Saturday

Josh Waters (#1) opened his day one account at round five of the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) with a maiden pole position at Queensland Raceway. The reigning SW-Motech Superbike champion played qualifying to perfection on the McMartin Racing Ducati, laying down the gauntlet early with a searing lap of 1:07.267.

Despite a couple of valiant late attempts by championship rival Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team #46, 1:07.380) to dislodge him, and with Glenn Allerton (Superbike Advocates Racing Ducati #14, 1:07.498) also circling, Waters did enough and started from top spot for the third time this season and the 17th in a stunning Superbike career. He also earned himself a bonus championship point for pole position.

Read our previous ASBK Series reports here…

“I’m just so happy to be on pole for the first time at Queensland Raceway,” said Waters. “I was fairly nervous in qualifying, but I managed to use the same set of tyres in both sessions, so I’m in a good position to attack over the weekend. The races won’t be easy, but I’ll be pushing hard as always. Thanks to my team for again preparing a great bike.”

Sunday
Josh Waters and Mike Jones lived up to their star billing at round five of the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Queensland Raceway on August 10, sharing the top spots in the two 15-lap races.

On the same program as the Repco Supercars for the first time in two years, Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) greeted the chequered flag in the opening SW-Motech Superbike race on Sunday – held at a spritely 8:55am – before polesitter Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) found another gear in the afternoon to turn the tables on his great rival. Thanks to a bonus point for pole position, Waters claimed the overall round five spoils on 46pts, one ahead of Jones (45pts), with Glenn Allerton (Superbike Advocates Racing Ducati, 35pts) in third after his 4-3 scorecard.

“Thanks to my team for preparing a great motorcycle,” said Waters. “In race one I was quite tight, so more thanks goes to my cousin (and Supercars driver) Cam (Waters) for organising a physio in between races. The team also told me to believe in myself ahead of race two, but the pace in that one was so fast – Mike just wouldn’t give in!”

With three rounds remaining in the 2025 championship, Waters is now 54pts (261 to 207) in front of Jones – and, ominously, the next battle is at Phillip Island on September 6-7, where Waters rarely lowers his colours.

SW-Motech Superbike Race One

Jones is a master at Queensland Raceway, and he proved it again with a brilliant performance in race one to defeat Waters by just over half a second. And, to make his fifth Superbike victory at the circuit even sweeter, he did it the hard way after running wide on lap five and forfeiting second position to Allerton. Three laps later Jones was back in second and, thanks to a race-best 1:07.646 on lap nine, he was swiftly on the tail of Waters. Jones then made his move on lap 12, slicing underneath Waters at turn two.

“That was an awesome race, and I’m a little bit surprised to be up here to be honest,” said Jones. “Josh (Waters) had so much pace in qualifying, but the Yamaha Racing Team just hasn’t stopped trying, so a big thank you to them as well.”

Waters nailed the holeshot from pole position, and the early scramble for positions also saw Harrison Voight (McMartin Racing Ducati #29) as high as second before he retired with an electrical issue. The intense jockeying for real estate eased about half-distance as Jones set out in his ultimately successful pursuit of Waters and the impressive Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati #11) moved into third position.

And that’s the way they would finish, with Allerton fourth from Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha #13), Cameron Dunker (MotoGO Yamaha #3), Jonathan Nahlous (Omega Racing Team Yamaha #20) and Max Stauffer (Yamaha Racing Team #27).

Race One Results

1. Mike Jones
2. Josh Waters (+0.674)
3. Broc Pearson (+1.663)
4. Glenn Allerton (2.238)
5. Anthony West (4.079)

SW-Motech Superbike race two

“He does what he does.” Those words were used in today’s Superbike television commentary to describe just how Waters goes about his business: in a consummate, no-fuss, methodical manner. That was the 38-year-old’s modus operandi in race two, as he led from start to finish to bring up his eighth victory in 2025 and the 41st in a glittering Superbike career. Meanwhile, Jones fell back to fourth in the early stages before moving into second on lap three – just before a collision between Voight and Pearson at turn six saw them both go down.

