ASBK Round Seven Report | Josh Waters makes history!

Josh Waters is the Australian Superbike champion for a history-making fourth time following a gripping final round of the 2024 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at The Bend on November 10. Report: ASBK Media/Ed Stratmann

It was a super Sunday at The Bend (SA) on November 10, with the Michelin Supersport, Race and Road Supersport 300, ShopYamaha R3 Cup and Nolan Superbike Masters classes all crowning new champions under spring sunshine.

mi-bike insurance Australian Superbike

Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) went into the third and final race at The Bend separated by 25pts, but after Jones crashed on lap one the pressure valve was completely released – even a DNF for Waters would have still seen him claim the championship spoils.

Read our ASBK Round Six 2024 Report here…

In true title-winning style, though, Josh Waters still kept pushing hard and finished less than a second behind outgoing champion Troy Herfoss (DesmoSport Ducati) who became the third race winner over the weekend.

Waters’ 2024 championship is now added to his previous Superbike successes in 2009, 2012 and 2017…

Waters’ 2024 championship is now added to his previous Superbike successes in 2009, 2012 and 2017, in what was a triumphant return to The Bend after he came out second best in a similar final round brawl against Herfoss in 2023.

Waters now stands supreme as the most successful rider in the 35-year history of the ASBK Championship, moving ahead of Jones, Herfoss, Shawn Giles, Wayne Maxwell and Glenn Allerton as three-time champions.

“That was bloody awesome! I am so thankful to the McMartin Racing Team, and I’m just so rapt as it’s been a long time since I won a championship,” said a relieved Waters.

“The championships have all been special, but what I’ve been through leading up to this one makes it even more special. Thank you to everyone who supports me.”

Race One

When Jones is in ‘steely resolve’ mode, he’s hard to beat – just the mindset he brought to Saturday’s proceedings as he maintained his 100 per cent record of winning every race when he has finished on the podium this season.

It wasn’t a walk in the park by any stretch though, taking two attempts to pass Waters on the final lap before completing the slender 0.180-second victory, while Arthur Sissis (Stop and Seal Yamaha) was a brilliant third as he continues to prosper in a new environment.

Waters, as always, was gracious in defeat, but questioned whether he had made the right tyre choice.

“I went with a different option tyre in race one, which I personally didn’t like, but it was a safer option,” said Waters. “But Mike and Arthur rode great races, so congratulations to those two. Two more races to go!”

Behind Sissis, Friday fast man Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha) outlasted Broc Pearson (DesmoSport Ducati) after a close battle, with Penrite Racing Yamaha teammates Max Stauffer and Cameron Dunker sixth and seventh. John Lytras (Yamaha), Superbike rookie Tom Toparis (Stop and Seal Yamaha) and Ryan Yanko (Addicted to Track Yamaha) saw out the top 10.

Pearson still remained a mathematical championship chance, but it would have taken major Waters and Jones meltdowns on Sunday for him to get a look in.

Meanwhile, defending Superbike champion Troy Herfoss (DesmoSport Ducati) – who had been building nicely into the round after a long time off the Panigale V4R – crashed out of third spot on lap four.

Race One Results

Mike Jones
Josh Waters (+0.180)
Arthur Sissis (+3.736)
Anthony West (+6.426)
Broc Pearson (+6.752)

Race Two

After Jones got the job done in race one on Saturday to fire a ‘I’m not giving up without a fight’ warning shots across Waters’ bows, Waters’ Sunday morning retort was emphatic as he won the shortened seven-lapper after the first attempt was red-flagged when Superbike rookie Tom Toparis (Stop and Seal Yamaha) went down. The crash put the two-time Australian Supersport champion out for the balance of the day.

In the restart, Waters wasn’t in the mood for power sharing as he led from the front and, just when it appeared he was on the cusp of winning the championship with one race to spare, Jones speared up the inside of Herfoss on the final turn to finish second.

