Gaffer tape saves the day for champion

Declan Knowles may well be the first person to win a national speedway title on a bike held together with gaffer tape.

As if that accomplishment was not incredible enough, the race he won was none other than the 2016 Australian Under-16 250cc Championship and the field of riders he beat included current underage world champion Matt Gilmore.

To say Knowles won his title the hard way is a massive understatement.

After a promising start, the 15-year-old crashed in his fourth heat, hurting his ribs and splitting the seat on his bike in two.

“I was coming hot into the corner and I’d just got into first, (then) I hit a rut and went straight out into the fence,” the teenager said.

“I thought I’d saved it and so I was just holding on and I didn’t really back off that much until I hit it.”

Knowles and his team thought that was the end of his night until they got word that he still had a chance at qualifying for the final.

That prompted the resourceful, if not entirely conventional, gaffer tape repair-work which somehow held together long enough for him to scrape into reserve semifinal.

From there Knowles won his way through to the championship race, but as a result of his unconventional qualifying route the teenager had to start from the far outside lane — a significant impediment to winning a speedway race.

However, he finally received some good luck when race favourite Gilmore crashed out on the first lap, reducing his competitors to two.

Knowles learnt from his mistake earlier in the night and after moving into second place, he bided his time behind race leader Mitchell Cluff before making his move on the last lap to take out the win, and the championship, by two bike lengths.

“It didn’t feel real… it was about three days before it sank in,” Knowles said when describing how he felt after the race.

“I came out on the track and then there was like 30 of them all ran out and just took me off my bike and started throwing me in the air.”

Knowles’ win means that he has qualified for the World Titles in July; however, he is unsure if he will be able to attend because of financial constraints.

A number of local sponsors have already provided him with great support, but he will need more help to get to Poland for the championship.

Anyone interested in contributing is invited to contact the Knowles family through his Facebook page — Declan Knowles Racing.