Key industry members have voted Troy Guenther one of the four finalists for the 2016 RK Chains Samurai Trophy.
AMCN readers are now invited to be involved with the voting process to determine the winner of the 2016 award.
The four finalists are:
Voting closes on 16 January, and the winner announced on 30 January.
Click here to vote
Name: Troy Guenther
Age: 18
Resides: Brisbane, Queensland
Category raced in 2016: Australian Supersport Championship
In his second year in the Supersport class, Guenther made the switch from a Kawasaki ZX-6R to a Yamaha YZF-R6 machine with the Graffiti Alley Racing team. Throughout the season he was locked in combat with Sam Clarke for the championship, and the battle went all the way down to the wire in October at Winton Motor Raceway. Guenther got off to a flyer at Phillip Island in February by scoring pole position – his only pole for the year – and backed it up with a round win. In the next two rounds he scored third and sixth to lead at the halfway point of the season. His fourth overall at Barbagallo Raceway, however, saw him leave Western Australia 10 points behind Clarke. At his home round at Morgan Park he chipped into Clarke’s lead and headed to Winton just eight points behind. And after Race 1 at Winton, things got even tighter. Guenther snared the first race and Clarke finished fifth, turning the tables again. Going into the final race of the year, Guenther was leading by a single point. Clarke did everything he could to try and stop the Queenslander from claiming the crown, but Guenther held his nerve to win the championship becoming the youngest rider to claim the Australian Supersport crown.
Off the track, Guenther has been a joy to have in the paddock. Never do you see him without a smile on his dial and he has been generous with his time for the media and the fans. This year Guenther will step up to the Superbike class with the Next Gen Motorsports, who reunite with BMW Motorrad to field an S1000RR.
