Qantas Cup - State of Origin Series

Program     Results

Qantas Cup - Round 1 - Launceston Silverdome

By Rod Morris

A decade old track record will be under threat when the first round of the Qantas Cup cycling series is held at the Launceston Silverdome tonight, Thursday, March 21, 2002.

In 1989, former Australian Olympian Martin Vinnicombe set a standing start 1000m record time of 1 minute 2.823 seconds. That record still stands.

Vinnicombe also holds the flying start 1000 m record of 59.35 seconds at the Silverdome, although the current Australian record over the same distance is 59.12, set by Shane Kelly at the Adelaide Superdome.

The Qantas Cup is essentially a State of Origin series and Tasmania boasts a strong record since it began in 1998.

Tasmania will be represented by recent Austral Wheelrace winner, Darren Young, Abram Manion, former Launceston Wheel winner Stephen Rossendell and talented female riders Louise Yaxley and Belinda Goss. Riders compete for points over a variety of different events, including keirins, eliminations, sprints, scratch races and madisons.

The State accumulating the most points will win the Qantas Cup.

On a whirlwind tour of Australia, round two of the Qantas Cup will be held in Brisbane on Friday night and round three in Sydney on Saturday night.

Some of Australia's best riders will be competing in the Qantas Cup, which is also used as a selection guide for the Commonwealth Games.

Mark Renshaw and Ben Kersten will lead the NSW team, Mark French is No. 1 for Victoria and world Keirin champion Ryan Bayley is the frontrunner for the WA team.

Reigning Burnie Wheelrace winner Mark Jamieson, will swap colours for this round and race for the ACT team, as it lost it sprinter Kial Stewart.

While the Qantas Cup will get underway at 7.30 p.m., the Tasmanian junior track team will race from 6.30 p.m.

Programme

Tasmanian Junior Track Team 
Women's 200 m Time Trial 
Men's Flying Lap Time Trial 
Women's Derby 
Men's Derby 
Women's Sprint Round 1 
Men's Sprint Round 1 
Men's Elimination 
Women's Sprint Final 
Women's Elimination 
Men's Sprint Final 
Men's Points Score 
Men's Keirin 
Women's Points Score Elimination 
Women's Keirin 
Men's Triple Sprint 
Women's Points Score 
Men's Derby 
Men's Madison 
Women's Scratch 
Men's Scratch

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