With the bit between his teeth, Jones set another best lap (1:07.299, just shy of the 1:07.265 circuit benchmark) in his pursuit of Waters. He would reduce the gap to about 0.4 seconds, but that was as combative as it got, with Watersholding firm. The final margin was just over one second, while the battle for third was much closer as Allerton was pushed all the way by West. The consistent Dunker was fifth from Nahlous, Stauffer and Jack Favelle (Addicted to Track Yamaha #33).

After another high-points outing, Allerton (161pts) has now bumped himself up to fourth in the standings, ahead of Dunker (150pts), Pearson (147pts), Stauffer (147pts) and Nahlous (142pts).

Supersport Next Gen
In the Supersport Next gen class at Queensland Raceway, Archie McDonald (Yamaha, 2-1 #69) and Tom Toparis(Ducati, 1-2 #7) dominated, with Jack Mahaffy (Yamaha #137) making it a clean sweep for the Stop and Seal team. Luca Durning (DesmoSport Ducati #21) was fourth.

Race Two Results

1. Josh Waters
2. Mike Jones (+1.023)
3. Glenn Allerton (+9,467)
4. Anthony West (+9.867)
5. Cameron Dunker (+12.742)

Championship Points

1. Josh Waters – 261 Points
2. Mike Jones – 207 Points
3. Anthony West – 191 Points
4. Glenn Allerton – 161 Points
5. Cameron Dunker – 150 Points

All detailed ASBK Championship class results are here…

The post ASBK 2025 Round Five Report | Waters and Jones Dominate appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

It was a classic Waters playbook in both 13-lap SW-Motech Superbike races on March 29 as he charged to the front early after phenomenal starts from seventh on the grid. Once he hit the lead, the Victorian applied the heat with brutal efficiency, leaving his rivals with plenty of head scratching ahead of round three in early May.

Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team #46) was second overall in the ASBK Sydney Night Race with a 2-2 scorecard (as well as a bonus point for pole position), ahead of a resurgent Cru Halliday (Stop and Seal Yamaha, 5-3 – #65).

“That was a really, really good day,” said Waters. “I can’t wait to watch those starts on replay when I get home. I’ve even had some world speedway mates messaging me about the starts and what they can learn from me! Once again, a huge thanks to my team for providing such a great motorcycle, as well as all the sponsors which help to make it happen.”

After five season-opening wins on the trot, Waters has now extended his lead in the championship to 27pts (126 to 99) over Jones, with Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha #13, 85pts) remaining in third position. Jonathan Nahlous (Yamaha #20, 72pts) and Max Stauffer (Yamaha Racing Team #27, 65pts) are next in a logjammed mid-table battle.

mi-bike insurance Australian Superbike

Three-time SW-Motech Superbike champion Jones would not be denied in qualifying, as he put himself in prime position to make a dent in Josh Waters’ championship lead.

“It’s never great when there’s water on the visor or screen, but it was just dry enough to ride something like normal,” said Jones. “Those situations are always tricky, and it’s just a matter of nailing the right strategy to get the top spot. “It often comes down to a minute either way, but I’m certainly happy to be on pole.”

Jones’ best lap was 1m30.450s as he finished ahead of Halliday (1:30.559) and Pearson (#11 – 1:30.759), while surprise packet Jack Favelle (Yamaha #33, 1:30.978), Cameron Dunker (MotoGO Yamaha #3, 1:31.170) and Max Stauffer (Yamaha Racing Team, 1:31.204) were next.

A number of riders were caught out in the SMSP lottery, including defending champion Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati), who started from an uncharacteristic seventh – his worst qualifying position since 2021. Jonathan Nahlous (Yamaha), Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha) and John Lytras (#308 – Yamaha) completed the top 10.

Race One

It only took about five seconds of the SW-Motech Superbike opener to dispel any notion that Waters’ lowly qualifying position – one of many riders caught out in dicey Friday night track conditions – would bring him back to the field.

Instead, he produced a mind-blowing start from the third row of the grid to lead from start to finish, backing off in the final stages to win by just under 1.5 seconds as he brought up his 37th career Superbike victory. Meanwhile, Jones was as secure in second as Waters was in first, leaving most of the fireworks in race one to a battle for the final podium position, which went down to the wire between Nahlous, Cameron Dunker (MotoGO Yamaha), Halliday and Jack Favelle (Addicted to Track Yamaha).

