Stakes rising as Penrite ASBK Championship returns to The Bend

Round three of the 2026 Penrite Australian Superbike Championship presented by Pirelli (ASBK) will be held at The Bend from May 1-3, in what is shaping as a tantalising ‘make or break’ round for riders as the calendar hits the halfway mark.

In a break from recent tradition, The Bend takes its place in the ASBK Championship during the ‘meaty’ part of the season rather than the hosting the grand finale. However, the stakes will be just as high across the five championship classes – SW-Motech Superbike, Kawasaki Supersport/Supersport Next Gen, Race and Road Supersport 300 and the BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup – with the balance of power capable of changing in the blink of an eye.

In the premier Superbike class, Harrison Voight (McMartin Racing Ducati) has the target on his back after winning three of the opening five races, but there’s a pack of hard-chargers desperate to reign him in as the championship reaches a critical juncture.

The Bend’s on-track schedule will also feature the 2026 Yamaha R3 BLU CRU Asia-Pacific Championship – featuring 10 Australian riders – sports car action thanks to the season-opening round of the Radical Cup Australia Series, pillion rides behind former Australian Superbike champion and ASBK TV commentator Steve Martin, and stunt shows courtesy of the fearless Tjay Stuntz.

There will be plenty of off-track entertainment as well, including a bike display in the circuit’s welcome centre – which will also host ASBK media conferences across the weekend – the ASBK Trade Alley, and a free pitlane walk on Sunday.

Related:
Buy tickets to ASBK round three at The Bend
ASBK round three entry list
ASBK round three event program

SW-Motech Superbike
One rider who will return to The Bend with fond memories is Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati), who wrapped up a fifth Australian Superbike title at the Tailem Bend venue in November 2025.

Waters returns to The Bend second in the 2026 championship behind his teammate Voight, with the pair having won four of the five races so far.

Voight leads Waters by 14pts (110 to 96), with Jacob Roulstone (Motocity Honda, 95pts) next in line after a promising start to his local Superbike career.

Waters has a huge body of work at The Bend to call upon – 15 races for two victories and six podiums – while Voight and Roulstone will be making their premier class debuts around the world-class 4.95km layout – but as the duo’s already proven this season they aren’t averse to challenges.

Cru Halliday (Stop and Seal Ducati, 73pts) is in fourth spot after making huge gains at Sydney Motorsport Park’s round two with a pair of podium finishes, with the next six riders then separated by 12pts: Anthony West (DesmoSport Ducati, 72pts), Cameron Dunker (Blue Marlin Pools East Racing Yamaha, 71pts), Glenn Allerton (Superbike Advocates Racing Ducati, 71pts), Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team, 67pts), Jonathan Nahlous (Yamaha Racing Team, 65pts) and Jack Favelle (Addicted to Track Yamaha, 60pts).

Jones is the only other Superbike rider who has winning form at The Bend and, after a subdued start to 2026 with just a best finish of fifth, the reigning No. 2 is looking to begin his resurgence in Sunday’s two 11-lap races. His record at The Bend is outstanding, with three pole positions and eight podiums (for three wins) in 11 races.

Meanwhile, crashes for Dunker and Nahlous in Sydney brought them back to the field after multiple podium finishes, but look out for the young hard-chargers to rebound strongly in South Australia.

John Lytras (Yamaha), Marcus Hamod (Motocity Honda) and Josh Newman (Superbike Advocates Racing Ducati) will also push for top-10 finishes, while local star Ty Lynch (AMR Motorsports Yamaha) has performed a miracle mission to be on the grid on a new YZF-R1 after his previous machine exploded in flames during pre-event testing a few weeks ago.

Kawasaki Supersport and Supersport Next Gen
Two separate championships but with similar performance characteristics makes for cut-throat racing, which is what we’ve seen at the opening two rounds of the Kawasaki Supersport and Supersport Next Gen Championships.

With three victories on the trot and pole position at the last round in Sydney, Jake Farnsworth (Yamaha) has surged into the Supersport lead on 96pts ahead of Valentino Knezovic (Addicted to Track Yamaha, 94pts) and Josh Soderland (Yamaha, 74pts).

At The Bend, the contenders will also include local lads Ghage Plowman (Yamaha), Sam Pezzetta (Yamaha) and Jordy Simpson (Yamaha) who will be digging deep in front of friends and family to give the interstate riders some curry.

In the Next Gen class, Olly Simpson (DesmoSport Ducati, 108pts) leads the way from BCperformance Kawasaki teammates Tom Edwards (104pts) and Hayden Nelson (101pts) and Tom Toparis (Stop and Seal Ducati), who will be out to make amends after a mechanical issue saw him retire from race two in Sydney.

Edwards recently made his FIM Endurance World Championship debut in France, finishing eighth in the Le Mans 24-hour.

Race and Road Supersport 300
Two rounds with five races and four different winners – sounds about normal for the perennially unpredictable intermediate class!

New Zealander Tyler King (Kawasaki, 95pts), who finished third in the title last year, leads the way after a win and three second-place finishes. He’s in front of boom class rookie, Orlando Peovitis (Champions Ride Days Kawasaki, 85pts), with the Sandgroper trouncing the field in Sydney with a combined winning margin of over 11 seconds across the two races.

Third overall is Jordy Simpson (Yamaha, 82pts), and then only 22pts back to 10th place is Riley Nauta (Champions Ride Days Kawasaki). In between sit Blue Marlin Pools East Racing Yamaha pair Phoenix O’Brien (79pts) and Jake Senior (75pts), Lincoln Knight (Yamaha, 69pts), Rossi McAdam (Yamaha, 68pts), Tara Morrison (Kawasaki, 67pts) and Seth Dellow (Yamaha, 66pts).

BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup
The BLU CRU Oceania Junior Cup kicked off in Sydney, with the academy riders producing a belter.

Tom Cameron may have won all three races, but his largest winning margin was just 0.039secs when he edged out Callum Campbell in the opening bout.

The final race under lights was the highlight, with six riders covered by 0.21secs – Cameron pipping Patrick Lucchitti, Austin Attard, Lucas Hyslop, Charlie Nichols and Campbell.

The Bend is the next challenge, on a circuit where the fleet of diminutive Yamaha YZF-R15s are pushed to the limit.

Cameron takes a 22pt (75 to 53) lead over Attard and Lucchitti into The Bend, with Nichols (51pts) and Campbell (50pts) also well placed.

Images: RbMotoLens