Josh Waters banished the unlucky track tag in emphatic fashion to claim overall honours at round four of the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Morgan Park Raceway on June 15. Report: ASBK Media/Ed Stratmann Pics: RbMotoLens
The reigning SW-Motech Superbike champion finished with a 1-2 scorecard on his McMartin Racing Ducati around the physically demanding 2.96km circuit, with Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati, 2-3 #11) and Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha, 3-4 #13) completing the dais.
Race one was particularly dramatic, with circuit guru Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team #46) retiring on lap four after his machine expired, which took all the pressure off Josh Waters as he cruised to the finish line. Jones’ comeback was emphatic in race two to make it three Morgan Park wins from the last four starts, but he’s now 53pts (215 to 162) behind Josh Waters at the halfway mark in the championship and with a mountain to climb to wrest momentum back from his long-time rival.
For Waters, it was a palpable sense of relief when he spoke in parc ferme at the end of race two. “I am just so happy with how this round has gone,” he said. “My history hasn’t been wonderful at Morgan Park, but to get pole, win race one, claim the overall and finish second to Mike (Jones) in race two is really satisfying.”
Read our previous ASBK news here…
SW-Motech Superbike Race One
Following Jones’ demise in the SW-Motech Superbike opener, all the pressure was off Waters, who just had to keep his powder dry to claim maximum points. He nailed that remit to win the 16-lapper by 2.7 seconds – his 40th victory in the Superbike class and the seventh in a massively impressive 2025 – from Pearson, who was involved in a ding-dong scrap for second with West and Cameron Dunker (MotoGO Yamaha #3).
And that was the order they finished in, with resourceful rookie Jack Favelle (Addicted to Track Yamaha #33) fifth from Max Stauffer (Yamaha Racing Team #27), Glenn Allerton (Superbike Advocates Racing Ducati #14) and Cru Halliday (Stop and Seal Yamaha #65). Meanwhile, young gun Jonathan Nahlous (Omega Racing Team Yamaha #20) was another race one casualty after crashing out.
Race One Results
- Josh Waters
- Broc Pearson (+2.740)
- Anthony West (3.294)
- Cameron Dunker (3.445)
- Jack Favelle (+7.144)
SW-Motech Superbike race two
With Jones back in the mix, anticipation went up a notch in race two as Waters got the holeshot from West. Jones was third, and on lap three he eased past West and immediately set out in pursuit of Waters with his customary smooth and natural flow.
Two laps later, the pair were running line astern and threatening to eclipse Jones’ two-year-old lap record. That didn’t eventuate, but Jones did pass Waters on lap 12 to move into the lead. Waters was perfectly content to finish second, while Pearson was a gritty third after passing West and Favelle in the second half of the 16-lapper.
“That was a great race,” said Jones. “I put the hammer down to catch Josh (Waters). After I got past, the setup was working well on my Yamaha and I was able to push until the end of the race. “A big thanks to the team for getting my bike back into working order between races.”
Meanwhile, Dunker, Nahlous and Allerton filled positions 6-8 among the 15 finishers. West (158pts) is third in the championship from Pearson (129), Allerton (126), Stauffer (120), Dunker (119) and Nahlous (113). Next up for the SW-Motech fraternity is round five at Queensland Raceway from August 8-10 as the ASBK reunites with the Repco Supercars Championship for the first time since 2023 in Darwin.
Jones is also a potent force around Queensland Raceway, but it was Waters and Allerton who shared the winning spoils at the venue in May this year. The intrigue continues in what has been a stellar year of Superbike action.
Race Two Results
- Mike Jones
- Josh Waters (+2.936)
- Broc Pearson (6.079)
- Anthony West (6.824)
- Jack Favelle (+7.232)
Championship Points
- Josh Waters – 215 Points
- Mike Jones – 162 Points
- Anthony West – 158 Points
- Broc Pearson – 129 Points
- Glenn Allerton – 126 Points
Kawasaki Supersport
Archie McDonald (Stop and Seal Yamaha #69) returned from his latest European sojourn with more sting in the tail than ever, completing a perfect round with pole position, two race wins and a new lap record. Despite missing the last round at Queensland Raceway, McDonald’s now moved back up to second in the standings on 160pts, behind teammate Jack Mahaffy (186 #37) and in front of BCperformance Kawasaki duo Olly Simpson (154 #5) and Hayden Nelson (130 #279).
Mahaffy (3-2) finished on the same points as the returning Tom Edwards (Team BWR Yamaha, 2-3 #71) in Warwick, with the latter back in Supersport mode for the first time in five years after finishing second in the 2021 championship behind Broc Pearson.
In race one, McDonald weathered strong early pressure from Edwards to claim a dominant victory in the 13-lapper – cut short by one lap after a savage Glenn Nelson (Stop and Seal Yamaha #9) highside at turn six. Will Nassif (Omega Racing Team Yamaha #65) was another to go down. The pace was red-hot, with a new lap record set five times – twice by Edwards and three times by McDonald.
Mahaffy was a lonely third, while Simpson, Tom Bramich (Apex Yamaha #44), Nelson, Jake Farnsworth (Yamaha #49) and Jesus Torres Cabrera (Yamaha #11) all flashed over the finish line in quick succession to claim positions 4-8. Race two was also red-flagged after eight laps when Marcus Hamod (Honda #13) was flung over the bars – but not before McDonald lowered the lap record again to 1:14.338.
