ASBK 2026
Round Five – QLD Raceway – Friday
The fifth and final round of the 2026 Penrite Australian Superbike Championship got underway at Queensland Raceway on Friday, with cool, dry conditions greeting competitors across three practice sessions at the compact six-turn venue known to most simply as ‘The Paperclip’.
With titles still to be decided across the headline categories, Friday practice was about much more than outright pace. The Superbike crown remains Harrison Voight’s to lose, while Supersport and Next Gen also head into the weekend with their respective championship fights still alive.
Ducati machinery was prominent across the day, with Cru Halliday topping the combined Superbike times on a 1m07.055, while Olly Simpson put the DesmoSport Ducati V2 on top of the combined Supersport/Next Gen order with a 1m10.376. In the BLU CRU R3 Cup, Matthew Ritter was the Friday pacesetter on a 1m21.829.
Superbike
Glenn Allerton came out swinging as the 2026 ASBK finale got underway, the veteran three-time Australian Superbike Champion topping FP1, going second in FP2, and leading much of FP3 before Cru Halliday stole his thunder late in the afternoon.
Halliday’s 1m07.055 on the Stop and Seal Racing Ducati V4 R ultimately shaded Allerton by just 0.034 of a second, with Mike Jones third for the Yamaha Racing Team on a 1m07.330. Jonathan Nahlous made it two YRT machines inside the top four, while Jack Favelle was fifth on the Addicted to Track Yamaha.
It was particularly tight at the sharp end, with less than a second covering the top ten, and only 0.537 of a second covering the top seven. Halliday, Allerton, Jones, Nahlous, Favelle, Josh Waters and Harrison Voight were all in the 1m07s, suggesting Saturday qualifying could be fiercely contested.
The championship equation remains heavily in Voight’s favour. The McMartin Racing Ducati youngster arrived at Queensland Raceway on 198 points, 24 clear of defending champion and team-mate Josh Waters. Cameron Dunker sits third on 146, with Halliday on 135, Allerton on 130, Jones on 129, Nahlous on 125 and Jacob Roulstone on 124.
On Friday, Waters ended the day sixth on a 1m07.531, with Voight seventh on a 1m07.592. That left only 0.061 between the two title protagonists, while Halliday, Allerton and Jones all made it clear they are more than capable of inserting themselves into the championship fight as spoilers.
Queensland Raceway form also adds another layer. Jones has been a major force at the venue in recent seasons, while Allerton has more Superbike wins at the Ipswich circuit than anyone else in the current field. Both looked immediately comfortable on Friday.
Anthony West also made his return for DesmoSport Ducati after missing the previous two rounds with a hand injury, finishing ninth fastest on a 1m07.912.
Broc Pearson, a late entry ahead of a planned full-time ASBK return in the new summer-format 2026/27 season, was 11th on the Honda, while Olly Simpson continued his dual-class development by taking 12th on the DesmoSport Ducati V4 R in addition to his Supersport/Next Gen duties.
What comes next
Superbike has one more practice session on Saturday morning before Q1 at 1325 pm and Q2 at 1355 pm. Sunday’s two 16-lap Superbike races are scheduled for 1125 am and 1520.
Supersport and Next Gen qualifying takes place on Saturday morning, with the two 14-lap races scheduled for Sunday at 1025 am and 1445 pm. All times are AEST.
Superbike Friday Practice Times Combined
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|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
| 1 | C Halliday | Duc | 1m07.055 |
| 2 | G Allerton | Duc | 1m07.089 |
| 3 | M Jones | Yam | 1m07.330 |
| 4 | J Nahlous | Yam | 1m07.422 |
| 5 | J Favelle | Yam | 1m07.485 |
| 6 | J Waters | Duc | 1m07.531 |
| 7 | H Voight | Duc | 1m07.592 |
| 8 | C Dunker | Yam | 1m07.838 |
| 9 | A West | Duc | 1m07.912 |
| 10 | J Lytras | Yam | 1m08.043 |
| 11 | B Pearson | Hon | 1m08.191 |
| 12 | O Simpson | Duc | 1m08.554 |
| 13 | J Newman | Duc | 1m08.961 |
| 14 | T Lynch | Yam | 1m09.246 |
| 15 | M McLaren-Wood | Yam | 1m09.820 |
| 16 | L Durning | Duc | 1m10.713 |
Supersport / Next Gen
Olly Simpson was the standout in the combined Kawasaki Supersport/Next Gen practice order, putting the DesmoSport Ducati V2 on top with a 1m10.376 in the final session. That was five-thousandths quicker than the current Supersport qualifying benchmark listed in the timing notes, although Friday practice times do not count as qualifying records and Simpson is contesting the Next Gen class.
