Round three of the 2026 Australian Superbike Championship at The Bend Motorsport Park delivered changing conditions, intense racing and breakthrough performances across every category. Press: Pirelli Moto Aus.

Friday practice was held in fine conditions before rain and wind arrived for Saturday qualifying, creating tricky conditions for riders across all classes. Despite the weather shift, Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati) remained the benchmark in the premier Superbike class, topping every practice session before claiming pole position with a 2:11.025 lap in wet qualifying. Teammate Harrison Voight secured second ahead of Cameron Dunker.

In Supersport, Jake Farnsworth led qualifying ahead of Valentino Knezovic and Jordy Simpson, while Olly Simpson took pole in the Next Gen category. Riley Nauta topped Supersport 300 qualifying aboard his Kawasaki.

Superbike Race 1 quickly developed into a fierce five-rider battle. Waters launched strongly from pole before Voight grabbed the early lead into Turn 1. Cru Halliday also made a fast start, joining Voight and Waters at the front. As the race unfolded, Cameron Dunker and Glenn Allerton joined the battle, while tyre wear became a major factor in the closing stages.

Dunker worked his way forward when Voight made a mistake on the final lap. The Yamaha rider took control to secure his first-ever ASBK Superbike victory ahead of Halliday and Allerton, with Voight recovering to fourth.

Race 2 saw another intense fight between the McMartin Racing teammates. Voight again led early before Waters surged to the front midway through the race, immediately increasing the pace with consecutive fastest laps. Once in clear air, Waters broke away to score a commanding win.

Behind him, Jonathan Nahlous charged through late in the race, overtaking Dunker on the final lap to secure third place. Waters took victory ahead of Voight and Nahlous.

The Supersport category again delivered close racing between Farnsworth and Knezovic. In Race 1, the pair quickly broke away from the field before Knezovic made a decisive late-race move to claim victory ahead of Farnsworth and Jordy Simpson.

The Next Gen class saw drama early when pole-sitter Olly Simpson crashed at Turn 2 on the opening lap, handing the lead to Tom Toparis. With clear track ahead, Toparis controlled the race to take victory ahead of Hayden Nelson and Tom Edwards.

Rain returned before Race 2, creating chaos during the warm-up lap. Knezovic and Ghage Plowman both crashed at Turn 17, forcing race officials to delay the start and declare wet conditions. Knezovic’s team managed to repair his bike in time for the restart, allowing him to rejoin from the back of the grid.

Once racing resumed, Farnsworth handled the conditions best, leading throughout to claim victory ahead of Knezovic and Jordy Simpson after a strong wet-weather performance.

The wet conditions also heavily impacted the Next Gen field. Toparis crashed on the warm-up lap and could not restart, while Olly Simpson was ruled out after damage sustained in Race 1. That left only Tom Edwards and Hayden Nelson in contention. Edwards led most of the race before Nelson made a decisive final-lap pass to secure victory.

Supersport 300 again produced close, unpredictable racing across all three races. Matthew Ritter claimed victory in Race 1 ahead of Tara Morrison and Seth Dellow. Riley Nauta then dominated the remaining two races, with Tyler King finishing second both times and Orlando Peovitis completing the podium in third.

Across the weekend, tyre choice proved critical as conditions constantly changed between dry and wet sessions. Riders and teams were forced to adapt quickly, particularly during Sunday’s rain-affected races where grip and consistency became decisive factors.

The Bend once again showcased why it remains one of the highlights of the ASBK calendar, delivering unpredictable racing, changing weather and major championship implications as the 2026 season approaches its halfway point.

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