ASBK Round Five Qualifying

Jones hot on Waters’ heels as Aussie Superbikes and Supercars share the stage again at Queensland Raceway

Despite gloomy conditions, Queensland Raceway was abuzz with anticipation for Round 5 ASBK qualifying, with a big Friday crowd being treated to the first combined Australian Superbike and Supercars event since 2023. Morning rain cleared away to leave the track dry, but much of the rubber laid down by cars had been washed away, leaving grip levels inconsistent.

In Q1, Josh Waters established his dominance early with a commanding 1:07.605. The session was less favorable for Stop & Seal teammates Mahaffy and McDonald, who were participating on their Next-Gen Supersport machines; Mahaffy suffered a fall, and McDonald faced an electrical issue that prevented him from turning a wheel in anger. Broc Pearson impressed by securing second place midway through the session with a 1:08.199, ahead of Mike Jones, but neither had an answer for Waters’ pace.

Q2 saw Mike Jones amp up the aggression, sliding the rear tire on his opening hot lap and briefly taking the lead, before Pearson snatched the top spot with a 1:07.655. Waters was out of sync with the main group but quickly found his rhythm, reclaiming the lead with a 1:07.284. Pearson attempted to respond with a purple first sector but fell just short. At the halfway mark, Waters led the pack, followed by Pearson and Jones, with Voight being the last rider in the 1:07s.

Anthony West found himself uncharacteristically off the front two rows amidst fierce competition but showed grit to get his Addicted to Track Yamaha back up to fourth, pushing the front end to breaking point over Turn 1’s bumpy surface. Cameron Dunker’s hopes faded after running wide at Turn 3, while Glenn Allerton executed a remarkable lap to vault into second place on his Ducati.

In the closing stages, Jones made a valiant effort to challenge Waters, lighting up the timing screens as he pushed hard on a fresh tyre, but ultimately falling short by a mere tenth of a second. Waters secured his third pole of the season, with Jones taking second ahead of Allerton—who could well be in the box seat given the wet forecast and his amazing ride to victory from the back of the grid at this circuit earlier in the year.

Interestingly, the Superbikes are about a second a lap faster than the Supercars at this circuit, with a 1:08.4 being the top 4-wheeled Friday time.

Josh Waters – “Huge thanks to the team. Like I said before, all the riders were quite nervous because we’re down on a sticker for tire allocations this weekend. I was fortunate enough to use the same tire in both sessions. The three races aren’t going to be easy at all—who knows what the weather’s going to do—but I’m sure it’ll be great racing. Once again, thanks to my team and Onyabike Adventures, everyone that sponsors us. We wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”

2025 ASBK ROUND 5 QLD RACEWAY QUALIFYING