Hayden Nelson was second quickest on Friday with a 1m10.583 on the BCperformance Kawasaki ZX-6R, while Tom Toparis was third on a 1m10.765 after switching back to his trusted Yamaha YZF-R6 for the final round. Tom Edwards, the Next Gen points leader, was fourth on a 1m10.937.
That sets up an intriguing Sunday in Next Gen. Edwards leads the inaugural class standings on 188 points, only four ahead of team-mate Nelson. Simpson, third in the standings on 134, and Toparis, fourth on 114, may not be in the same title position, but both have enough pace to influence where the major points fall.
In the Supersport championship, Valentino Knezovic arrived at Queensland Raceway with a 16-point advantage over Jake Farnsworth, 184 to 168. Farnsworth was the fastest of the regular Supersport riders on Friday, fifth overall on a 1m11.262, while Anupab Sarmoon was sixth on a 1m11.422 and Knezovic seventh on a 1m11.449.
Knezovic has built his championship lead on consistency, with two wins and eight podiums across the first four rounds, while Farnsworth has been the more prolific winner with five victories but has also carried the cost of two non-finishes. Jordy Simpson sits third in the Supersport standings on 136, ahead of Ghage Plowman on 127, Josh Soderland on 125 and Sam Pezzetta on 121.
Supersport / Next Gen Practice Times Combined
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Class | Rider | Bike | Time |
| 1 | NG | O Simpson | Duc | 1m10.376 |
| 2 | NG | H Nelson | Kaw | 1m10.583 |
| 3 | NG | T Toparis | Yam | 1m10.765 |
| 4 | NG | T Edwards | Kaw | 1m10.937 |
| 5 | SS | J Farnsworth | Yam | 1m11.262 |
| 6 | SS | A Sarmoon | Yam | 1m11.422 |
| 7 | SS | V Knezovic | Yam | 1m11.449 |
| 8 | SS | W Nassif | Yam | 1m12.478 |
| 9 | SS | J Soderland | Yam | 1m12.844 |
| 10 | SS | S Pezzetta | Yam | 1m13.470 |
| 11 | SS | G Plowman | Yam | 1m14.054 |
| 12 | NG | E Leeson | Duc | 1m14.247 |
| 13 | SS | J Simpson | Yam | 1m14.343 |
| 14 | SS | L Williams | Yam | 1m14.387 |
| 15 | SS | F Jacobs | Yam | 1m15.180 |
Supersport 300 Practice Times Combined
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|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
| 1 | R Nauta | Kaw | 1m20.399 |
| 2 | T King | Kaw | 1m21.580 |
| 3 | T Morrison | Kaw | 1m21.788 |
| 4 | K Keankum | Yam | 1m22.216 |
| 5 | P O’Brien | Yam | 1m22.608 |
| 6 | O Peovitis | Kaw | 1m22.742 |
| 7 | M Ritter | Kaw | 1m22.895 |
| 8 | S Dellow | Yam | 1m23.054 |
| 9 | J Louis | Yam | 1m23.071 |
| 10 | J Senior | Yam | 1m23.092 |
| 11 | N Lazos | Yam | 1m23.490 |
| 12 | K Knight | Yam | 1m23.550 |
| 13 | J Simpson | Yam | 1m23.570 |
| 14 | C Nichols | Kaw | 1m23.661 |
| 15 | R McAdam | Yam | 1m23.681 |
| 16 | E Dellow | Yam | 1m23.755 |
| 17 | M Elms | Yam | 1m24.206 |
| 18 | J Elms | Yam | 1m24.240 |
| 19 | V Mitchell | Kaw | 1m25.740 |
| 20 | K Vest | Yam | 1m25.796 |
| 21 | M Nicholas | Kaw | 1m26.870 |
R3 Cup
Matthew Ritter topped the BLU CRU R3 Cup combined Friday practice times with a 1m21.829, leading Jordy Simpson by 0.534 of a second. Jed Louis was third on a 1m22.670, narrowly ahead of Connor Lewis, Nikolas Lazos and Oscar Lewis.
