Josh Waters and the McMartin Racing Team put on a ruthless display at Sydney Motorsport Park on Saturday evening, seizing control of the Australian Superbike Championship with sheer speed and precision.
Josh Waters and the McMartin Racing Team have yet again taken the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship by the throat with one of the Mildura rider’s most dominant displays at Sydney Motorsport Park on Saturday evening.
Qualifying was held in tricky drizzle the previous night, causing chaos and leaving Waters back in seventh with little clear track available to bank a fast lap.
Waters then proceeded to drop every fan’s jaw to the floor as he shot from the line in the opening race, pushing around the outside of six other bikes to take the lead into the first corner on a track that was still slightly damp in places.
Perhaps as astonishing was Addicted to Track’s superbike rookie Jack Favelle, slotting into second ahead of the factory Yamaha of Mike Jones.
Out front Waters was completely untroubled, cruising to a 1.5 second victory over Jones while rookie JJ Nahlous (Complete AV – Yamaha) took the final podium after a tense four-way battle with Cam Dunker (MotoGo Yamaha), Cru Halliday (Stop and Seal – Yamaha) and Favelle.
Waters once again possessed an incredible launch from the third row and this time slotted into second behind Desmosport Ducati’s Broc Pearson. Waters had taken the lead by the middle of the first lap, but again, the rookie Favelle impressed with a brief overtake on the four-time champion, sitting third.
By mid-race the Ducati V4 R of Waters had decimated the field with superior drive and control, 3.5 seconds clear of former teammates Jones and Halliday.
Waters coasted to victory, while Jones had to fight for second ahead of Halliday – the latter mentioning later that he was having to ride harder than ever adapting to Michelin rubber. Favelle was one second back in an impressive fourth with teammate Anthony West in fifth, ruing his qualifying result of ninth.
In Kawasaki Supersport, Stop and Seal teammates Jack Mahaffy and Archie McDonald shared the wins, with Mahaffy winning a tyre choice gamble in the opening race, selecting wet tyres in mixed conditions to beat home a fast-finishing Will Nassif and Marcus Hamod on slicks.
McDonald struck back for victory by the barest of margins in race two, with local Jesus Torres Cabrera (Port Bike Racing) completing the podium ahead of the Kawaski duo of Olly Simpson and Hayden Nelson.
One-two-three for McDonald, Mahaffy and Torres Cabrera in the Kawasaki Supersport.
2025 mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship
Round 2 – Sydney Motorsport Park
SW-Motech Superbike
1 J Waters Duc 50
2 M Jones Yam 41
3 C Halliday Yam 34
4 J Nahlous Yam 33
5 J Favelle Yam 32
Standings after 2 of 8 rounds:
J Waters 126, M Jones 99, A West 85, J Nahlous 72, M Stauffer 65
Kawasaki Supersport
1 A McDonald Yam 45
2 J Mahaffy Yam 38
3 J Torres Cabrera Yam 34
4 O Simpson Kaw 33
5 H Nelson Kaw 32
Standings after 2 of 8 rounds:
J Mahaffy 110, A McDonald 109, O Simpson 84, H Nelson 65, M Hamod 62
Race and Road Supersport 300
1 S Nicholson Kaw 57
2 M Simpson Yam 52
3 H Thompson Yam 45
4 J Paige Kaw 44
5 T Morrison Kaw 42
Standings after 2 of 8 rounds:
S Nicholson 113, H Thompson 98, T Morrison 98, J Simpson 96, M Simpson 88
Shop Yamaha R3 Cup (Round 1)
1 M Simpson Yam 50
2 J Simpson Yam 40
3 S Dellow Yam 34
4 J Pelgrave Yam 31
5 M Ritter Yam 29
Oceania Junior Cup (Round 1)
1 C Williams Yam 50
2 C Lewis Yam 35
3 H Charlett Yam 35
4 R McAdam Yam 33
5 G Plowman Yam 32
Superbike Masters Overall (Round 1)
1 B Beaton Duc 50
2 R Taylor Suz 40
3 M Berti Mendez Duc 34
4 P Allen Yam 31
5 P Povolny Yam 29
