Yamaha star Mike Jones has soared to pole position at round seven of the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at One Raceway in Goulburn.
Still clinging to a feint hope of clinching the SW-Motech Superbike title from runaway leader Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati), the Queenslander displayed his customary dash – and even more – on the Yamaha Racing Team YZF-R1, obliterating his previous One Raceway qualifying mark to bank his 18th premier class pole position ahead of teen star Cameron Dunker (MotoGo Yamaha Racing Team). Waters will start from third on the grid for Sunday’s two 20-lap races.
Under clear skies and with Friday’s fierce cross winds gone, qualifying and race records tumbled at One Raceway across all the classes, including Kawasaki Supersport where Archie McDonald (Stop and Seal Yamaha) reigned supreme as he makes a late lunge at championship success over the last two rounds.
The opening races were also held in the Race and Road Supersport 300 and BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup classes on Saturday, complete with their usual level of jaw-dropping unpredictability and first-time winners in Riley Nauta and Ghage Plowman.
There will be nine races on Sunday to complete the penultimate ASBK round.
- SW-MOTECH SUPERBIKE
Jones and Dunker owned SW-Motech Superbike qualifying, with Dunker setting the early pace before Jones hit the front with a brilliant 58.420.
He’s now trimmed Waters’ championship lead to 66pts (306 to 238) courtesy of his bonus point for pole position.
“I treat every weekend the same, and that’s doing the best I can,” said Jones.
“I’m feeling really comfortable on my bike, which is always great when that happens. I know the racing is going to be really close and tough on a track like this, but I’m ready for it.”
Dunker’s second place on the grid (58.707) is his best qualifying performance in two years of Superbike competition, while Waters (58.768) is lurking in third after inching his way up the order during the last five minutes.
As expected, Goulburn hometown hero Troy Herfoss (Yamaha Racing Team, 58.772) started to make his move after methodically chipping away on setup, and he’ll lead the second row from 2024 race one winner Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati, 58.799) and Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha, 58.921) who’s locked in combat with Jones for second in the championship.
The top eight was completed by Cru Halliday (Stop and Seal Ducati, 58.986) and Jack Favelle (Addicted to Track Yamaha, 59.040).
Sunday’s two races will be held at 11:15am and 2:40pm.
- KAWASAKI SUPERSPORT AND SUPERSPORT NEXT GEN
Archie McDonald continued from where he left of on Friday, transferring his impeccable Kawasaki Supersport practice form into the qualifying arena on his Stop and Seal Yamaha YZF-R6.
After producing a masterful 1:00.138 in the first qualifying session – eclipsing his previous best lap by over 0.2 seconds – he used the second outing more for race simulation purposes in preparation for Sunday’s two 16-lappers.
McDonald’s pole position, which included a $500 bonus cheque from Michelin, was his second in 2025 and his fifth in the last two seasons.
McDonald completed qualifying ahead of teammates Jack Mahaffy (Yamaha) and Tom Toparis (Ducati) aboard his Supersport Next Gen machine.
Then it was the BCperformance Kawasakis of Hayden Nelson and Olly Simpson – the latter set to come under attack from McDonald for second in the championship, while Nelson will be looking to replicate his double podium from 2024.
Jake Farnsworth (Yamaha) will start from the final spot on row two, with Tommy Edwards (Team BWR Yamaha), Marcus Hamod (Motocity Honda) and Will Nassif (Omega Racing Team Yamaha) on row three.
Mahaffy leads the championship by 21pts (220 to 199) over Simpson, followed by McDonald (196) and Nelson (165).
- RACE AND ROAD SUPERSPORT 300
A Champions Ride Days Kawasaki quinella in Race and Supersport 300 race one, as a spritely Riley Nauta broke away from the main pack to score a runaway three-second victory over teammate – and fellow junior dirt track gun – Jake Paige. It was Nauta’s first victory in the category.
Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha) was third, while Scott Nicholson (Kawasaki) inched closer to winning the championship at One Raceway with his seventh place.
He’s now 81pts in front of Tara Morrison (Kawasaki), which means that if he keeps his power dry in the next two races – sometimes easier said than done in such a fiercely contested class! – he’ll be the new No. 1.
Polesitter Jai Russo (Yamaha) was fourth from Nikolas Lazos (Yamaha), Tyler King (Kawasaki), Nicholson and Mitch Simpson (Yamaha), with Nicholson also setting a new lap record of 1:05.710.
- BLU CRU OCEANIA JUNIOR CUP
Another crackerjack contest between the Yamaha YZF-R15 brigade, as Ghage Plowman scored his first win in the BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup, followed in quick succession by Rossi McAdam and championship leader Connor Lewis.
The top 11 riders were separated by 1.8 seconds, with Thomas Cameron, Hunter Charlett and Xavier Curmi filling positions 3-6.
Chaz Williams, who started from pole, was eighth, allowing Lewis to extend his championship lead to 14pts.
For more information on the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul: