Round 1 of the 2016 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Australian Championship, presented by Volkswagen Amarok

Queensland's Jamie Head set the bar high in round one of the 2016 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Championship with a stellar performance this weekend in Adelaide.

It all came down to the Hot Saw – and it was tense - with Head narrowly beating Victorian Laurence O'Toole and New South Wales' Brad De Losa.

The final day's competition started with Tasmania's Matt Gurr winning the Springboard but Head was on form from the Stock Saw where he took maximum points.

De Losa and O'Toole were hot on his tail but Head's consistent performance proved unbeatable.

Records were set and broken throughout the day with young Kody Steers from Tasmania setting a new Australian record in the Standing Block with a time of 18.88 seconds. The current Australian Champion Brayden Meyer, from Victoria, showed why he's making waves around the world smashing Underhand Chop record by almost 1 second.

Meyer ran in to trouble with his Hot Saw which left him in 4th place overall.

Leading into the Hot Saw, there was only one point between De Losa and Head but O'Toole managed to take a three point lead with one heat remaining so De Losa and Head had to go broke or bust.

It looked like De Losa had done it with a time of 6.95 seconds beating Head but after a close look, the judges ruled that De Losa had cut over his allowed 15cm for three complete disks. The win went to Head and placed him in the Championship top spot for round 1.

Four more rounds to go!
Next stop Agfest in Tasmania 5-8 May.

Final Standings After Round 1:
Jamie Head (QLD) - 36 points
Laurence O'Toole (VIC) - 33 points
Brad De Losa (NSW) - 31 points
Brayden Meyer (VIC) - 28 points
Kody Steers (TAS) - 24 points
Brodie Dingle (QLD ) - 21 points
Matthew Gurr (TAS) - 19 points
Mitchel Argent (QLD) - 18 points

Championship points:
Jamie Head (QLD) - 8
Laurence O'Toole (VIC) - 7
Brad De Losa (NSW) - 6
Brayden Meyer (VIC) - 5
Kody Steers (TAS) - 4
Brodie Dingle (QLD) - 3
Matthew Gurr (TAS - 2
Mitchel Argent (QLD) - 1

Fastest Times From Round 1:
Springboard: Matthew Gurr (TAS) – 55.35 secs
Stocksaw: Jamie Head (QLD) – 13.33 secs
Standing Block: Kody Steers (TAS) – 18.88 secs   New AUS Record
Singlebuck: Brad De Losa (NSW) – 19.20 secs
Underhand Chop: Brayden Meyer (VIC) – 19.36 secs  New AUS Record
Hotsaw: Laurence O'Toole (VIC) – 9.18 secs