That meant the gap between the pair was 25pts, leaving a flicker of hope for Jones that if he won the final race and Waters was a DNF, the Yamaha man would win the championship based on a season race-winning countback.

Meanwhile, Anthony West (Addicted to Track Yamaha) was fourth in race two, followed by Arthur Sissis (Stop and Seal Yamaha) and Max Stauffer (Penrite Racing Yamaha).

Race Two Results

Josh Waters
Mike Jones (+0.435)
Troy Herfoss (+0.496)
Anthony West (+1.787)
Arthur Sissis (+2.460)

Race Three

It all boiled down to the final race of the season, but the tension was only fleeting after Jones crashed out at turn 13 on lap one and was unable to remount.

Waters was initially unaware that Jones had exited stage left, but he was soon made aware by his team as he eventually settled into second place behind Herfoss and in front of Sissis.

And that’s how the top three finished in the 11-lapper, just over a second apart, while top rookie Cameron Dunker (Penrite Racing Yamaha) was fourth from West and early leader, Pearson.

Herfoss was the sixth separate Pirelli Superbike winner in 2024, while Waters’ 2-1-2 scorecard at The Bend saw him the round winner from Sissis (3-5-3), West (4-4-5) and Jones (1-2-DNF).

Race Three Results

Troy Herfoss
Josh Waters (+0.801)
Arthur Sissis (+1.031)
Cameron Dunker (+4.688)
Anthony West (+5.124)

Championship Points

Josh Waters – 321.5 Points
Mike Jones – 276.5 Points
Broc Pearson – 264.5 Points
Max Stauffer – 205 Points
Anthony West – 198.5 Points

Michelin Supersport

The news we were all expecting in Michelin Supersport came to fruition on Sunday morning when Nahlous played it smart to wrap up the championship after a trouble-free ride into sixth position.

The 18-year-old has produced a magnificent 2024 campaign, which began with a clean sweep at round one way back in February. He then continued to rack up the podiums and points with plenty of front-running zeal, despite being challenged from all directions in a crack field of emerging superstars.

“I can’t thank my whole team enough for what it has done all year,” said Nahlous. “To be in this position today is quite amazing. I’m just over the moon and, for everyone who has supported me during the season, thank you very much.”

Nahlous finished fifth overall at The Bend with his 4-6-5 scorecard, behind Stop and Seal Yamaha teammates Archie McDonald (1-1-3) and Jack Mahaffy (3-2-1), Olly Simpson (Yamaha, 2-4-2) and Tom Bramich (Yamaha, 6-4-4).

The gregarious McDonald was the big championship improver, leapfrogging from fifth to second at The Bend (28pts behind Nahlous), while Simpson dropped back to third (2pts behind McDonald).

“I can’t thank my whole team enough for what it has done all year,” said Nahlous.

Meanwhile, Mahaffy lifted his intensity throughout, and in the final race he cleared off to win by over three seconds. Mahaffy also won the three-round FIM Oceania Circuit Racing Championship, where points were accrued at three rounds of the Michelin Supersport title in the second half of the season. That period corresponded with a purple patch of form for Mahaffy, who claimed the Oceania spoils from Simpson and McDonald.

Round Results

Archie Mcdonald – 68 Points
Jack Mahaffy – 63 Points
Olly Simpson – 57 Points
Tom Bramich – 50 Points
Jonathan Nahlous – 48 Points

Championship Points

Jonathan Nahlous – 286 Points
Archie Mcdonald – 258 Points
Olly Simpson – 256 Points
Tom Bramich – 145 Points
Jake Farnsworth – 233 Points

Race and Road Supersport 300/Shop Yamaha R3 Cup

It was an enthralling day in the Race and Road Supersport 300 and ShopYamaha R3 Cup classes, with Josh Newman (Kawasaki) wrapping up the former in race two and Valentino Knezovic (Yamaha) only getting peace of mind in the last race of the day!

