ASBK celebrations for Edwards, Farnsworth, King and Lewis at Queensland Raceway.
Queensland Raceway hosted a spectacular grand finale to the 2026 Penrite Australian Superbike Championship presented by Pirelli (ASBK) from June 26-28, with many riders experiencing the full gamut of emotions on an outrageously drama-filled Sunday around the 3.12km circuit.
While title victories for Harrison Voight (SW-Motech Superbike), Tom Edwards (Kawasaki Supersport Next Gen) and Oscar Lewis (BLU CRU R3 Cup) were relatively routine, they were in complete contrast to Jake Farnsworth (Kawasaki Supersport) and Tyler King (Race and Road Supersport 300) whose paths to ASBK success weren’t quite as uneventful.
It was circuit racing at its jaw-dropping, unpredictable best. Here’s how the Superbike races panned out, and let’s dissect what transpired in the other classes.
- Kawasaki Supersport
The agony and ecstasy for Farnsworth (Yamaha) and Valentino Knezovic (Addicted to Track Yamaha) in the Kawasaki Supersport class.
Knezovic took a 16pt lead into Queensland Raceway over Farnsworth, which was trimmed to 10pts after Farnsworth claimed pole position and prevailed in Sunday’s opening race over his rival.
Then the rain came for the season finale, adding another layer of intrigue. Farnsworth again took over the running, with Knezovic settling into fifth position – still enough to win the championship by 1pt.
But the die wasn’t cast yet, and in one final brutal twist for Knezovic he crashed and the race was red-flagged – the 16-year-old’s only gut-wrenching DNF in a superb rookie season, but one with far-reaching consequences.
Farnsworth was both shocked and elated after winning his maiden ASBK championship.
“I must admit that coming into the weekend, I wasn’t expecting to win the championship because I thought that the top step was too much,” he said.
“I know we’ve had some bad luck this year but to get a result like this in the final race is so fantastic, we’ve worked so hard as a family.”
“I can’t thank my sponsors enough. I’m in love with my R6 and I’ll be back for the 2027 championship for sure.”
Farnsworth won seven races en route to a final score of 219pts, from Knezovic (204pts), Josh Soderland (Yamaha, 157pts) and Ghage Plowman (Yamaha, 154pts).
- Kawasaki Supersport Next Gen
In Supersport Next Gen, the championship battle also went down to the wire between Edwards and his teammate Hayden Nelson.
Polesitter Edwards just pipped Nelson in race one after a tight scrap from start to finish, extending his margin to 7pts – a buffer that would more than hold up in the rain-affected finale as Olly Simpson (DesmoSport Ducati) went onto claim a brilliant clean sweep.
“It’s awesome; my first year in the Supersport Next Gen class and we took it out straight away,” said Edwards.
“I’m just super happy with the season, massive thanks to all of my sponsors, the team who made it all possible plus my wife, baby and entire family.
“It’s been such a smooth, perfect and fun season, so I’ve absolutely loved it.”
Edwards banked 226pts across the five rounds from Nelson (220pts), Simpson (184pts) and Tom Toparis (Stop and Seal), who swapped back to Yamaha from Ducati at Queensland Raceway and went 4-2 in the two races.
Starting from the 2027 ASBK summer championship, the existing Supersport and Supersport Next Generation classes will be unified under a single Australian championship.
The class will be called Supersport Next Generation, with the first races to be held at round two of the 2027 ASBK Championship at The Bend from November 13-15.
- Race and Road Supersport 300/BLU CRU R3 Cup
Congratulations Tyler King: the first New Zealander to win an ASBK championship since Aaron Slight in 1991!
And he did it in the Race and Road Supersport 300 class after hard-fought 2-2-1 results in the final round, continuing the fast and consistent form he’d shown all season.
The other two races in Queensland were won by Riley Nauta (Champions Ride Days Kawasaki), but his championship aspirations deflated in race two when he was caught out as collateral damage when teammate Orlando Peovitis crashed at turn three. Peovitis went in too hard, lost the front, and his bike slid straight into a startled Nauta – the championship ladder changing in the blink of an eye.
King then only had to keep his power dry in the final race to complete a momentous season on 260pts ahead of Nauta (252pts), Tara Morrison (Kawasaki, 220pts), Jordy Simpson (Yamaha, 199pts) and Peovitis (185pts).
Morrison, Jake Senior (Blue Marlin Pools Racing Yamaha) and Thai visitor Krittapat Keankum (TeamBWR Yamaha) also featured on the final round Supersport 300 podium as the riders put on a treat for the Queensland Raceway crowd.
Meanwhile, Oscar Lewis (MotoGO Yamaha) cut an extremely disciplined figure in the BLU CRU R3 Cup races as he held off a late challenge by 2025 winner Jordy Simpson to claim the overall honours by 7pts (168 to 161).
Rossi McAdam, Jed Louis and Matthew Ritter were the race winners, while McAdam also catapulted up from sixth to third in the final standings on 148pts. Ritter (143pts), Connor Lewis (126pts) and Seth Dellow (126pts) were next.
- Superbike Masters
Jack Passfield (Yamaha FZR1040) turned the screws, bit by bit, in the three Superbike Masters races, wining them by two, six and seven seconds respectively.
Ashely Woolford (Suzuki GSX-R50) and Murray Clark (Suzuki GSX-R1127) collected the silver and bronze medals across the board.
Passfield now leads Woolford by 10pts (140 to 130) in the overall standings ahead of the series finale in late 2026, with Clark (107pts) third.
The class leaders are Passfield (Period 6 Formula 1300), Phil Allen (Ducati, Period 6 Formula 750), John Burns (Kawasaki, Period 7 Production Superbike), Woolford (Period 7 Superbike) and Brad Phelan (Yamaha, Period 7 Supersport).
The post ASBK: Champions Crowned at Queensland Raceway appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.
