Senna Agius topped the St George opener as rider moves, team changes and 2026 rumours gathered pace
THE SIXTH Motul St George Summer Night Series lit up Sydney Motorsport Park on 6 December, with Aussie Moto2 star Senna Agius coming out on top in the F1 class amidst the usual array of high-level talent on display. Agius, riding a V4 R prepared by Desmosport Ducati, took out the second and third races of the evening after Josh Brookes had won the opener on his DAO Racing Honda Fireblade.
The St George Summer Night Series is the perfect opportunity for international riders to keep their skills sharp during the off-season while ASBK stars can prepare for their upcoming season which begins at Phillip Island on 20 February – particularly useful for riders switching teams – but more on that later.
Agius had qualified on pole for the opening race but ended up starting from pit lane after a slow pit exit. Brookes took out the opening race after a slow start, making ground on the leader, Jonathan Nahlous, before overhauling him in a crafty move at the chequered flag. Temperatures were literally running hot for the evening races and, after a solid start, Agius overtook Brookes for the win with Nahlous a close third. In the final race Agius once again took the win with Nahlous a close second. Superbike Advocates Glenn Allerton took the final podium spot on his Ducati V4 R, with his nephew Josh Newman (who was also riding a Superbike Advocates-backed V4 R) riding to a very credible fourth, with Valentino Knezovic also impressing on a Superbike in fifth. Brookes crashed out of fourth, putting his mishap down to worn tyres.
St George club riders put together some very quick laps in the F2 class, with Dominic De Leon (Kawasaki) the points leader, taking out the opening two races. Damien Adams (Suzuki) was close behind, grabbing the final win of the night and two previous podiums.
The Motul Summer Night Series returns to Sydney Motorsport Park on 9 January, just prior to AMCN hitting the stands.
Nahlous back on a Yamaha for 2026
After riding a Honda Fireblade supported by the Hamod’s Motocity store for the last three rounds of 2025 where he completed an outstanding rookie season, Jonathan Nahlous was back on a Yamaha for the opening round of the St George Summer Night Series and is rumoured to be filling the second seat at the factory Yamaha Racing Team in 2026.
YRT had Troy Herfoss on their second bike after the mid-season departure of Max Stauffer but was only ever inked in for the last few races of 2025. Nahlous will be splitting his ASBK commitments with a potential Junior GP Moto2 ride. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but fingers crossed the Sydneysider will be lining up alongside Jacob Roulstone in that series.
Brookes hones the DAO Honda
Josh Brookes made his annual pilgrimage back home for the St George Summer Night Series, competing on his DAO Racing-prepared Honda Fireblade. Last year Brookes hastily built a bike in his garage at home, but this year the DAO team was able to supply a machine in time. If you haven’t been watching, Brookes keeps racing fans regularly updated via his YouTube channel and he has detailed his Summer Night Series progress, including a trip back to the UK and Spain for testing before Christmas where he also picked up crash repair parts after his Night Series race three demise.
Roulston and Hamod spearhead Honda ASBK effort
Jacob Roulstone and Marcus Hamod dropped the news before Christmas that they would be teaming up for an ASBK Superbike assault in 2026, riding Honda’s CBR 1000RR-R Fireblade. Roulstone, who had been searching for a way to continue his Moto3 career post-Tech3, also announced that he would be riding in the FIM Junior GP Moto2 class with top team Boscoscuro. It meant leaving the premier world championship paddock but these latest developments give Roulstone a prime opportunity to prove himself on larger capacity machinery.
For Hamod, the Summer Night Series was his first hit-out on a superbike and the 2023 ASBK Supersport 300 champion acquitted himself well, posting a 5-5-6 result with solid lap times. Roulstone will be making his Superbike debut at the second Night Series round on 9 January.
If you’re a Sydneysider and would like to help out with his 2026 campaign, book tickets to his fundraising dinner with Mick Doohan in attendance, set down for 21 March.
Desmosport and West link up
In a big shake-up to the ASBK rider market, Anthony West is set to ride for Desmosport Ducati in 2026, replacing Broc Pearson. West, who has ridden a Yamaha R1 for Mark McGregor’s Addicted to Track team for the last three years, will make the switch to the Ben Henry-led Desmosport team. The move is being backed Deon Coote’s ER Motorsports, which last tasted title success with Troy Herfoss at Penrite Honda.
Kiwi Luca Durning will return for Desmosport this season on a V4 R after sampling the Superbike late last year.
In another twist, 2025 Supersport third-placed rider Olly Simpson will ride the Desmosport Ducati Panigale V2. Simpson rode a Kawasaki ZX-6R for Kelvin Reilly’s BC Performance team and now makes the move to a Ducati where the long-term goal would have to be a superbike seat.
The future is now up in the air for Pearson.
parity wars: ducati v yamaha
The ASBK off-track battle between Yamaha and Ducati is set to take another turn this season with rumours persisting that Yamaha is asking for either permission to make modifications to their R1 to increase horsepower, or rev-limit the Ducati Panigale V4 R. The 2026 V4 R isn’t due until mid-year and there is speculation about what ECU they will be able to use. The currently homologated Magneti Marelli unit is now superseded. MA previously stated that all significantly new models would be required to run MoTeC. The most likely outcome at this stage is that Yamaha may be granted concessions to use some go-fast goodies in 2026.
archie bags a harley
News broke before Christmas that 2025 ASBK Supersport runner-up Archie McDonald will be riding a Joe Rascal-backed Harley Davidson in the newest MotoGP support class, the Bagger World Cup. Joe Rascal is the Melbourne storefront name that emerged from the Peter Stevens demise. It snapped up several key Peter Stevens outlets last year and has big plans to expand the brand internationally.
The James Tonna-backed outfit will be taking on the world with McDonald as their first signed rider. McDonald has already hit the track on the Bagger with several days of shakedown tests, and says that the Bagger World Cup will be his sole focus in 2026.
