Greenhill's Sonny Spurgin claims first Darcy Ward Speedway Championship win

The victory marks the 10-year-old's first overall win in the competition - an achievement his father Tim said had been "a long time coming".

"Last year he was always right there to win it, but there was always something that stopped him from getting first place," he said. "It was amazing to see him finally win a big event like this."

Sonny was the first to qualify in the A final after coming first in six heats, second in one heat and third in one heat to claim 21 points.

From there, Sonny was able to ride his way to victory with relative ease.

His success comes off the back of an impressive performance at the 2023 Darcy Ward Invitational junior race that ended up being cut short when he crashed out after leading in the first lap.

Tim said it took some time for Sonny to shake off the crash.

"He was a little bit nervous going into this race because of the accident, but as soon as he got out there his nerves settled," he said.

"He just went out in the first race and absolutely gave it to them. He rode with his brain, he didn't panic and he pressured riders when he was behind and made them make mistakes.

"When he got one win under his belt, his confidence just grew from there and he became unstoppable."

Tim said Sonny was "over the moon" when he was crowned the overall winner in round one.

"I think we were all bewildered," he said. "It's something he has worked so hard for, and it was amazing for him to put on a performance like that after the Darcy Invitational race."

Sonny's performance didn't go unnoticed by former championship winning motorcycle speedway rider Darcy Ward.

"Darcy sent me a message this morning and said, 'the way Sonny rode on the weekend was unbelievable,'" Tim said. "It was pretty special to receive that message from him."

Tim said it is a credit to Sonny to come from a small town like the Macleay Valley and match it with some of the best speedway riders in Australia.

"Here we are in a little country town and there Sonny is riding against some of the best speedway riders in Australia," he said.

The victory makes for a promising start for Sonny as he looks to claim a similar result in round two of the Darcy Ward Speedway Championship which will be held at the end of April.

But for now, Sonny will be putting all of his attention into his next race in two weeks time where he will be competing in round one of the the 2023 NSW Speedway Solo Super Series.

"Kids will be coming from all over Australia to compete in this event, so it's going to be a big ask for Sonny to win," Tim said.

"He's always the youngest one out there too, so we focus on his style of riding and make sure he sticks to his process.

"He just has to go out there and give it his all. If he can do that, good things are ahead of him."

Sonny would like to thank his supporters and sponsors as he continues his racing career.

IN OTHER NEWS: