Jack Holder’s bid for a second Australian Speedway Championship has got off to a blistering start at Diamond Park in Wodonga, with the world No. 5 winning the opening two rounds under lights on the weekend of January 3-4.

With the same four riders featuring in both finals – Holder joined by Jaimon Lidsey, Rohan Tungate and Ben Cook – Holder stood firm to make it a double and now takes a 2pt (36 to 34) lead over Lidsey into round three in Mildura on January 7.

Tungate, the 2024 Australian champion, is third overall on 29pts from Ben Cook (25pts), Zach Cook (22pts), Jacob Hook (18pts), Keynan Rew (13pts) and Mitchell McDiarmid (13pts).

Holder and Lidsey have been the clear standouts in the first half of the 2026 championship. Lidsey has been undefeated in his 10 heats, while Holder’s class and work rate came to the fore at the business end of proceedings in Wodonga.

Holder’s previous championship success came in 2023, but the 29-year-old has now laid a solid foundation to make it No. 2 in 2026.

Lidsey (red) and Holder (blue) are separated by just 2pts heading into round three

The two rounds in Wodonga followed similar scripts, with Lidsey and Holder seeded straight through to the final after their dominant form in the heats, while Tungate and Cook progressed to the decider after winning their respective semi-finals.

In round one, Holder came out swinging with a crushing victory over Lidsey, Tungate and Cook, and in round two Tungate was the early leader before Holder eased his way past. Tungate held onto second, ahead of Cook and Lidsey, who drifted back to fourth.

“It opened up for Rohan at the start and I thought ‘Here we go’,” said Holder after round two. “But I chased him and made a good move and put my head down to get  the chequered flag.

“I started the meeting okay, but during the middle part I began to lose some starts. But I made a change for the final and it worked, so I’m really happy.”

The round one final, with Lidsey (red), Holder (blue), Tungate (obscured) and Cook (white)

Following round three in Mildura on January 7, the 2026 championship grand finale will be held in Gillman on January 9.

Live streaming is available from both rounds. To access the livestream for Mildura, click here, and for Gillman click here.

Images: Judy Mackay