That’s how they finished, with Nahlous holding his nerve in the face of some intense pressure to celebrate his first podium in the premier category. Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati) and West were seventh and eighth.

Race One Results

1. Josh Waters
2. Mike Jones (+1.473)
3. Jonathan Nahlous (+13.736)
4. Cameron Dunker (+13.991)
5. Cru Halliday (+14.013)

Race Two

Race two was held under the floodlit 3.93km grand prix circuit, with Waters even more dominant than race one as he greeted the chequered flag by nearly two seconds without really breaking a sweat.

While Waters again played it to perfection – he set the fastest lap of the race on lap four as he doubled down on his dominance – it was a spicy battle for second between Jones and Halliday as the relative strengths and weaknesses of each rider around different parts of the circuit balanced out to make it a thrilling spectacle. Halliday appeared to have the answers, until Jones’ last-gasp slipstream effort saw him pinch it from his former teammate by inches.

Ultra impressive rookie Favelle was a lonely fourth, while a little further back West, Nahlous, Pearson and Glenn Allerton (Superbike Advocates Racing Ducati) flashed over the line in quick succession. Round three of the ASBK Championship will be held at Queensland Raceway, on a circuit where Jones – as well as the one after at Morgan Park – is traditionally very hard to beat. There’s still a lot to play out in 2025.

Race Two Results

1. Josh Waters
2. Mike Jones (+1.987)
3. Cru Halliday (+2.003)
4. Jack Favelle (+4.212)
5. Anthony West (+9.878)

Championship Points

1. Josh Waters – 126 Points
2. Mike Jones – 99 Points
3. Anthony West – 85 Points
4. Jonathan Nahlous – 72 Points
5. Max Stauffer – 65 Points

Kawasaki Supersport

It was a second consecutive pole position for Archie McDonald (Stop and Seal Yamaha #69) in the Kawasaki Supersport class, who was just ahead of teammate and main rival Jack Mahaffy (#37). The duo produced sizzling Friday times that would have kept many Superbike riders on their toes.

It was then a massive gulf back to third-placed Jake Farnsworth in a Yamaha front row lockout. Row two for tomorrow’s two 11-lap Supersport races – the second one under lights – was filled by Glenn Nelson (Yamaha #9) and Bcperformance Kawasaki teammates Olly Simpson (#5) and Hayden Nelson (#279). The combined winning margins in the two Kawasaki Supersport races was a wafer-thin 0.041secs, delivered in two very different circumstances.

Jack Mahaffy (Stop and Seal Yamaha) was front and centre in both flurries to the finish line. In the first 11-lapper, he just held out the fast-finishing duo of rookie Will Nassif (Yamaha #65) and Marcus Hamod (Honda #13). And in the second Mahaffy’s teammate Archie McDonald pipped him at the post.

Race one was held on a drying 3.93km circuit after heavy rain on Friday night and into Saturday morning, with some riders opting for full wets and others slicks. Mahaffy, McDonald and Olly Simpson (BCperformance Kawasaki) were among those to take the wets route – a decision which left McDonald well back in an uncharacteristic ninth. After shaking off a pesky Simpson, it looked like Mahaffy would cruise to victory before Nassif and Hamod – both on slicks – began slicing through the pack late in the piece as the circuit continued to dry.

The duo easily dispensed with a fading Simpson and were on Mahaffy’s tail coming onto the straight for the last time. In a photo finish, the trio was separated by 0.014secs, with Nassif second from Hamod, Simpson and Jesus Torres Cabrera (Yamaha #11).

In race two, without Nassif, who had issues with his rear wheel, and Jake Farnsworth (Yamaha #49), who crashed on the warm-up lap, normal service was resumed as Mahaffy and McDonald cleared off to make it another intra-team arm wrestle. Mahaffy did most of the bullocking work only for McDonald to get him on the finish line, with Torres Cabrera third in his first Supersport podium ahead of Hayden Nelson (BCperformance Kawasaki), Simpson and Levi Russo.

