Veterans Waters and Allerton share ASBK victories at Queensland Raceway.
Ducati pair Josh Waters and Glenn Allerton emerged with the major spoils in a day of contrasts at round three of the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Queensland Raceway on May 4.
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), 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.”
SW-Motech Superbike 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). As it turned out, there would be more heroics from Allerton just a few hours later…
Cru Halliday (Stop and Seal Yamaha) and Cameron Dunker (MotoGO Yamaha) completed the top eight.
SW-Motech Superbike 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) was fifth – recovering after a near highside – ahead of Stauffer, Pearson and Ty Lynch (Unitek Racing Yamaha).
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.
ASBK round three: Supersport, Supersport 300 and R3 Cup reviews
Round three of the 2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Queensland Raceway on May 2-4 had it all: intrigue, tension, twists and turns and stunning performances from seasoned veterans to gifted teens.
Ducati duo Josh Waters and Glenn Allerton were the race winners in a fascinating SW-Motech Superbike shootout, so now let’s breakdown what transpired in the Kawasaki Supersport, Race and Road Supersport 300 and ShopYamaha R3 classes.
Kawasaki Supersport
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) and Marcus Hamod (Honda) 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), 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).
Race and Road Supersport 300
As tradition dictates, the Race and Road Supersport 300 class produced plenty of drama and excitement – and some of the ‘dive bombs’ under heavy braking were not only spectacular, but sometimes a little ambitious!
Champions Ride Days teammates Jake Paige (1-1-17) and Riley Nauta (10-3-2) made it a 1-2 overall in Supersport 300, ahead of fellow Kawasaki rider Tyler King (8-4-4).
Scott Nicolson (Kawasaki) was the other race winner at Queensland Raceway, while Oscar Lewis(Motoschool Racing Yamaha) 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) 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 pitlane, and collected vital championship points.
Nicholson leads the championship on 158pts from Morrison (144), Jordy Simpson (134), Thompson (133) and Paige (130).
ShopYamaha R3 Cup
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).
More from a press release issued by Oceania Junior Cup.
Lewis and Williams push each other to the limit at Queensland Raceway.
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, race craft and strategy for the OJC riders.
Two riders enterprising in all conditions were Connor Lewis and Chaz Williams, 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, Hunter Charlett and Xavier Curmi.
For the round results from Queensland Raceway, click here.
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 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 to 10pts (115 to 105) by Lewis in round two. Charlett (84pts) is in third from Rossi McAdam (77) and Strugnell (68).
For the current OJC standings after two of six rounds, click here.
The winner of the 2025 OJC will receive a fully supported ride in the 2026 Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Asia-Pacific Championship.
Round three of the OJC will be held at Morgan Park Raceway in Warwick from June 13-15, again alongside the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul.