The race was restarted as a five-lap dash, with McDonald again having too much class as he made it a Sunday double ahead of Mahaffy, Edwards, Nelson, Simpson and Farnsworth.
Round Results
- Archie Mcdonald – 51 Points
- Jack Mahaffy – 38 Points
- Tom Edwards – 38 Points
- Olly Simpson – 33 Points
- Hayden Nelson – 32 Points
Championship Points
- Jack Mahaffy – 186 Points
- Archie Mcdonald – 150 Points
- Olly Simpson – 154 Points
- Hayden Nelson – 130 Points
- Tom Bramich – 129 Points
Race and Road Supersport 300 and ShopYamaha R3 Cup
More sensational slicing and dicing in the Race and Road Supersport 300 class, with the combined winning margin across all three races a staggering 0.169 seconds! But in terms of race management and consistency, Scott Nicholson (#39) came to the fore again as he extended his lead in the championship to 57pts (229 to 182) over fellow Kawasaki rider Tara Morrison (#95).
Nicholson went 1-2-1 across the races, with John Pelgrave (Yamaha, 2-3-4 #43) and Tyler King (8-5-2 #128) second and third overall. Jake Paige (Kawasaki #55) was the other race winner, by a miniscule 0.004secs in race two, but then crashed out of the finale, as did fellow teen hard-charger Hudson Thompson (Yamaha #41). Thompson was third in race one, while Riley Nauta (Kawasaki #42) claimed the final podium position in race three. Paige is third in the standings on 170pts from Thompson (166).
Championship Points
- Scott Nicholson – 229 Points
- Tara Morrison – 182 Points
- Jake Paige – 170 Points
- Hudson Thompson – 166 Points
- Jordy Simpson – 163 Points
ShopYamaha R3 Cup
In the ShopYamaha R3 Cup, Mitch Simpson’s (#66) lead is now just 13pts (146 to 133) over the rapidly improving Nikolas Lazos (#11) after the latter won the round courtesy of his 4-1-3 scorecard. Simpson was disqualified from the opener after a machine irregularity but then followed with 3-1 results to maintain his place at the pointy end of the ever-tightening leaderboard.
Thompson (1-2-7 #41) and Pelgrave (3-4-2 #43) were second and third overall at Morgan Park, while Phoenix O’Brien (#85) (second in race one) was the other rider to finish a race on the podium. Jordy Simpson (Yamaha, 127pts #33) is third in the standings from Thompson (119) and Pelgrave (117).
The final round of the ShopYamaha Cup will be held at The Bend from November 7-9. Missing from the Supersport 300 and R3 Cup races at Morgan Park was leading light Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha #26), who injured his hand in qualifying and took no further part in proceedings.
Championship Points
- Mitch Simpson – 146 Points
- Nikolas Lazos – 133 Points
- Jordy Simpson – 127 Points
- Hudson Thompson – 119 Points
- Jason Pelgrave – 117 Points
Superbike Masters
As expected, former Superbike ace Beau Beaton (Ducati 851 #86) took the Superbike Masters races at Morgan Park by the scruff of the neck, winning all three in a canter. Ben Burke (Honda VFR750, 3-3-2 #60) and Corey Glock (Honda RC30, 4-2-3 #98) were second and third overall, while Josh Mathers (Yamaha FZR1000 #777) was clearly the second fastest rider before his machine expired at the tail end of race two – his weekend prematurely over.
Can Beaton go through the season undefeated? He’s building an irresistible case, and we’ll get the definitive answer at The Bend in November.
Championship Points
- Beau Beaton – 150 Points
- Michael Berti Mendez – 101 Points
- Phil Allen – 89 Points
- Phillip Burke – 75 Points
- Ben Burke – 56 Points
Oceania Junior Cup
Round three of the 2025 BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup (OJC) was held at Morgan Park Raceway in Warwick (Qld) from June 13-15, with the FIM-backed circuit racing academy again delivering outstanding entertainment. Nineteen riders lined up around the tight and twisty 12-turn layout, with the light and sweet-handling Yamaha YZF-R15s ideally suited to the layout.
Connor Lewis (2-2-1 #77) and polesitter Chaz Williams (3-1-2 #18) were again the standouts, sharing the winning spoils as all three races went down to the wire between large groups of riders. Another highlight was Xavier Curmi’s (#82) first OJC victory, which came in race one when he moved up three spots on the final lap to greet the chequered flag in a jaw-dropping battle.
Curmi also moved up from sixth to equal fourth in the battle for OJC honours – an Australian Junior Road Race Championship – after his enterprising weekend. He’s on 124pts alongside Hunter Charlett (#73), with Williams leading on 178pts from Lewis (170) and Rossi McAdam (128 #61). McAdam can count himself unlucky in race two, leading onto the start-finish straight for the last time before being swallowed up by Williams and Lewis.
Strong performances were also put in at Morgan Park Raceway by the likes of Jai Strugnell (#99), Ghage Plowman (#27), Jed Louis (#56), Thomas Cameron (#23) and Ethan Pelgrave (#43). Round four of the 2025 BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup will be held at Phillip Island from September 6-7, alongside the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul.
Championship Points
- Chaz Williams – 178 Points
- Connor Lewis – 170 Points
- Rossi McAdam – 128 Points
- Xavi Curmi – 124 Points
- Hunter Charlett – 124 Points
All detailed ASBK Championship class results are here…
