ASBK Round Six Report | Broc Pearson shines at One Raceway

DesmoSport Ducati’s Broc Pearson claimed the overall honours in a challenging ASBK round six of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at One Raceway. Report: Ed Stratmann Pics: ASBK Media RbMotoLens & Jeff Ware

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With a strong crosswind blowing through the new motorsport hub in Goulburn, the Quenslander’s 1-3 finishes across the two Pirelli Superbike races were the standout, and also ensured he remains in the championship hunt at The Bend grand finale from November 8-10.

Read our ASBK Round Five 2024 Report here…

After his first overall win in the Superbike class, Pearson is now on 219.5pts, behind Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati, 256.5) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team, 229.5). Jones won race two at One Raceway, but Pearson’s sheer consistency was the calling card in a day of attrition that saw a number of leading lights fail to greet the chequered flag.

“It’s been a really exciting and fun weekend for the team,” said Pearson. “We’ve been at the pointy end of the field and scored a round win. It ticks another box by leading from start to finish in race one and then wrapped it up with a third in race two. I’m really grateful for the team, and we’re becoming contenders week in and week out.”

Jones was second overall at round six with his 8-1 scorecard, followed by Waters (5-2) and Arthur Sissis (Stop and Seal Yamaha, 6-4).

Race One

Race one was eventually decided as a nine-lap flyer after the first attempt was red-flagged when Bryan Staring (MotoGo Yamaha) crashed at turn 10 and required medical attention – a wretched result for the veteran who had only announced his impending retirement. The restart didn’t foil the determination of Pearson, though, who led from start to finish to win his second Superbike race in a row, breaking the back of the field with some rapid opening few laps.

Pearson finished ahead of a fast Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha), as rookie teenager Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha) banked his first Superbike podium with a brilliant last-lap pass on teammate Max Stauffer. Waters was fifth, followed by Sissis, John Lytras (Yamaha) and a lacklustre Jones who had started from pole position.

Meanwhile, Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) didn’t take to the track after his massive highside in Thursday practice – despite gritting his teeth through official practice and qualifying.

Race One Results

Broc Pearson
Anthony West (+0.726)
Cameron Dunker (+1.840)
Max Stauffer (+2.291)
Josh Waters (+3.642)

Race Two

The second stanza was a carbon copy of race one, with the race red-flagged on lap five after a nasty highside by Stauffer at turn two that also caught out West and Dunker, who were running line astern. Stauffer – still not back to 100 per cent fitness after breaking six ribs and puncturing his lung in a crash at Phillip Island – was precluded from taking part in the restart for causing the red flag, while Dunker was also a scratching without a spare Yamaha to fall back on. West didn’t return either, but all riders escaped without major injuries.

That left a depleted 12-bike field to go into battle, with Jones wasting no time in going into attack mode as he scored the holeshot and then led from start to finish to win by nearly 2.5 seconds from Waters, with Pearson in third from Sissis, Lytras and Ty Lynch (Yamaha).

“That was far better than race one,” said Jones, who brought up his fifth win for the year, one more than Waters. “We worked on the bike between races and turned it around.”

Jones’ dominance also extended to a new lap record, as well as ensuring the Pirelli Superbike battle continues to The Bend. Ryan Yanko (Yamaha) and Glenn Allerton (GT Racing) were seventh and eighth, with the latter on his spare BMW after a heavy spill in race one.

Race Two Results

Mike Jones
Josh Waters (+2.406)
Broc Pearson (+5.610)
Arthur Sissis (+9.270)
John Lytras (+12.485)

Championship Points

Josh Waters – 256.5 Points
Mike Jones – 229.5 Points
Broc Pearson – 219.5 Points
Cru Halliday – 173 Points
Max Stauffer – 161 Points

Michelin Supersport

Stop and Seal Yamaha rider Jack Mahaffy seized the moment at One Raceway, with his 1-2 scorecard easily securing the overall spoils ahead of Jonathan Nahlous (Yamaha, 2-4) and Hayden Nelson (Kawasaki, 3-3). Mahaffy’s victory in race one was his first in Michelin Supersport, and he added some cream on his breakout performance with the inaugural lap record (1:00.859) on the circuit.

Mahaffy’s teammate and polesitter Archie McDonald was seemingly on track to claim victory in the opener before he went down just before the halfway mark after losing the front at turn seven. Mahaffy then filled the void, while Nahlous finished a fighting second after circulating in sixth early on. Nelson was third from Olly Simpson (Yamaha), Tom Bramich (Yamaha) and Sean Condon (Yamaha).

