2025 ASBK Round Three Report | Ducati pair Josh Waters (#11) and Glenn Allerton (#14) emerged with the major spoils in a weekend of contrasts at round three of the 2025 ASBK at Queensland Raceway on May 4. Report: Ed Stratmann/ASBK Media
Waters (McMartin Racing) easily prevailed in SW-Motech Superbike race one to make it six wins on the spin before afternoon rain opened the door for Allerton (Superbike Advocates Racing) to greet the chequered flag in the premier category for the first time in nine years. Waters (1-3) was the overall winner at Queensland Raceway, extending his lead in the eight-round championship to 32pts over Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team). Allerton (4-1) was second overall in round three from Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha, 3-2 #13), who shared the same scoreline as Jones (2-4) after the latter was also awarded a bonus point for pole position. Wet or dry, Waters continues to rack up big points as he shoots for a fifth Superbike title.
“The McMartin Racing Team continues to provide me with a fantastic motorcycle, and I’m just so happy with how this round has gone at a circuit I hadn’t won at before,” Waters said. “The races were obviously very different, and in race two the track was quite sketchy after the rain – but obviously the same for everyone. My bike just kept spinning off the line, but I managed to work myself into a great battle with Mike.”
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mi-bike insurance Australian Superbike
Friday
Defending champion Josh Waters’ competitive instincts came to the fore with a brilliant final flurry to set the practice pace in round three of the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Queensland Raceway. Sitting behind arch-rival Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) for most of the final SW-Motech Superbike practice session, Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) let loose with a stunning 1m07.181s lap in the dying seconds to annex top spot. Jones (1:07.248), the current master around Queensland Raceway, was also pleased with his Friday output in what shaped up as one of the most hard-fought Superbike rounds in recent memory.
Saturday
Yamaha pilot Mike Jones set a new best lap at Queensland Raceway on his way to pole position for round three of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK). In a frantic qualifying session, Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) slugged it out with Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) and Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati #11), the trio all taking turns at the top of the timesheets.
After returning serve with each other for five minutes, Jones finally lowered the SW-Motech Superbike best lap to 1m06.485s – after which a light shower swept across the circuit, putting the skids on the epic shootout. Waters and Pearson qualified in second and third for Sunday’s two 16-lap races.
Race One
The Waters juggernaut continued in the SW-Motech Superbike opener as he defeated Jones by just under a second to bring up his 39th victory in the class – in the process slaying his Queensland Raceway demons where he hadn’t won in 22 previous races. The duo sparred for the first five laps before Waters went up a gear and broke the lap record – which now stands at 1m7.265s – to build a race-defining lead.
Jones and West were also unchallenged in second and third for the balance of the 16-lapper, while Allerton literally came from the clouds – last position on the grid after electrical issues in qualifying – to finish fourth from Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati) and Max Stauffer (Yamaha Racing Team #27). As it turned out, there would be more heroics from Allerton just a few hours later…
Cru Halliday (Stop and Seal Yamaha #65) and Cameron Dunker (MotoGO Yamaha #3) completed the top eight.
Race One Results
- Josh Waters
- Mike Jones (+0.946)
- Anthony West (8.094)
- Glenn Allerton (+10.286)
- Broc Pearson (+10.707)
Race Two
A magnificent victory for Allerton – his first success in the premier category since 2016, his eighth at Queensland Raceway and the 27th in an illustrious career. The race started innocuously enough on a dry track with Jones, Waters and West in close company, but everyone knew rain was coming – and that it did around a third into the race.
It was red-flagged, and, after changes to suspension, engine mapping and tyres, it was restarted as a shortened eight-lapper. Allerton was immediately on the front foot, blasting straight into the lead and holding it until the end. It looked like West was capable of making a move, but it didn’t materialise, and the gap between the two was just over four seconds at the end.
“I had a great flow with the bike in race one, and I knew if a red flag came in race two I’d be in the mix,” said Allerton.“I’m just so happy to be back on the top step after such a long time.”
Meanwhile, Waters and Jones traded before Waters got the upperhand for the last spot on the podium. Jonathan Nahlous (Omega Racing Team Yamaha #20) was fifth – recovering after a near highside – ahead of Stauffer, Pearson and Ty Lynch (Unitek Racing Yamaha #85). Waters is now on 169pts from Jones (137), West (123), Allerton (99) and Nahlous (99). Round four will be held at Morgan Park Raceway (Qld) from June 13-16.
