Unpredictable Bend conditions spark Supersport drama

Toparis and Nelson share the Next Gen ASBK wins, while Jake Farnsworth leaves South Australia on top in Supersport

The opening Supersport and Next Gen race at The Bend produced an absorbing mixed class contest, with Tom Toparis taking his first win of the season and Valentino Knezovic continuing his strong Supersport form. The race was thrown into early drama when pole sitter Olly Simpson crashed at the first corner, leaving Toparis to lead the Next Gen challenge while Knezovic headed the Supersport runners.

Hayden Nelson and Tom Edwards kept the BC Performance Kawasakis firmly in the outright fight, while Jake Farnsworth led the chase among the Supersport contenders behind Knezovic. In the end, Toparis held on to score the outright and Next Gen victory by 1.084s from Knezovic, with Nelson third, Edwards fourth and Farnsworth fifth.

Race two brought even more chaos before the start, with both Knezovic and Toparis crashing on the sighting lap in patchy wet conditions. Toparis was unable to take the start, while Knezovic’s crew performed a rapid rebuild to get him out from pit lane. Jake Farnsworth led the early laps as the field worked out the grip levels, but Tom Edwards soon moved to the front before teammate Hayden Nelson began to reel him in.

Nelson’s confidence on the brakes became the defining factor in the second half of the race, and he completed the key pass late to claim outright and Next Gen victory. Edwards made it a BC Performance one two, while Farnsworth judged the mixed class race smartly and came away third overall and first in Supersport. Knezovic’s recovery to fourth was crucial for the Supersport title race, with Jordy Simpson rounding out the top five.

In the Australian Supersport standings, Farnsworth now leads with 141 points from Knezovic on 139, while Josh Soderland sits third on 108. Jordy Simpson is fourth on 102 and Ghage Plowman completes the top five on 96. In Next Gen, Nelson now leads on 146 points, four clear of Edwards on 142, with Olly Simpson third on 108 and Toparis fourth on 96 as that title fight remains finely balanced.

Hayden Nelson 
“That was a great race. With the wet at the start, I had the empty grid spot there at the front, so I had the luxury to take it a little bit easy. Then let them get a bit too far away, made myself work a bit hard, but I was happy with my second half of the race and then lead from the front on the last lap and run a smooth lap. So really good. Thanks to Kawasaki and to the BC Performance team for a great bike this weekend. All in control at all times, and we didn’t test here, so we set this thing up on race weekend. Super stoked with that. Thanks to all my personal sponsors for sticking by me, and finally into a really good season this year. So it’s great to give that back to them.”

Jake Farnsworth
“It was kind of a crazy one, getting in, going into it with the wet patch at the final couple of corners. For me, I just played it smart. I thought maybe I can catch Tommy, and I went, he’s not in my race. I just gotta get these 25 important points and regain the lead of the championship so I’m in a better position for Morgan Park. This weekend’s been a little bit tough for us. So damage limitations, this is damage limitations, it’s not too bad. I’d just like to thank all my team and whatnot. I’ll see you at the next one.”

ASBK ROUND 3 THE BEND SUPERSPORT/NEXT GEN RACE 1

ASBK ROUND 3 THE BEND SUPERSPORT/NEXT GEN RACE 2

ASBK SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 3

ASBK NEXT GEN CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 3