Emily Suvaljko Photo by Pacepix
Emily Suvaljko has her whites and her state colours and in just 19 days she heads to Queensland to contest her last Australasian Young Drivers Championship, with hopes of taking home the crown for 2025.
“I’ve always been quite lucky in these types of things, I think I’ve run a couple of seconds and thirds, but I haven’t been able to win one, so I would like to be able to do that.”
No stranger to the series, Suvaljko has represented WA twice already and with this year being her third and final time to represent her home state, it isn’t just the racing that keeps her going back.
“I like going over and driving different horses and driving at different tracks.
“Obviously I’ve been to Queensland before, so I’ve kind of got a bit of an idea.
“You just make lifelong friendships on these sorts of trips. I’m going back in December for a wedding of people I met over here/”
The series kicks off on July 15 at Albion Park and runs over the week at various tracks in Queensland, with the final heats run on Inter Dominion Grand Final Night on Saturday July 19.
The series consists of 10 heats, with drivers accumulating points over the course of four nights, with heats 1-3 held on July 15 at Albion Park, heats 4-6 on July 16 at Redcliffe, heats 7-9 at Redcliffe just two days later on July 18 and the final heat held at Albion Park on July 19 on Inter Dominion Grand Final night.
2025 AYDC Field
Emily Suvaljko – Western Australia
Sam Thonrley – New Zealand (Wilson House)
Harrison Orange – New Zealand (North Island)
Carter Dalgety – New Zealand (South Island)
Brodie Davis – Tasmania
Chloe Butler – Queensland
James Herbertson – Victoria
Jett Turnbull – New South Wales
Bernadette Page – South Australia
The series is in its 41st year and since its inception in 1976, WA has taken out top prize seven times.
Lindsay Harper – 1979
Geoff Marriot – 1983
Haydon Fisher – 1986
Greg Kersley – 1989
Justin Warwick – 1992
Craig Goldfinch – 1996
Stephen Reed – 2008
Next year’s Australasian Young Drivers Championship will be held in New Zealand, but sadly for Emily she will not be eligible as she ages out of the series this year at the age of 25.
We wish Emily Suvaljko all the luck going into the 2025 1Equine Australasian Young Drivers Championship.