Race Two Results
- Glenn Allerton
- Anthony West (4.327)
- Josh Waters (+5.774)
- Mike Jones (+6.158)
- Jonathan Nahlous (+19.081)
Championship Points
- Josh Waters – 169 Points
- Mike Jones – 137 Points
- Anthony West – 123 Points
- Glenn Allerton – 99 Points
- Jonathan Nahlous – 99 Points
Kawasaki Supersport
A maiden pole position it was for the flying Jake Farnsworth (#49) in Kawasaki Supersport, who was joined on the front row by fellow Yamaha riders Jesus Torres Cabrera (#11) and Tom Bramich (#44).
“After missing the recent test at Queensland Raceway, we’ve been building nicely over the weekend, so I couldn’t be happier with pole position,” said Farnsworth. “It’s been a wild season so far with mechanicals and crashes, but we’ve worked so hard to get here, and many people have sacrificed so much.” Farnsworth was in an unfamiliar 10th, but he was eager to leapfrog back up the standings in the two 14-lap races.
Spanish visitor Torres Cabrera continued to impress, not only with his raw speed, but the ability to learn new tracks in the blink of an eye, while Bramich would be another one who was keen to right the ship after a difficult start to 2025. Championship leader Jack Mahaffy (Stop and Seal Racing #37) qualified in fourth from BCperformance Kawasaki pair Olly Simpson (#5) and Hayden Nelson (#279), Will Nassif (Omega Racing Yamaha #65) and Josh Newman (Addicted to Track Yamaha #17).
Plenty of smiles in the Kawasaki Supersport paddock after two of the category’s more popular statesmen – Tom Bramich and Olly Simpson – won a race each around the 3.126km layout. The victories also snapped the all-conquering Stop and Seal Yamaha team’s five-race winning streak, although Jack Mahaffy did extend his lead in the championship standings with teammate Archie McDonald competing overseas.
Bramich’s victory on his Yamaha in race one was his third in Supersport, and his first since the final ASBK round at The Bend in 2023. He held his nerve despite intense pressure from fellow Victorian Mahaffy, who was riding with an injury after a crash in the Asia Road Race Championship round in Thailand the week before. Jesus Torres Cabrera (Yamaha) was an excellent third, fighting his way back through the pack after being run wide on lap one.
“It’s great to be back up here: it’s been far too long,” said Bramich. “It’s been a tough start to the year, but my team never gives up and we continue to make progress.”
Hayden Nelson (BCperformance Kawasaki), Cameron Swain (Stop and Seal Yamaha #26) and Marcus Hamod (Honda #13) were the next riders home, while a jump-start penalty followed by an off-track excursion amounted to a disappointing race for polesitter Jake Farnsworth (Yamaha #49), who finished 10th. Simpson (BCperformance Kawasaki) also ran off the circuit and finished ninth, but the South Aussie’s redemption came in race two after a stirring battle with Bramich, Mahaffy and Farnsworth – which also included feisty Spaniard Torres Cabrera before he lost the front end at turn four.
Just 0.398sec separated the leading quartet at the end, with Bramich second from Mahaffy, Farnsworth, Nelson and Swain. It was not only BCperformance’s first win in Supersport, but also the first time a Kawasaki had tasted success in the class since way back in 2018. After three of seven rounds, Mahaffy is now on 148pts from Simpson (121), McDonald (109), Bramich (102), Nelson (98) and Hamod (91).
Round Results
- Tom Bramich – 45 Points
- Jack Mahaffy – 38 Points
- Olly Simpson – 37 Points
- Hayden Nelson – 33 Points
- Cameron Swain – 31 points
Championship Points
- Jack Mahaffy – 148 Points
- Olly Simpson – 121 Points
- Archie Mcdonald – 109 Points
- Tom Bramich – 102 Points
- Hayden Nelson – 98 Points
Race and Road Supersport 300
Yet another bustling Race and Road Supersport 300 battle, with Jake Paige (Kawasaki #55) snapping his run of second places to win his first race in the category and move up to fifth place in the standings. Paige was a deserving winner after doing most of the heavy hauling. Other than lap one, he led over the finish line at the completion of every circuit, including the one that mattered most as he defeated Scott Nicholson (Kawasaki #39) and Oscar Lewis (Yamaha #56) in a blanket finish.
Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha #48), polesitter Hudson Thompson (Yamaha #41) and Tara Morrison (Kawasaki #95) were next home in the field of 26 finishers. Knezovic (once) and Lewis (twice) lowered the lap record, with Lewis now holding the new benchmark at 1:20.975 – obliterating the previous one-year-old mark of 1:21.696. As tradition dictates, the Race and Road Supersport 300 class produced plenty of drama and excitement – and some of the divebombs under heavy braking were not only spectacular, but sometimes a little ambitious!
Champions Ride Days teammates Jake Paige (1-1-17) and Riley Nauta (#42) (10-3-2) made it a 1-2 overall in Supersport 300, ahead of fellow Kawasaki rider Tyler King (#128) (8-4-4). Scott Nicholson (Kawasaki) was the other race winner at Queensland Raceway, while Oscar Lewis (Motoschool Racing Yamaha #56) also finished on the podium.
Race two was a battle of attrition after Nicholson retired with a bike issue, while there were crashes for polesitter Hudson Thompson (Yamaha) and Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha) and the Simpsons – Mitch and Jordy – ran off the track in unison. Lewis was second from Nauta, King, Nikolas Lazos (Yamaha #11) and Tara Morrison (Kawasaki). After two red flags, a three-lap dash in the final battle saw Nicholson get the chocolates ahead of Nauta and Thompson.
The second red flag was flown after Lewis tapped the rear of Paige, with both riders going down at turn four. Paige made the restart from pit lane, and collected vital championship points. Nicholson leads the championship on 158pts from Morrison (144), Jordy Simpson (134), Thompson (133) and Paige (130).
Race and Road Supersport 300 Championship Points
- Scott Nicholson – 158 Points
- Tara Morrison – 144 Points
- Jordy Simpson – 134 Points
- Hudson Thompson – 133 Points
- Jake Paige – 130 Points
ShopYamaha R3 Cup
In the ShopYamaha R3 Cup, Mitch Simpson defeated polesitter Hudson Thompson by a wafer-thin 0.009sec in a wet race one. Jordy Simpson was third, and then daylight to Oscar Williams and William Hunt in fourth and fifth. Only a couple of small rain bands swept across Queensland Raceway across the weekend, and the ShopYamaha R3 Cup riders bore the brunt of them.
On a damp track in races one and three, Mitch Simpson and Hudson Thompson were the dominant riders, with the former eking out the slightest of victories on both occasions. In race two, 14-year-old Victorian Nikolas Lazos scored his maiden win in the class after a seven-rider drag to the finish line.
Thompson’s three second places saw him take the round honours from Mitch Simpson, Jordy Simpson and Oscar Lewis, while Mitch Simpson (103pts) leads the title from Jordy Simpson (88), Lazos (73), Lewis (73) and William Hunt (66).
Championship Points
- Mitch Simpson – 103
- Jordy Simpson – 88
- Nikolas Lazos – 73
- Oscar Lewis – 73
- William Hunt – 66
BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup
It was yet another steep learning curve for Australia’s next wave of circuit racing stars at round two of the 2025 BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup (OJC) at Queensland Raceway from May 2-4. Just as it had done at the season opener in March, one of the races was held on a wet track to place an extra premium on throttle control, racecraft and strategy for the OJC riders.
Two riders enterprising in all conditions were Connor Lewis (#77) and Chaz Williams (#18), with the duo flashing over the finish line in all three six-lap races barely inches apart. Lewis won the first two before Williams turned the tables in the finale, while the third places were shared by Jai Strugnell (#99), Hunter Charlett (#73) and Xavier Curmi (#82).
In the wet opening race, Curmi was one of four riders to crash at turn two on lap one, which brought out the red flag followed by a full restart. Callum Campbell (#26) was the only one of the fallers to line up for the second attempt. In the OJC standings, which have official Australian Junior Road Race Championship status, Williams’ lead was trimmed by 10pts (115 to 105) by Lewis in round two. Charlett (84pts) is in third ahead of Rossi McAdam (#61) (77) and Strugnell (68).
Championship Points
- Chaz Williams – 115 Points
- Connor Lewis – 105 Points
- Hunter Charlett – 84 Points
- Rossi McAdam – 77 Points
- Jai Strugnell – 68 Points
All detailed ASBK Championship class results are here…
