The 2027 Shannons Australian Superbike Championship presented by Pirelli (ASBK) will officially commence alongside the 2026 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island from October 23-25, with a huge field of 31 riders to contest the season opener in front of tens of thousands of spectators.

Phillip Island will also be the dawn of a new ASBK era as it makes a groundbreaking switch to a summer-based calendar for the first time since the championship’s inception in 1989, with rounds at The Bend (November 13-15, 2026), One Raceway (December 4-6, 2026), Queensland Raceway (January 15-17, 2027) and Phillip Island (February 19-21, 2027) to follow before the grand finale at Sydney Motorsport Park (March 19-20, 2027).

Related: Shannons the new naming rights sponsor for ASBK Championship

Voight celebrates his first ASBK Superbike title at Queensland Raceway. Image: RbMotoLens

The entry list for the season opener runs deep, featuring a tasty intersection of seasoned stars, rookies, emerging talent and internationals as ASBK competes for official points at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix for only the second time in its 39-year history.

Spectators attending the grand prix will have multiple opportunities to meet the ASBK stars at autograph sessions over the three days, including a special one at the Shannons SuperRig from 2:30-3:00pm on Saturday featuring defending ASBK champion Harrison Voight, Jonathan Nahlous, Jacob Roulstone and Josh Waters.

Practice and qualifying for ASBK round one will be held on Friday, followed by two races on Saturday (12:10pm and 4:10pm) and one on Sunday (9am) – all 11-lappers.

There will be live and exclusive coverage of all three ASBK races on Fox Sports and Kayo, followed by a follow-up highlights show on SBS Sport on Sunday, November 8 with additional interviews and behind-the-scenes features.

Who can put the heat on Voight at Phillip Island?
There are candidates galore lining up to put the squeeze on Voight, who will continue at McMartin Racing Ducati in 2027 as he begins his quest to become the seventh rider to win consecutive ASBK titles.

Voight – the second youngest ASBK champion in history – always seems to find an extra step at the 4.448km grand prix circuit, which the lap record holder showed in February at the 2026 ASBK opener with two wins out of three races.

Roulstone (Honda) was the other winner in February as he made a stunning ASBK debut, while Cameron Dunker (Blue Marlin Pools East Racing Yamaha) – currently blazing a trail in the 2026 Aussie Flat Track Nationals – and Nahlous (Yamaha Racing Team) were the other podium finishers.

The trio is again expected to keep Voight on his toes alongside riders such as Josh Waters (DesmoSport Ducati), reigning No. 3 Cru Halliday (Stop and Seal Ducati), Glenn Allerton (Superbike Advocates Ducati) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team).

Waters during pre-season testing at Phillip Island. Image: Russell Colvin

Change of scenery for Waters and Co
There’s intrigue aplenty ahead of Phillip Island, dominated by the crafty Waters. The 39-year-old, who has been a mainstay of the ASBK paddock for three decades, has made a shock switch to DesmoSport Ducati after five seasons with McMartin Racing where he will attempt to win a sixth Superbike title aboard the latest evolution of the Panigale V4 R.

John Lytras (Addicted to Track Yamaha), Jack Favelle (Apex Racing Team Honda) and Marcus Hamod (Unitek Racing Yamaha) will also be out to land some early blows in their new pastures, while Queenslander Broc Pearson makes a popular return to the ASBK paddock on a TeamBWR Honda after missing the 2026 season.

Elsewhere, 18-year-old Jayden Martin (Yamaha) represents a new breed of ASBK aspirants as he brings his dominant West Aussie form onto the national arena – although he did recently win multiple titles at the 2026 Australian Historic Championship in his home state – while the international flavour will be courtesy of New Zealanders Luca Durning (Alex Racing Team BMW), Richard Markham-Barrett (Addicted to Track BMW) and Morgan McLaren-Wood (Blue Marlin Pools East Yamaha) and Japan’s Kota Higuchi (Suzuki).

Who’s going to come out on top in the high-stakes opener?

To purchase tickets for round one of the 2027 Shannons Australian Superbike Championship presented by Pirelli, click here.