Recapping the ASBK Supersport race action from Morgan Park

ASBK 2025

Round Four – Morgan Park

Kawasaki Supersport Race One

Archie McDonald uncorked a new lap record to take pole position at Morgan Park to return fire in the new challenge posed at this round by Tom Edwards, who split McDonald and his Stop & Seal team-mate Jack Mahaffy on what was an all-Michelin front row.

Tom Bramich headed the second row ahead of Jake Farnsworth and Hayden Nelson, while Olly Simpson was an uncharacteristic seventh after having some difficulties during qualifying. Alongside Simpson on the third row were Cam Swain and Corey Turner, while Spain’s Jesus Carrera rounded out the top ten on the grid.

Archie McDonald capitalised on his pole position to take the early lead ahead of Edwards while Olly Simpson charged his way forward to take third place from Mahaffy early on lap two.

Up front Olly Simpson was trying valiantly to stick with McDonald. That pair were leaving Simpson and Mahaffy behind, and the fight between that duo was also allowing Bramich and Farnsworth to stick with them.

A new lap record for McDonald on lap five was followed by that marker being lowered again the next time across the stripe by Edwards, who then lowered it once again on the following lap to reel in McDonald. The new ASBK Supersport benchmark a 1m14.641 to Edwards, but Archie McDonald then returned fire with a 1m14.473 on lap eight to pull away yet again!

McDonald backed that 1m14.473 with a 1m14.505 to further underline his speed, before lowering the benchmark yet again to 1m14.372 to break Edwards. McDonald then put in a 1m14.495 to really make a statement, his lead over Edwards with three laps to run out to 2.6-seconds. Mahaffy was a further five-seconds back in third, but now enjoyed a handy buffer over Simpson.

Olly Simpson had a gaggle of riders on his tail all vying for fourth position over the final laps.  Glenn Nelson was one of those protagnists before going down at turn six with just over two laps to run. That saw officials put the red flag out to call an early halt to proceedings.

Archie McDonald the dominant victor despite the best early efforts of Tom Edwards.  Championship leader Jack Mahaffy rounding out the podium.

Olly Simpson triumphed in a five-way tussle over fourth place, the South Australian’s nose in front of Tom Bramich, Hayden Nelson, Jake Farnsworth and Jesus Torres at the chequered flag.

Kawasaki Supersport Race One Results

Kawasaki Supersport Race Two

Archie McDonald delivered a commanding performance at Morgan Park, taking a clean sweep in the Kawasaki Supersport class with pole position, a race win, and a new lap record to boot — despite a dramatic red-flag interruption that split the contest into two parts.

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The Stop & Seal Yamaha rider got the holeshot in the original start, ahead of teammate and championship leader Jack Mahaffy, with Olly Simpson and Tom Edwards close behind. Hayden Nelson ran wide at Turn 1, rejoining down in 15th, while Jesus Torres crashed at Turn 6.

Up front, McDonald and Mahaffy immediately pulled away from the field, quickly turning the race into a two-horse battle. By the halfway mark, they held a six-second advantage over Simpson and Edwards, who were locked in their own scrap for third. Further back, Jake Farnsworth and Cam Swain were duelling over fifth.

As the laps wore on, McDonald began edging away from Mahaffy before Marcus Hamod crashed out of eighth on Lap 8, triggering a red flag.

With two-thirds race distance not completed, the field reformed on the grid for a five-lap sprint restart, with positions determined by the order before the stoppage.

This time, it was Mahaffy who got the jump on McDonald, leading through the opening turns. Simpson, Edwards, and Farnsworth followed closely, while Corey Turner made a strong start into sixth, ahead of Swain, Tom Bramich, and Will Nassif. Unfortunately, Torres crashed again early in the restarted race.

Once again, the Stop & Seal duo broke away, but this time it was Mahaffy leading the way — until McDonald dived underneath him at Turn 4 with two laps to go. The teenager immediately began to stretch away, setting the fastest lap of the race and leaving Mahaffy to fend off pressure from Tom Edwards, who was rapidly closing.

At the line, McDonald took victory by almost a second, while Mahaffy just held off Edwards in a drag race to the flag for second place.

Behind them, Hayden Nelson won a hard-fought battle with Simpson for fourth, securing valuable points in the championship chase.

McDonald’s efforts earned him a perfect 51-point haul from the weekend, along with new qualifying and race lap records at Morgan Park. However, after missing the previous round, the Wodonga-based international still trails Mahaffy by 26 points in the standings, with Simpson a further six points adrift.

Mahaffy and Edwards both tallied 38-points from the round to complete the Morgan Park podium ahead of Simpson on 33 and Hayden Nelson on 32-points.

Kawasaki Supersport Race Two Results

Kawasaki Supersport Round Points

Kawasaki Supersport Championship Points

2025 Australian Superbike Championship Calendar

Round	Location	Date
1	Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC	Feb 21-23
2	Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW	Mar 28-29
3	Queensland Raceway, QLD	May 2-4
4	Morgan Park Raceway, QLD	Jun 13-15
5	Queensland Raceway, QLD (Superbike Only)	Aug 8-10
6	Phillip Island GP Circuit, VIC	Sept 6-7
7	One Raceway, NSW	Oct 3-5
8	The Bend, SA	Nov 7-9

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