“It is very surreal at the moment, but I’d just like to thank everyone for all the hard work that they have put in,” Newman stated.

While returning international Cameron Swain (Yamaha) was the undisputed master across the weekend – six wins from as many starts in his one-round cameo – it was Newman who kicked off the major celebrations when he finished a solid eighth in Supersport 300 race two to win the crown.

“It is very surreal at the moment, but I’d just like to thank everyone for all the hard work that they have put in”.

The R3 Cup was even more of a thriller, with Knezovic outlasting a fast-finishing Will Nassif by 2pts, with Simpson another 2pts back in third.

“In race two, I really gave my all, but I also wanted to stay out of trouble. In the last few laps I lost the lead group, so I just cruised home and on the last lap I knew it was a done deal.”

Newman finished the championship ahead of Knezovic (379 to 335pts) and Harrison Watts (Kawasaki, 326), while Swain won the round from Jordan Simpson (Yamaha) and Newman.

The R3 Cup was even more of a thriller, with Knezovic outlasting a fast-finishing Will Nassif by 2pts, with Simpson another 2pts back in third.

Race and Road Supersport 300 Championship Points

Joshua Newman – 379 Points
Valentino Knezovic – 335 Points
Harrison Watts – 326 Points
Jordan Simpson – 317 Points
Will Nassif – 297 Points

ShopYamaha R3 Cup Championship Points

Valentino Knezovic – 171 Points
Will Nassif – 169 Points
Jordan Simpson – 167 Points
William Hunt – 127 Points
John Pelgrave – 101 Points

Nolan Superbike Masters

A quite extraordinary set of circumstances in the Nolan Superbike Masters finale, with the two hitherto dominant figures – Yamaha pilots Keo Watson and Jack Passfield – both out with injury and mechanical woes respectively, which opened the door for Ryan Taylor to come from the clouds to win the title.

Taylor was third in all three races at The Bend behind fellow Suzuki pilots Alex Phillis and David Johnson, which was enough to win the title on 123pts from Watson (115) and Passfield (110).

Phillis, who was a class above in the finale, ended on a fast-finishing 98.5pts behind Michael Berti Mendez (Ducati, 109).

The class winners were Mendez (Period 5 F1), Ross Dobson (Suzuki, Period 5 Unlimited), Taylor (Period 6 Formula 1300) and Phillip Burke (Honda, Period 6 Formula 750cc).

Championship Points

Ryan Taylor – 123 Points
Keo Watson – 115 Points
Jack Passfield – 110 Points
Michael Berti Mendez – 109 Points
Alex Phillis – 98.5 Points

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup

As expected, 13-year-old Queenslander Hunter Corney is the latest champion in the FIM-backed and Dorna Sports-endorsed Road to MotoGP pathways program, which has enjoyed heightened Australian championship status for the first time.

Corney’s five-second win in race one – a gargantuan margin in OJC terms – on Saturday guaranteed him championship success, and he went onto win the round with 1-5-2 results ahead of Connor Lewis (5-1-4) and New Zealander Haydn Fordyce, the latter making a one-off OJC return to help bolster New Zealand’s stocks in the corresponding FIM Oceania Trans-Tasman Challenge. To underscore the developmental credentials of the OJC, Corney also competed as a wildcard in the final round of the 2024 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia-Pacific Championship at The Bend, embracing the challenge with round-winning first and second placings!

Meanwhile, back in OJC pastures, Lewis and Rossi McAdam won their first OJC races to round out The Bend program – and in much more familiar wafer-thin winning margins for the Yamaha YZF-R15 riders. The final standings saw Corney a runaway winner on 411pts from Ethan Johnson (319), Hunter Charlett (267), Nikolas Lazos (249) and McAdam (246), while Australia won the FIM Oceania Trans-Tasman Challenge over New Zealand by 42pts (257 to 215).

All detailed Computime ASBK Championship class results are here.