South Australian rising star Archie Schmidt will return to home soil next weekend, joining Unitek Racing for a wildcard appearance at round two of the Shannons Australian Superbike Championship presented by Pirelli (ASBK) at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park.

After spending the majority of the past three years competing on the international stage, Schmidt will have the opportunity to race in front of a home crowd, taking on a new challenge aboard a Yamaha YZF-R6 in the Supersport Next Gen category.

The 17-year-old has established himself as one of Australia’s most promising young motorcycle talents, rocketing to success in the 2023 Oceania Junior Cup before progressing to international competition in the Asia Talent Cup and, most recently, the prestigious Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.

With his sights set on further European competition in 2027, the opportunity to return to the circuit where he celebrated his Australian championship victory offers valuable seat time as he continues to develop his skills on larger capacity machinery.

“I’m very excited to be racing back in Australia at my home track after being in Europe for most of the year, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that Unitek Racing has given me,” said Schmidt.

Unitek principal Donna Hoeymakers is delighted that Schmidt is joining the family-run team.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with Archie as he takes on the challenge of the YZF-R6, gaining more seat time and race experience while continuing to develop his skills and talent in preparation for his 2027 Red Bull Rookies campaign,” she said.

“We’ve always wanted to work with Archie in some capacity and fully support his racing ventures overseas, so hopefully this will be a great kick-start to his preparations for next year.”

Schmidt adds to an already stacked Supersport Next Gen grid at The Bend, which also includes Jake Farnsworth, Tom Edwards, Cameron Dunker, Hayden Nelson, Tom Toparis, Marcus Hamod, Tayla Collins, Josh Newman, Riley Nauta and Tyler King.