SUPERSPORT : A NEW YEAR OF POSSIBILITIES AWAITS
P RIDERS
SUPERSPORT : A NEW YEAR OF POSSIBILITIES AWAITS
Exciting and exhilarating , what does 2025 have in store for the next crop of Australia ’ s elite Superbike racing talent ?
The Australian Supersport Championship has a unique ability to produce supreme , wheel-to-wheel racing which tends to keep eyeballs glued to the action , the perfect setting for the next generation of Superbike racers to warm up before they progress to the big stage .
Like the Superbike class , production-based Supersport machines possess thoroughbred racing instincts , but they are lighter and don ’ t have the sheer intimidation factor of their larger-capacity brethren . As such , this is the 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 .
Further to the success of the Australian Supersport Championship , each of the consecutive former champions dating back to 2018 ( Cru Halliday , Tom Toparis , Broc Pearson , John Lytras , Cameron Dunker and Jonathan Nahlous ) have all progressed to the premier SW-Motech class of ASBK and are making head waves in their current exploits .
Seventeen riders have entered for the opening round of the new season that kicks off at Phillip Island this weekend , headlined by 2024 heavyweights Archie McDonald ( Yamaha ) and Olly Simpson ( Yamaha , correct at the time of writing ) who finished second and third to Nahlous last season .
McDonald , a seriously fast and extroverted racer , returns to Stop & Seal Racing to spearhead the Australian Supersport component of the squad ’ s attack and in turn , aim to go one better in his quest for a championship within the ASBK ranks . He will be joined by Jack Mahaffy and Glenn Nelson , both of whom enjoyed solid seasons to finish sixth and ninth on the points standings respectively . Winning the FIM Oceania Circuit Racing Championship was the highlight of the year for Mahaffy , as he accumulated the greatest number of points over the final three rounds .
Pipped for the title for the second successive year by finishing inside the top three , the obvious goal for Simpson is to go out and win the championship . As such , the South Australian needs to maintain his focus and race competitively at the front of the field for the full season to give himself the best opportunity to be crowned champion come seasons end . Hayden Nelson ( Kawasaki ), Jake Farnsworth and Tom Bramich ( both Yamaha ) will also return to the Australian Supersport grid in 2025 .
Reigning Australian Supersport 300 champion Josh Newman steps up into the class this season , the nephew of three-time Australian Superbike champion Glenn Allerton aligning with the Addicted to Track team aboard Yamaha machinery as he looks to take battle to the upper echelon of riders in the class .
Other notable inclusions to the Australian Supersport grid this season are Will Nassif and Casey Middleton , who will both step up from Race and Road Supersport 300 as they take their Superbike racing aspirations to the next level . Nassif finished off the 2024 season with a bang as he bagged a flurry of race wins and podium finishes across both Supersport 300 and R3 Cup , while Middleton is also a worthy progression , considering he often fought tooth and nail for position with Nassif last season .
The three races of the Australian Supersport Championship this weekend are set to produce quality racing that will excite the crowd at Phillip Island – and if the circuit ’ s notorious ‘ microclimate ’ produces changeable track conditions , anything could happen !
AUSTRALIAN SSP RIDERS 37