The R3 Cup title picture is also still very much alive. Oscar Lewis arrived at the finale leading on 116 points, with defending champion Jordy Simpson on 108 and Ritter on 101. Connor Lewis, fourth in the standings on 95, and Seth Dellow, fifth on 94, remain outside hopes.
Friday’s order, therefore, added another layer to the title fight. Ritter had the outright pace, Simpson was right behind him, while points leader Oscar Lewis finished the day sixth. With the R3 Cup invariably producing slipstream battles and late-race position changes, the Saturday and Sunday races are unlikely to be straightforward.
R3 Cup Practice Times Combined
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|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
| 1 | M Ritter | Yam | 1m21.829 |
| 2 | J Simpson | Yam | 1m22.363 |
| 3 | J Louis | Yam | 1m22.670 |
| 4 | C Lewis | Yam | 1m22.726 |
| 5 | N Lazos | Yam | 1m22.865 |
| 6 | O Lewis | Yam | 1m22.894 |
| 7 | R McAdam | Yam | 1m23.008 |
| 8 | E Dellow | Yam | 1m23.115 |
| 9 | K Keankum | Yam | 1m23.299 |
| 10 | S Dellow | Yam | 1m23.644 |
| 11 | J Elms | Yam | 1m24.226 |
| 12 | K Knight | Yam | 1m24.281 |
| 13 | M Elms | Yam | 1m25.520 |
| 14 | K Vest | Yam | 1m25.706 |
| 15 | Z Russo | Yam | 1m26.415 |
| 16 | M Cartwright | Yam | 1m26.895 |
bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup Practice Times Combined
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|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
| 1 | T Cameron | Yam | 1m37.259 |
| 2 | C Campbell | Yam | 1m37.461 |
| 3 | J Lazar | Yam | 1m37.729 |
| 4 | R McKenna | Yam | 1m37.802 |
| 5 | L Darling | Yam | 1m37.853 |
| 6 | C Nichols | Yam | 1m38.007 |
| 7 | C Stephens | Yam | 1m38.238 |
| 8 | P Lucchitti | Yam | 1m38.284 |
| 9 | G Holmkvist | Yam | 1m38.349 |
| 10 | L Birkle | Yam | 1m38.428 |
| 11 | K Brien | Yam | 1m38.725 |
| 12 | M Harrison | Yam | 1m39.449 |
| 13 | R Plumb | Yam | 1m39.745 |
| 14 | R Chamberlain | Yam | 1m40.145 |
| 15 | X Dellow | Yam | 1m41.273 |
| 16 | J Fletcher | Yam | 1m42.148 |
| 17 | T Lucchitti | Yam | 1m42.610 |
| 18 | S Harrison | Yam | 1m43.757 |
Superbike Masters Practice Times Combined
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Class | Rider | Bike | Time |
| 1 | P6F13 | J Passfield | Yam FZR1040 | 1m15.477 |
| 2 | P6F13 | M Clark | Suz GSX-R1127 | 1m16.061 |
| 3 | P7SB | A Woolford | Suz GSX-R750 | 1m16.106 |
| 4 | P7SS | B Phelan | Yam R6 600 | 1m20.345 |
| 5 | P7SB | M Robins | Suz GSX-R750T | 1m21.701 |
| 6 | P6F7 | P Allen | Duc 851 | 1m22.171 |
| 7 | P7PS | J Burns | Kaw ZX-9R | 1m26.773 |
| 8 | P6F7 | P Bevan | Hon VFR750 | 1m27.153 |
| 9 | P6F13 | S Harley | Bimota YB6 | 1m28.023 |
2026 ASBK Calendar
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| 2026 ASBK PROVISIONAL CALENDAR | ||
| Round One | February 20-22 | Phillip Island, VIC (WorldSBK) |
| Round Two | March 27-28 | Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW |
| Round Three | May 1-3 | The Bend, SA |
| Round Four | May 29-31 | Morgan Park, QLD |
| Round Five | June 26-28 | Queensland Raceway, QLD |
