The two-day championships, which cater for classic bikes built between the 1960s and the 1980s, saw local boy Matt Drane claim two Australian titles, wining the Pre 1975 250 title and the evolution 250 title.

Although he missed out on claiming a title, Clinton McDonald followed hotly on Drane’s heels with a second place in the Pre 1975 12 category and a second place in the Pre 1978 12 category.

Drane attributed his success to the bike he was riding, saying McDonald lent him the bike to give him the opportunity to compete.

“I had a good machine, that helped a lot,” Drane said.

Although McDonald was impressed it was his bike that gave Drane the edge, he said the champion’s success was more due to skill.

“Matt rode convincingly well all weekend to take out both titles,” McDonald said.

Drane, who started riding when he was 10-years-old, admitted he was a little bit rusty when he first hit the track as he hadn’t raced in an open meeting since 2004.

“I went into the deep end and pulled it off,” Drane said, adding it was a “pretty good feeling” to claim the titles.

Although McDonald was pleased with his results, he felt lack of practice prior to the championships and a race protest resulted in both winners’ trophies slipping through his fingers.

Overall McDonald and Drane were pleased with their performances, describing the meet as a modest gathering with some fast racing, which saw a number of past champions return to the track.

“It was quite fun – to get a trophy was a bonus,” McDonald said.