Waters Unstoppable in Queensland Raceway Race 1

Ducati ace holds off Jones as Allerton charges to fourth from the back of the grid

Josh Waters delivered another commanding performance to take victory in ASBK Race 1, affirming his dominance aboard the Ducati V4R. From the moment the lights went out, Waters was in control, launching brilliantly off the line and leading into Turn 1, with Mike Jones slotting in behind on his Yamaha YZF-R1. The early laps hinted at a tightly contested duel between the two frontrunners, but it would be Waters who had the last word.

Behind them, chaos and brilliance were unfolding. John Lytras got an incredible launch and climbed into third by the end of the first lap after starting from the third row—a sensational effort that had heads turning. By the end of Lap 2, Glenn Allerton was the man on the move, blasting his way from 18th on the grid into the top ten, showing the kind of aggression and form that made him a champion in past seasons.

As the race settled into a rhythm by Lap 3, Jones made a brave lunge up the inside of Waters into Kawasaki Corner, briefly taking the lead. It was short-lived, as Waters bided his time and struck back with a clean move on Lap 5, reclaiming the top spot by driving past Jones into the penultimate corner with signature confidence. From there, Jones continued fighting hard, keeping the pressure on, but Waters began turning the screw. By Lap 7, he had clicked off the fastest lap of the race and started to inch away, building a half-second buffer.

Anthony West, meanwhile, was having a spirited ride of his own up into third, confidently moving past Lytras and keeping himself in podium contention. Behind him, Broc Pearson turned up the heat mid-race, closing in and consistently clocking the fastest sectors. Cameron Dunker also found himself in the mix, trying to hold position as Lytras struggled to maintain his early momentum.

Allerton’s charge continued deep into the race, though it wasn’t without drama. On Lap 9, the Ducati rider ran off-track trying to overtake Dunker but quickly regrouped. By Lap 10, Waters and Jones had gapped the rest of the field, each in a class of their own. Though Jones briefly closed the margin to just over half a second, Waters responded ruthlessly a few laps later by setting a new lap record, extending the lead back out to nearly a full second.

In the final laps, the battle for fourth ignited as Max Stauffer made a statement by getting past Pearson. But Allerton wasn’t done yet. On the last lap, he dove underneath Stauffer into Turn 1 before dispatching Pearson to grab fourth in a remarkable end to a sensational comeback ride.

Queensland Raceway ASBK Race 1