Round Results

1. Jack Mahaffy – 45 Points
2. Archie Mcdonald – 38 Points
3. Jesus Torres Cabrera – 34 Points
4. Olly Simpson – 33 Points
5. Hayden Nelson – 32 Points

Championship Points

1. Jack Mahaffy – 110 Points
2. Archie Mcdonald – 109 Points
3. Olly Simpson – 84 Points
4. Hayden Nelson – 65 Points
5. Marcus Hamod – 62 Points

Race and Road Supersport 300

There were three different winners at Sydney Motorsport Park – Yamaha trio Valentino Knezovic, 15-year-old Hudson Thompson and new championship leader Scott Nicholson – with the first race held in wet conditions on Friday night.

Oddly, the damp outing was the tamest of the lot – and the shortened race three very much the opposite after Knezovic and Jordy Simpson (Yamaha) went down in the early stages, with Riley Nauta (Kawasaki) spearing off the circuit to take evasive action. The race was already without Thompson, who had two crashes (the second a heavy one) in the preceding ShopYamaha R3 Cup race.

Eventually, a sense of calm prevailed – as much as possible in such a frantic class – and Nicholson won the five-lapper from Jake Paige (Kawasaki) and Mitch Simpson (Yamaha). Nicholson (7-3-1) was the overall winner from Mitch Simpson (4-4-3) and Thompson (2-1-DNS), and Nicholson leads the championship on 113pts from Thompson (98), Tara Morrison (Kawasaki, 98) and round one pacesetter Jordy Simpson (96).

Meanwhile, there were two races to kick off the four-round 2025 ShopYamaha R3 Cup, and it was a Simpson benefit as siblings Mitch and Jordy went 1-2 in both, with John Pelgrave and Oscar Lewis securing the third places.

Race and Road Supersport 300 Championship Points

1. Scott Nicholson – 113 Points
2. Tara Morrison – 99 Points
3. Hudson Thompson – 98 Points
4. Jordy Simpson – 96 Points
5. Mitch Simpson – 88 Points

BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup

The BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup (OJC) opened its 2025 account at the round, with a damp (race one) and wet (race two) track serving up tricky conditions for the 20 riders on race-prepped Yamaha YZF-R15s.

Rookie Chaz Williams was one who embraced the challenge, winning both typically tight six-lap races to leave Sydney with a healthy 15pt lead in the championship over Connor Lewis (4-3) and Hunter Charlett (3-4). Polesitter Ghage Plowman and Rossi McAdam also finished on the podium.

Race three was red-flagged due to an incident on lap one, and then wasn’t restarted due to time constraints. As well as the scintillating on-track action, it was also announced in Sydney that Motorcycling Australia, in partnership with Yamaha Motor Australia, has launched the Yamaha OJC Scholarship, which will see the winner of this year’s OJC receive a fully supported ride in the 2026 Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Asia-Pacific Championship.

Race one under lights on Friday night kickstarted a huge 15-race program at the ASBK Championship round, with light drizzle and slick tyres making for some nervous energy. The riders all got through with flying colours, though, as Williams forced his way to the front on the final lap to flash over the finish line just ahead of early leader Plowman, Charlett, Lewis, Xavier Curmi and Charlie Nichols.

There was no uncertainty about tyre choice in race two, with wets on the menu as Williams defeated McAdam, Lewis and Charlett in a blanket finish. The quartet cleared off from the rest of the pack, led by Curmi ahead of Phoenix O’Brien, Stevie Middlebrook – the only female on the 2025 grid – and Thomas Cameron. Middlebrook and Nichols were then involved in a crash on lap one of race three, and eventual cancellation of the restart.

Championship Points

1. Chaz Williams – 50 Points
2. Connor Lewis – 35 Points
3. Hunter Charlett – 35 Points
4. Rossi McAdam – 33 Points
5. Ghage Plowman – 32 Points

Superbike Masters

A modest field of Period 5 and Period 6 machines ventured to Sydney Motorsport Park, with ex-Superbike star Beau Beaton making light work of the field as he won all three races to claim the overall honours from defending champion Ryan Taylor (Suzuki GSX-R1100, 6-3-3) and Michael Berti Mendez (Ducati TT2 992, 4-4-4). Taylor had machine issues on Friday, but was able to regroup for Saturday’s two races.

Championship Points

1. Beau Beaton – 75 Points
2. Ryan Taylor – 51 Points
3. Michael Berti Mendez – 51 Points
4. Phil Allen – 47 Points
5. Patrick Povolny – 43 Points

All detailed ASBK Championship class results are here…

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