Harrison Voight has made the perfect start to his 2027 Shannons Australian Superbike Championship presented by Pirelli campaign, securing pole position for the opening round at Phillip Island aboard his McMartin Racing Ducati. Press: ASBK Media  Pics: RbMotoLens

The 20-year-old Queenslander was pushed all the way by Blue Marlin Pools East Racing Yamaha rider Cameron Dunker, who delivered a late qualifying flyer to threaten Voight’s position at the top of the timesheets. However, Voight’s 1:31.394 lap was just enough to secure his third pole position in the SW-Motech Superbike class, edging Dunker’s 1:31.405 by a mere 0.011 seconds.

The result earned Voight the bonus championship point for pole position, along with a $1000 cheque from AMX Superstores. Qualifying took place in front of nearly 33,000 spectators, setting a Friday attendance record for the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and providing a huge stage for the opening round of the new summer-based ASBK season.

Allerton Leads Second Row Challenge
Voight and Dunker will be joined on the front row by veteran Glenn Allerton, who qualified third on the Superbike Advocates Ducati. Cru Halliday, aboard the Stop and Seal Ducati, will head the second row alongside Yamaha Racing Team’s Mike Jones and Josh Waters, who is making his debut with DesmoSport Ducati following his departure from McMartin Racing.

Waters, a five-time Australian Superbike champion, is one of the major talking points of the new season after switching teams for 2027. John Lytras, now riding for Addicted to Track Yamaha, and Jack Favelle on the Apex Racing Team Honda have also moved to new teams. Both qualified on row three, split by JJ Nahlous on the Yamaha Racing Team machine. Jacob Roulstone qualified further back on the Honda. The young Australian will have work to do if he is to repeat his impressive ASBK rookie victory at Phillip Island in February.

Weather Could Change the Picture
With rain forecast, the qualifying order may not tell the full story across the three races. Changing conditions could shake up the field and bring experienced wet-weather performers such as Allerton into contention. A total of 29 riders qualified for the Superbike races, with two races scheduled for Saturday at 12:10pm and 4:10pm before the round concludes with the final race on Sunday at 9:00am.

The opening round is part of a landmark weekend for Australian motorcycle racing, with ASBK joining MotoGP at Phillip Island as the championship begins its new calendar.

Fans will also have the opportunity to meet some of the championship’s leading riders during a special autograph session at the Shannons SuperRig on Saturday from 2:30pm to 3:00pm, featuring Voight, Nahlous, Roulstone and Waters.

Superbike races will be shown live and exclusively on Fox Sports and Kayo, with a highlights program scheduled for SBS Sport on November 8, including interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage. With Voight starting from pole but Dunker just 0.011 seconds behind, the opening races promise a close contest as the 2027 ASBK season gets underway at Phillip Island.

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