Cameron Dunker claimed his maiden Pro 450 crown, while Jed Fyffe, Flynn Beard, Axel Kirkness, Harley Ford and Neil Girdler also celebrated championship success as the 2026 Yamaha Aussie Flat Track Nationals wrapped up at Gunnedah’s Balcary Park.
The 2026 Yamaha Aussie Flat Track Nationals came to a thrilling conclusion at Gunnedah’s Balcary Park on November 7-8, with a weekend of high-quality racing producing six championship winners across the various classes.
The headline act was Cameron Dunker, who secured his maiden Pro 450 championship against a field packed with international-calibre talent. While Tom Drane was arguably the standout performer of the final round, collecting the round win with two race victories and two second places, it was Dunker who did enough to secure the ultimate prize – the $5000 Bunda Fine Jewels championship ring.
There were plenty of other celebrations, too, with Jed Fyffe securing his second consecutive Junior Lites championship, Flynn Beard taking out the Junior 85s crown, and Axel Kirkness, Harley Ford and Neil Girdler adding their names to the championship honour roll.
DUNKER DELIVERS IN PRO 450
The Pro 450 championship went down to the wire, with Dunker, Max Whale and the Drane brothers all featuring prominently across the two days of competition.
Saturday’s racing on the flat track layout saw Tom Drane set the benchmark in Superpole before his younger brother Sam claimed the opening race. Tom responded with victory in Race 2, while Whale took the third race after a strong start and held off both Drane brothers. Sam then returned to the top step in the final race, ahead of Tom and Dunker.
Despite the pressure of a championship battle, Dunker kept pushing hard, collecting valuable points while keeping Whale within reach.
Sunday’s TT layout brought another strong performance from Tom Drane, who again claimed Superpole before winning the opening race ahead of Whale. Dunker finished third, keeping his championship hopes firmly on track.
A restart followed an incident involving Sam Drane in Race 2, with Tom eventually taking the win ahead of Dunker. The championship leader then made his intentions clear in Race 3, blitzing the field by more than three seconds to beat Tom, with Sam third.
The final race delivered another twist when Dunker went down early at the hairpin before the jump. Sam Drane seized the opportunity and held off his older brother Tom to take the win by just three-tenths of a second. Whale finished third, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Dunker from securing the championship.
Whale had to settle for runner-up, while Cooper Archibald finished fourth in the championship standings. John Lytras, Mick Kirkness and former champion Tom Herrick were also among the leading performers across the weekend.
For Dunker, the title was a particularly satisfying achievement after finishing third last season, despite missing a round.
“As weird as this sounds, I could see this title happening from the start of the year,” Dunker said. “Franko builds an unreal bike, and even last year, when I missed a round and ended up third, that felt really special.
“Using flat track as a training tool for road racing has also been unreal; it means I’m always on a bike and riding something different. To finally add another Australian title to my resume after a few years, I’m super happy!”
FYFFE GOES BACK-TO-BACK
After narrowly missing out on wrapping up the Junior Lites championship on Saturday, Jed Fyffe left nothing to chance on Sunday, producing a perfect performance on the TT layout.
Fyffe won all four races to secure the round victory and, more importantly, his second consecutive Junior Lites championship.
The achievement was made even more satisfying because he secured this year’s title on a different brand, highlighting the work that went into his season.
“This feels awesome, to see the result of all the hard work we’ve put in through the year,” Fyffe said.
“This year I had more bike time and a similar training program, but I’ve grown a little bit in size and that has helped me muscle the bike around a bit. It’s also really good to achieve this on a different brand this season, especially with Franko putting in all the work that he does.”
BEARD SECURES JUNIOR 85s CROWN
Cooper Quinn dominated the final round of Junior 85s, claiming three race wins, but Flynn Beard walked away with the championship.
Beard’s fourth-place overall result was enough to secure the title, capping off a strong season in the competitive junior category.
KIRKNESS, FORD AND GIRDLER ALSO CELEBRATE
Axel Kirkness carried his Saturday qualifying speed into Sunday’s TT competition, going one better to claim two race wins and the round’s overall points.
The inaugural 65 Trackers championship went to Harley Ford, who finished third on the day behind Hux Davies.
Neil Girdler also made his mark in the inaugural All Powers Over 35s championship, producing another clean sweep to finish the season on top.
With the final chequered flags falling at Balcary Park, the 2026 Yamaha Aussie Flat Track Nationals crowned its latest champions, with Dunker’s maiden Pro 450 title providing the headline result from a big weekend of racing in Gunnedah.
Photos: RBMotoLens
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