AUSSIE FLAT TRACK NATIONALS | Armstrong Delivers Showstopping Comeback

After 13 years off the bike, the former champ went from dad-mode to dominant, winning half the races in a jaw-dropping AFTN opener

The 2025 Yamaha BLU CRU Aussie Flat Track Nationals (AFTN) season has been turned on its head – already! – after Tom Armstrong swept through the field at Maryborough’s Action Park over the weekend of July 26-27, winning four of the eight races on offer at the double-header season opener.

Armstrong, a former national dirt track champion with international experience in both flat track and speedway, had not ridden competitively in 13 years. “My last competitive race was the 2012 King of Nepean. It’s been a long time!” Armstrong revealed, adding, “I’ve dropped 22 kilograms since last year, but I had no expectations coming into the AFTN. I was happy to make the A group, to be honest.”

He showed consistency, tight lines and raw speed to finish on the podium in every race, beating out fancied rivals Cam Dunker and Tom Herrick. It was a remarkable feat for the earthmoving business owner from Griffith, who said he was inspired to race again after watching his seven-year-old son get the riding and racing bug.

ASBK Superbike regular Dunker was showing threatening pace all weekend, winning on both the flat track and TT layouts as well as a stunning podium after starting from the penalty line. Current champ Herrick, who was due to fly to the USA to compete in the American Flat Track series directly after the Maryborough event, also competed strongly, hitting the podium five times to sit third in the points behind Dunker.

Daniel Wicks made a strong start to the season after battling injury most of last year. Wicks took out Superpole and won the opening race on the flat track layout and sits fourth in the standings. Also making an impact was Queenslander Ronan Jacobs, who won the second flat track event, with two-time Lites champion Cooper Archibald also making his mark after stepping up to the premier class this year.

Archibald showed grit to take his maiden victory on the Sunday, but Armstrong couldn’t be stopped. The 36-year-old completed his fairytale return with two convincing victories on the TT track on Sunday and has now asserted himself as the man to beat in 2025.

In Junior Lites, Neiko Donovan and Jed Fyffe have sparked a strong rivalry to begin the season, with both riders showing excellent consistency and speed. Fyffe got the nod in round one with three wins and a third, but Donovan fought back on the TT track with three wins of his own. Hugh Hope-Hodgetts and Lenny Duggan were consistent and not far off the pace, sitting third and fourth respectively.

Beau Baker was the dominant force in Junior 85s, picking up five wins, but was challenged throughout the weekend by several riders – including Hugo Holmes and Lucy Heaton-New, with Kru Tulloch and Jye French impressing on the TT track.

The Pro Women have made a return to the program this year, with Maryborough local Latiya Allen proving strongest on the flat track with three wins and backed that result up with a win on the TT track on Sunday. Allen was challenged strongly by Brittaney O’Brien and Matilda Heaton-New, with O’Brien taking out the TT round on Sunday.

The series now moves south to Wodonga, another new venue, on August 23-24 for another double header.

AFTN’s debut in Maryborough a success

The AFTN season opener was a huge test for Maryborough’s Action Park, with the storied century-old track recently being resurfaced to granite from oil. Many oil tracks around the country are under pressure from local councils to make the switch due to environmental concerns and Action Park looks to have made a successful transition. The Maryborough club also built a new TT track to support the AFTN series, which uses a double header format where riders compete on the flat track oval on Saturday and the TT track on Sunday. Series organiser Dave Maddock had nothing but praise for the club and noted the difficulty in switching surfaces. “Six years without being used and honestly they have knocked it out of the park,” he said “The surface is providing some challenging but really intense racing; it’s awesome to see. There is a great deal of local support with lots of spectators coming out to watch. From a racing point of view, it’s been unbelievable; there have been some new faces making their mark as well as some familiar names battling it out across all classes.”

Yamaha BLU CRU AFTN Standings After 2 of 7 rounds