ASBK 2025
Round One – Phillip Island
Saturday AM – Superbike Qualifying
If you are at all interested in following ASBK in 2025, I thoroughly recommend digesting this piece I wrote earlier today, which is essentially a pre-season form guide and preview rolled into one.Â
Anthony West topped both practice sessions on Friday and has put more quick laps in than anyone across the weekend so far. Josh Waters has been hot on his heels, but I imagine he has been keeping his powder dry for when it really mattered today. What would the defending champion uncork…?
As for the rest of the field, they had been way off their potential on Friday. Plenty were still ironing out all manner of gremlins on their machines, while others were getting a tune-up between the ears ahead of today.
It was a very early start, the earliest I can remember in fact, when Superbike riders rolled out of pitlane at 0805 on Saturday morning.
This time yesterday, there was a heavy dew on the circuit, but on Friday night, the temperature had only got down to around 20 degrees, so things were already starting to warm up nicely ahead of a not-so-nice forecast top later this afternoon in the mid-high 30s.
Anthony West was the first rider in the 31s, a 1m31.246 on his third lap, the fastest lap of the week so far.
It was almost ten-minutes later before anyone else joined the veteran in the 31s, the first of which was Mike Jones on 1m31.647 on his third lap of the day. Cam Dunker then moved up to third with a 1m32.544. Clearly, a lot had yet to come from many.
Josh Waters did not roll out of the pit-lane until almost the halfway point of the 30-minute session, and at this stage, there was very little traffic on track as most riders were in the pits preparing for their second run.
At the first split Waters was a tenth up on Westy, that became two-tenths through the second sector, back to a tenth through sector three, and the defending champ lost a further two-tenths through the final section to go P2 on his first flying lap, a 1m31.375. He wasn’t done yet, however… Next time around again, a tenth quicker than Westy through first split, this time three-tenths under through sector two, still three-tenths through sector three…And crosses the stripe with a 1m31.026 to move into provisional pole ahead of Westy. Josh then rolled around for a lap before returning to the pits.
With just under ten-minutes remaining in the session, Westy rolled out of the pits for another crack… A fraction quicker than Josh through the first sector, a thousandth of a second in it through sector two…three-hundredths under through sector three…but two-hundredths off on the final run to the line, a 1m31.048 an improvement but still two-hundredths off Josh.  Kept his head down, four-hundredths behind through first split, that drifted out to over a tenth through sector two, two-tenths behind at the third split, the result a 1m31.492.
Waters ventured out again with just under five-minutes left on the clock. Mike Jones also back on track in the dying minutes. Neither improved, though, so the front row was set, Waters on pole ahead of West while Jones rounded out the front row ahead of Cam Dunker, Broc Pearson and Glenn Allerton.
That pole time way off the stunning 1m30.379 qualifying lap record Josh set here last year.
Max Stauffer heads row three alongside Cru Halliday and Jonathan Nahlous. Jack Favelle rounded out the top ten ahead of Tom Edwards and John Lytras.
A lot of the field are still ironing out all sorts of problems. Plenty of riders have had next to no testing in the lead up to this opening round and subsequently have had a very frustrating weekend thus far.
The first 11-lap Superbike race of the weekend will commence at midday before a forecast top in the mid-high 30s later this afternoon.
Their second bout is slated for 0945 on Sunday morning, while the third and final contest to decide the round winner will occur at 1340 on Sunday afternoon. Conditions are expected to be mainly fine but windy on Sunday.
SW-Motech Superbike Qualifying Times
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Speed |
| 1 | J Waters | Duc | 1m31.026 | 307 |
| 2 | A West | Yam | +0.022 | 301 |
| 3 | M Jones | Yam | +0.621 | 303 |
| 4 | C Dunker | Yam | +1.409 | 298 |
| 5 | B Pearson | Duc | +1.554 | 307 |
| 6 | G Allerton | Duc | +1.725 | 310 |
| 7 | M Stauffer | Yam | +1.958 | 301 |
| 8 | C Halliday | Yam | +2.087 | 304 |
| 9 | J Nahlous | Yam | +2.094 | 298 |
| 10 | J Favelle | Yam | +2.222 | 300 |
| 11 | T Edwards | Yam | +2.227 | 297 |
| 12 | J Lytras | Yam | +2.273 | 295 |
| 13 | A Sissis | Yam | +2.719 | 299 |
| 14 | T Toparis | Yam | +2.860 | 300 |
| 15 | R Yanko | Yam | +3.247 | 297 |
| 16 | M Walters | Apr | +3.649 | 302 |
| 17 | J Soderland | Yam | +4.713 | 294 |
| 18 | C Holding | Yam | +5.535 | 297 |
| 19 | N Mahon | Yam | +5.756 | 289 |
| 20 | M Aizuddin | BMW | +5.758 | 287 |
| 21 | A Senior | Yam | +5.937 | 286 |
| 22 | K Higuchi | Suz | +6.114 | 293 |
| 23 | P Linkenbagh | Yam | +6.406 | 288 |
| 24 | M Kemp | Yam | +8.356 | 292 |
| 25 | M Carr | Hon | +13.759 | 266 |
Superbike Friday Combined FP1/FP2 Times
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
| 1 | A West | Yam | 1m31.404 |
| 2 | J Waters | Duc | 1m31.451 |
| 3 | M Jones | Yam | 1m32.634 |
| 4 | G Allerton | Duc | 1m33.006 |
| 5 | C Dunker | Yam | 1m33.015 |
| 6 | J Nahlous | Yam | 1m33.312 |
| 7 | M Stauffer | Yam | 1m33.532 |
| 8 | T Edwards | Yam | 1m33.635 |
| 9 | B Pearson | Duc | 1m33.663 |
| 10 | J Lytras | Yam | 1m33.789 |
| 11 | J Favelle | Yam | 1m34.185 |
| 12 | C Halliday | Yam | 1m34.482 |
| 13 | M Walters | Apr | 1m34.688 |
| 14 | A Sissis | Yam | 1m34.737 |
| 15 | R Yanko | Yam | 1m35.170 |
| 16 | T Toparis | Yam | 1m35.500 |
| 17 | J Soderland | Yam | 1m36.305 |
| 18 | N Mahon | Yam | 1m36.756 |
| 19 | C Holding | Yam | 1m36.841 |
| 20 | M Aizuddin | BMW | 1m37.022 |
| 21 | A Senior | Yam | 1m37.155 |
| 22 | K Higuchi | Suz | 1m37.634 |
| 23 | P Linkenbagh | Yam | 1m38.321 |
| 24 | M Kemp | Yam | 1m40.000 |
| 25 | M Carr | Hon | 1m44.750 |
2025 Australian Superbike Championship Calendar
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| Round | Location | Date |
| 1 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC | Feb 21-23 |
| 2 | Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW | Mar 28-29 |
| 3 | Queensland Raceway, QLD | May 2-4 |
| 4 | Morgan Park Raceway, QLD | Jun 13-15 |
| 5 | Queensland Raceway, QLD (Superbike Only) | Aug 8-10 |
| 6 | Phillip Island GP Circuit, VIC | Sept 6-7 |
| 7 | One Raceway, NSW | Oct 3-5 |
| 8 | The Bend, SA | Nov 7-9 |
