Kiwis in the Overseas Final - 1994
By Tracy Holmes

Three Kiwis were hopeful of a place in the last ever World Final. Mitch Shirra, NZ Champion Mark Thorpe and Tony Briggs. While Tony was not riding in the UK, he was a regular in Poland and Germany. But Trevor Redmond selected the first two for the Commonwealth Final.

Thorpe said gooodbye there and then while Shirra made it to the Overseas Final as reserve. Two wins and three ducks saw to that. So Mitch, at number 18 in the programme lined up at Coventry on June 12.

The top 9 going to the World Championship Semi-Finals in July. Reigning World Champion Sam Ermolenko put on a master class while the BIG controversy surrounded the last heat. Four Poms with the result that knocked one of their most promising young stars out of the Championship. But that is a whole other story for someone else to write about.

Sam Ermolenko 14. Greg Hancock 12. Craig Boyce 12. Leigh Adams 11. Jason Crump 9. Josh Larsen 9. Mark Loram 8. Chris Louis 8. Billy Hamill 8. All qualify.

Joe Screen 7. Charles Ermolenko 6. Gary Havelock 5. Jeremy Doncaster 4. Martin Dugard 3.Mike Faria 2. Jason Lyons 2.

Reserves Chris Manchester and MITCH SHIRRA dnr

1981 - 1982 - 1983 - 1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - 1989 - 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000/01

This article was first published on 25th March 2018