DesmoSport unveils fresh three-rider lineup including Westy, Luca During and Olly Simpson
Three riders will race in the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) in 2026 for the Desmosport Ducati stable with Luca During, Olly Simpson and Anthony West all set to line up at the traditional season-opener alongside the WorldSBK championship in Phillip Island on February 20-22. New Zealand-based Luca Durning is set to continue where he left off in 2025 aboard the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R, South Australian Olly Simpson will make the move to Next Gen SuperSport riding the Panigale V2 while veteran Queenslander Anthony West will suit up on the ER Motorsport DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R.
Team Owner, Ben Henry: “We’ve had Senna Agius back on the bike again, this time racing the St George Summer Series, giving us some great feedback to keep developing the bike while he continues his own program ahead of the 2026 Moto 2 World Championship. Luca (Durning) is back aboard a Superbike for the season. He’s a quiet achiever and I think we’ll see him kick some goals as we move through the year. Olly Simpson will jump on our V2 and race the NextGen SuperSport class. We gave Olly a quick ride the other day and he really suited the bike and although there’s always a lot of work to do, I think he’s capable of some impressive results this year. And Westy…if I’m honest, if you asked me even just two weeks ago who would be on the lead bike for us, I wouldn’t have had an answer. The team is stable with what I think is the best staff of talented people in the paddock, but we head into an expensive year having to buy new 2026 Panigale V4 R’s (set to arrive mid-year). Deon (Coote – ER Motorsport) was really motivated to come back to the track with us this season and without him, this deal may not have come together. It’s hard to argue with Westy’s experience, but it’s his determination and adaptation skills that really has me excited to work with him this year. He’s ridden almost every race bike there is, and he’s adapted his style every time. He’s fast, consistent and had some great results last season, and I’m certain we can support him for even better results.”
ER Motorsport Owner, Deon Coote: “I’m excited to be back in the paddock for 2026. It was both tough and refreshing to not be at the track in 2025, but I’m motivated and looking forward to getting back into it with a few familiar faces from my Honda days along with a host of new ones in the DesmoSport crew. Anthony’s depth of experience, racing at the highest level across the world combined with his insatiable hunger to compete makes him a great fit to race the ER Motorsport DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R. We have all the components to have a strong season and I can’t wait to get to Phillip Island in a few weeks time for round one.”
Anthony West: “When Deon reached out, I was definitely interested. I spent a lot of my season on track near the DesmoSport bikes last year and after a pretty open and honest conversation with Ben, I had no hesitation in joining the team. I’m only just now getting on the bike though, and while we work through the electronics and adapting the bike to me and me to the bike, I can already see the positives and I know I can be competitive with the package around me. I’m looking forward to working with Ben, Charlie, Ed, Robin and the rest of the ER Motorsport DesmoSport crew, and also having both Olly and Luca in the box this season with me.”
Olly Simpson: “I’ve had a short ride on the DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V2, and I felt really comfortable pretty quick on the bike. There’s a lot of scope to improve even though we got to a strong pace fairly fast, so I’ve got a lot of confidence that we can win races together this year. There’s a strong group of people in the team and I’m looking forward to the challenge of a new bike and class to race in this season.”
Luca Durning: “I can’t wait to get back on the Panigale V4 R. We’ve kept working with Shane (Taylor – Crew Chief) on our race program here in New Zealand over the summer and after racing a Superbike at The Bend, hitting over 300km/h for the first time, I’m pretty excited to get back to Phillip Island and get the championship started. We have our own personal goals to reach this season and I’m looking forward to ticking each one off as the year progresses”
Currently completing a two-day test at Phillip Island with Senna, Olly and Westy, the team will then travel to Sydney this weekend to race round two of the St George Summer Series on Friday night.
Make sure you follow the team’s social media to stay up to date.
2026 Australian Superbike Championship
· Round 1: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC Feb 20-22 (WorldSBK)
· Round 2: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW Mar 27-28
· Round 3: The Bend Motorsport Park, SA, May 1-3
· Round 4: Morgan Park Raceway, QLD May 29-31
· Round 5: Queensland Raceway, QLD June 26-28
*** 2027 Australian Superbike Championship beings October 2026 ***
