	32	160
10	K. Lawrence	—	28	28	28	30	30	144
11	T. Patten	—	30	30	30	—	—	90

Junior 85 – Round Five Results


Pos	RIder	Pole	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Total
1	C. Quinn	—	46	55	50	50	55	256
2	F. Beard	5	55	50	55	38	46	249
3	B. Ford	—	50	43	43	55	43	234
4	J. French	—	43	46	46	46	50	231
5	K. Tulloch	—	34	40	40	43	38	195
6	C. Armstrong	—	40	38	38	40	36	192
7	A. Pasin	—	32	30	32	36	40	170
8	R. Duggan	—	36	34	36	32	32	170
9	Z. Salmon	—	30	32	30	34	34	160
10	R. Muggleton	—	28	28	28	30	30	144
11	R. Vass	—	26	26	26	28	26	132
12	J. Levett	—	24	24	24	26	28	126
13	R. Vass	—	38	36	34	—	—	108

ProTwin – Round Five Results


Pos	RIder	Bike	Pole	R1	R2	R3	Total
1	J. Lytras	Suz	5	55	55	55	170
2	C. Banks	Hyo	—	50	50	50	150
3	B. Hunt	Kaw	—	46	43	46	135
4	K. Robinson	Enf	—	40	40	43	123
5	D. Lawrence	H-D	—	43	46	—	89

All Power Over 35 – Round Five Results


Pos	RIder	Pole	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Total
1	N. Girdler	5	55	55	55	55	55	280
2	J. Girdler	—	50	50	50	50	50	250
3	A. Muggleton	—	46	30	46	46	46	214
4	M. Wolfe	—	43	46	43	43	38	213
5	J. Griffin	—	40	43	40	40	40	203
6	T. Holdup	—	38	40	38	38	36	190
7	W. Drake	—	34	38	36	36	43	187
8	M. Heron	—	32	32	32	32	32	160
9	G. Rautman	—	30	34	30	30	34	158
10	S. Richards	—	36	36	34	34	—	140

Pro Women – Round Five Results


Pos	Rider	Bike	Pole	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Total
1	L. Gow	Hon	5	55	55	55	55	43	268
2	G. Hudson	KTM	—	46	40	50	50	55	241
3	M. Heaton-New	KTM	—	50	50	40	46	46	232
4	R. James	Yam	—	40	46	46	43	50	225
5	I. Wilesmith	Hon	—	43	43	43	38	40	207
6	K. Robinson	Gas	—	38	38	38	40	38	192

65 Trackers Round Five Results


Pos	Rider	Bike	Pole	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
1	H. Ford	Yam	5	55	55	55	46	216
2	H. Raffin	KTM	—	50	50	50	55	205
3	K. Wilesmith	Yam	—	46	46	40	50	182
4	R. Quinn	Yam	—	30	43	46	43	162
5	L. Webber	KTM	—	38	38	34	38	148
6	S. Beard	KTM	—	34	36	36	36	142
7	O. Armstrong	Yam	—	36	34	32	34	136
8	J. Bourke	Yam	—	32	32	30	32	126
9	O. Ryan	Yam	—	40	40	43	—	123
10	H. Davies	Hus	—	43		38	40	121