McDonald would not repeat the same crashing faux pas twice, and in race two he passed long-time leader Mahaffy on lap 11 and won his third race of the year – the Albury ace also setting a new lap record of 1:00.588. Mahaffy was second, with Nelson bringing up a brace of third positions.

In terms of the championship, race two was significant, with Nahlous’ closest challenger Simpson crashing out of third position. As a result, Nahlous now leads by 40pts (238 to 198) heading into the final round at The Bend from November 8-10. If the teenager keeps his powder dry in South Australia, he will be crowned the Aussie champion. Simpson is now seriously feeling the heat in the battle for second from Bramich (195), Jake Farnsworth (Yamaha, 193) and McDonald (190). Mahaffy (152pts) has catapulted into sixth position.

Meanwhile, Condon was fifth in race two after a tight stoush with Farnsworth and Glenn Nelson (Yamaha), while Bramich was eighth. The Michelin Supersport riders also continued their battle for honours in the FIM Oceania Circuit Racing Championship at One Raceway, which Hayden Nelson leads on 65pts from Mahaffy, Nahlous and Bramich all on 62.

Race One Results

Jack Mahaffy
Jonathan Nahlous (+3.021)
Hayden Nelson (+4.737)
Olly Simpson (9.035)
Tom Bramich (+9.398)

Race Two Results

Archie Mcdonald
Jack Mahaffy (0.073)
Hayden Nelson (+11.409)
Jonathan Nahlous (+13.634)
Sean Condon (+19.135)

Championship Points

Jonathan Nahlous – 238 Points
Olly Simpson – 198 Points
Tom Bramich – 195 Points
Jake Farnsworth – 193 Points
Archie Mcdonald – 190 Points

Race and Road Supersport 300

The Race and Road Supersport round saw three different winners – Kawasaki duo Josh Newman and Casey Middleton, and Yamaha pilot Will Nassif – but it was Middleton who was the overall winner thanks to a trio of podium visits that no other rider could match. The first and third races followed the normal pattern of going to the wire, but Middleton’s winning margin in race two was a comparative walk in the park as he crossed the finish line with over two seconds to spare – light years in Supersport 300 terms.

Other riders to finish on the podium at One Raceway were Jordan Simpson (Yamaha), Calvin Moylan (Yamaha) and polesitter Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha). Knezovic’s championship aspirations received a huge dent in race one when he crashed, although he did remount and snare some points in 14th position. Kiwi hard-charger Jesse Stroud fared even worse, crashing out of the opening two races.

Newman extended his lead to 32pts (334 to 302) over Knezovic, while Harrison Watts (Kawasaki, 297) remains in third.

Championship Points

Joshua Newman – 334 Points
Valentino Knezovic – 302 Points
Harrison Watts – 297 Points
Jordan Simpson – 261 Points
Will Nassif – 259 Points

ShopYamaha R3 Cup

A trio of trifectas in round two of the ShopYamaha R3 Cup! Will Nassif, Jordan Simpson and Valentino Knezovic filled positions 1-3 in the three races, which typically all went down to the wire with wafer-thin margins deciding the outcomes. Polesitter Jesse Stroud was the only other rider who could circulate with the same pace as the leaders, but after finishing fourth in race one, the New Zealander didn’t start the balance of the program as his weekend turned sour.

William Hunt, Hudson Air and John Pelgrave also scored top-five R3 Cup finishes. Knezovic (124pts) leads with one round remaining over Nassif (111) and Simpson (111), who are deadlocked in equal second.

Championship Points

Valentino Knezovic – 124 Points
Will Nassif – 111 Points
Jordan Simpson – 111 Points
William Hunt – 91 Points
Jesse Stroud – 82 Points

Oceania Junior Cup

Hunter Corney now has one hand on the 2024 bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup trophy following a flawless outing for the 13-year-old at One Raceway from October 4-6 as part of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul.

Corney’s clean sweep came with winning margins of between one and three seconds as he prevailed in race one ahead of Ethan Johnson and Phoenix O’Brien before Connor Lewis and Johnson completed the podiums in the balance of the fixture. As is so often the case, the tempo increased across the weekend, with Corney finally dropping the lap record to 1m05.1145s in race three on his #40 Yamaha YZF-R15.

Two rounds remain in the championship, including a high-profile support act at the 2024 Qatar Airways Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island from October 18-20, where the junior academy stars will compete in front of thousands of spectators and meet their Yamaha MotoGP heroes, including flying Frenchman Fabio Quartararo. Corney will take a 61pt (280 to 219) lead over Johnson into Phillip Island, where another sizzling display could see him build an unassailable lead with one round to spare. Nikolas Lazos is third on 183pts from Hunter Charlett (172) and Elijah Andrew (160).

Championship Points