SUPERSPORT : FAST AND FURIOUS
A class that continues to be a breeding ground for Australia ’ s elite road racing talent
If there is such a thing as a ‘ sweet spot ’ in road racing , the closest you ’ ll get is the ultra-competitive Supersport category .
Like Superbikes , production-based Supersport machines possess thoroughbred racing instincts , but they are lighter and don ’ t have the sheer intimidation factor of their largercapacity brethren . In turn , the class is a perfect platform for riders to hone their race craft and machine setup without having to also manage brute horsepower .
That has a twofold benefit : for riders moving up from the Supersport 300 class there is a clear pathway , while it has also been an extremely successful feeder category for Superbikes since way back in the 1990s , with riders such as Troy Bayliss , Josh Brookes , Jason O ’ Halloran , Josh Waters and Troy Herfoss progressing through the ranks on their way to international and domestic stardom .
Moreover , three Aussies – Andrew Pitt , Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen – have also been crowned World Supersport champions , employing all the skills and guile they picked up while competing in the cut-throat domestic Supersport scene .
In Australia , the Supersport class permits changes to electronic control mapping , rear-set foot controls , exhaust , cam timing , gearing , brakes , clip-on handlebars and suspension , and treaded production race tyres are also utilised rather than slicks .
On the scale of performance upgrades , quite minor – which makes Harrison Voight ’ s current lap record of 1m34.797sec around Phillip Island quite stunning . Voight ’ s benchmark ’ s set at an average speed of 168.6km / h , while Marc Marquez ’ s current MotoGP lap record ( 1:28.101 ) is at an average speed of 181.7km / h . That ’ s a minimal difference between a motorcycle literally ‘ plucked ’ from a showroom floor compared to a money-can ’ t-buy cutting-edge grand prix prototype .
In 2024 , the seven-round Australian Supersport Championship gets underway at Phillip Island , and the anticipation has gone up a notch with Kawasaki and Honda both reintroducing their respective four-cylinder models – the ZX-6RR and CBR600RR – to renew hostilities with Yamaha and its all-conquering YZF-R6 .
Whether that will cause a ripple or turn the championship on its head will begin to crystallise across the three 10-lap races , but one rider whose path is clear is that of Olly Simpson ( Yamaha ).
The South Australian finished second in the 2023 championship and , with reigning champion Cameron Dunker now a Superbike rider , Simpson will be desperate to seize the early initiative at Phillip Island .
His last outing at the grand prix circuit was a hapless one after ‘ frying ’ a clutch , and the best way to eradicate that memory is by lapping at the sharp end of the pack .
However , local Supersport tradition dictates that not everything always goes to plan , and the opposition will come thick and fast from riders such as Jonathan Nahlous ( Yamaha ), Jake Farnsworth ( Yamaha ) and emerging 16-year-old Hayden Nelson , who has switched allegiances to Kawasaki in 2024 . Marcus Hamod ( Honda ) also joins the pack after winning the 2023 Australian Supersport 300 Championship .
That ’ s just focussing on the class incumbents : a brace of ambitious and fearless Supersport 300 alumni will also step up to Supersport in 2024 and , if Dunker ’ s experience in 2023 is any guide , their transitions will be seamless .
Prepare for three rolling Supersport scrums of the highest order where even the smallest lapses in concentration will be punished – and if Phillip Island ’ s notorious ‘ micro-climate ’ produces changeable track conditions , anything could happen . Welcome to another stellar season of Supersport .
OFFICIAL PROGRAMME 25
AUSTRALIAN SSP