The Americans came and conquered at the Brighton Centre last night.

Teenage superkid Ryan Fisher was the shock winner of the fifth Brighton Bonanza speedway indoor championship, while Bobby Schwartz and Shawn McConnell won the pairs tournament.

The victories of the Yanks could not have been in greater contrast.

While Fisher, virtually unknown outside the USA, is one of the emerging band of young American riders, the combined ages of Schwartz and McConnell add up to 87 years!

Fisher, who finished third in this year's American championship, is being touted in many quarters as his country's next big star, and he made his first appearance in England a spectacular triumph.

Lining up against the king of the indoor circuit, Paul Hurry, and fellow Americans McConnell and Billy Janniro, he blasted out of the first bend and held off Hurry to win a thrilling six-lap final.

In the process, Fisher did something only Hurry had achieved in 22 previous races, winning from the unfavoured outside gate.

When former Eastbourne Eagles star Hurry broke the mould in the last of the 20 qualifying heats, it was tempting to think they should have given him the trophy there and then.

But that would not have done justice to the young American, who simply got better and better as the night unfolded.

Having scored only two points from his first two rides, and managed only three from four attempts during the afternoon pairs event, Fisher was suddenly on fire.

Two wins gave him one of the eight semi-final spots, and second place behind Hurry ahead of previous winner Brent Werner and Schwartz put him into the final.

Even then, Fisher was the outsider of the quartet, with his three rivals all having the pick of the gate positions in front of him.

Hurry was fastest away and when he hit the first bend in front he looked on track to complete a hat-trick of Brighton Bonanza titles.

But while Hurry fought off Janniro and McConnell, Fisher came from nowhere to snatch the lead and take the championship by storm.

After that, the final shoot-out was all about Fisher and Hurry, and hard as he tried there was no way through for Hurry. Janniro finished third, and McConnell's bid ended when he bit the dust.

It was a thrilling finale for the 4,000 or so fans who poured into the Brighton Centre during the day to watch the action.

And promoter Jon Cook, in the process of rebuilding the Eastbourne team, must have been impressed by Fisher and another 17-year-old American, Eric Carrillo.

Carrillo was one of the top performers in the afternoon, reaching the final of the pairs with Werner.

Forty-two years old McConnell and one-time Eagle Schwartz, 45, however, had the last word when they won the title for the second successive year.

BRIGHTON BONANZA Scorers: Paul Hurry 11, Billy Janniro 11, Brent Werner 9, Shawn McConnell 9, Simon Stead 8, Ryan Fisher 8, Bobby Schwartz 7, Seemond Stephens 7, David Meldrum 6, Jonas Davidsson 6, Adam Skornicki 6, Kelvin Tatum 5, Malcolm Simmons 5, Joonas Kylmakorpi 5, Slawomir Drabik 4, Eric Carrillo 4, Daniel Davidsson 3, Peppi Rudolph 2, Robert Dados 2, Artur Pietrzyk 1.

Semi-finals: Hurry, Fisher, Werner, Schwartz. McConnell, Janniro, Stead, Stephens. Final: Fisher, Hurry, Janniro, McConnell (f).

Pairs: Werner & Carrillo 18, Schwartz & McConnell 15, Hurry & Simmons 14, Stead & Tatum 14, Drabik & Dados 13, Meldrum & Kylmakorpi 13, Janniro & Fisher 11, D. Davidsson & J. Davidsson 8, Pietrzyk & Skornicki 7, Rudolph & Kristof Kasprak 6. Semi-finals: Hurry, Carrillo, Werner, Simmons. Tatum, McConnell, Schwartz, Stead. Final: McConnell, Schwartz, Werner, Carrillo.