Waters of McMartin Racing mastered the treacherous wet track in race one, while Addicted to Track’s West stormed to an emotional breakthrough victory in the dry second encounter — just a day after he secured his first-ever Superbike pole position.
Consistency also paid off for DesmoSport Ducati’s Broc Pearson, who impressed with a 2-3 result that locked down third overall for the weekend.
Championship leader Waters capitalised on a subdued showing from chief title rival Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team), extending his advantage to 69 points with two rounds left to run and a total of 102 points up for grabs for the rest of the season.
“That was a wild day, and in race two a lot of the other riders had nothing to lose, while I’ve always got the championship in the back of my mind,” explained Waters, who now has 99 top three finishes from 176 race starts in the Australian Superbike Championship.
“I was getting carved up like a Sunday roast, but I’m happy with the result. Huge thanks to my team and sponsors for sticking by me.”
For West, Sunday was all about savouring the moment.
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“I don’t remember too much about race two — there was just so much happening out there,” he admitted. “But some of the young guys really got under my skin, which gave me that extra fire to get the job done. This weekend has been awesome on so many levels.”
The opening 11-lap battle on a rain-slicked circuit turned into a thriller between Waters and Pearson. Pearson led for much of the race before Waters pounced in the drag to the line, clinching his ninth Superbike win of the season by just 0.094s.
“I had so many moments in that race – I would have liked Broc to have slowed down,” Waters quipped.
Behind them, Glenn Allerton delivered a stirring performance. Despite carrying a back injury that sidelined him from qualifying, the Superbike Advocates Racing Ducati rider carved through from the rear of the grid to finish third. West was fourth, with Jones, Jonathan Nahlous, impressive debutant Oscar O’Donovan, and Ryan Yanko filling the next positions.
It was a tough outing for the reigning King of the Baggers champion, Troy Herfoss, who replaces Max Stauffer at the Yamaha Racing Team. Herfoss crashed on his out lap and was sidelined with a minor injury. Others to fall victim to the treacherous surface included Stauffer (Stop and Seal), Jack Favelle, Cru Halliday and Ty Lynch, leaving just 13 finishers from the 18 starters.
As the track dried for the afternoon’s race, slick tyres were the order of the day. The early laps were tentative, but once a clear line emerged, the action intensified. Pearson again featured heavily at the front, this time in a five-way tussle with West, Waters, Halliday and Nahlous.
West timed his run to perfection, seizing the lead on the penultimate lap before charging to the flag, beating Waters by .262s for an emotional maiden Superbike race win in his 64th attempt.
Waters once more left his move to the final stretch, grabbing second from Pearson, while Halliday and Nahlous completed the top five. Favelle, Jones, Cameron Dunker, Stauffer and Allerton rounded out the top 10.
In the standings, Waters’ consistency has stretched his advantage to 69 points over Jones (306 to 237), while West remains in third on 234. Allerton holds fourth on 190, but Pearson (185) and Dunker (175) are closing in fast as the series heads to One Raceway in Goulburn from October 3-5.
Supersport
BCperformance Kawasaki’s Olly Simpson claimed the overall round win with a 2-1 scorecard, marking his third career Supersport round victory — and his first aboard the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R.
Jake Farnsworth finished second overall, just two points adrift, while Simpson’s younger teammate Hayden Nelson secured third with a 6-2 result. It was a milestone outing for BCperformance, with the team celebrating its first-ever double podium in the Supersport category.
Rounding out the top five were Michelin-backed Yamaha riders Archie McDonald and Jack Mahaffy on their Stop and Seal YZF-R6s.
In the championship standings, Mahaffy continues to lead, though Simpson’s strong weekend has elevated him from third to second, 21 points off the top. McDonald slips to third, a further four points behind Simpson.
Supersport 300
Scott Nicholson claimed overall honours with a consistent 2-1-3 scorecard, finishing ahead of Tyler King and Jordy Simpson, while Tara Morrison narrowly missed the podium in fourth, just two points shy of Simpson.
Nicholson’s strong weekend netted him 63 points, compared to Morrison’s 43 from a 3-21-1 result. The outcome gives Nicholson a commanding 67-point advantage in the championship standings with two rounds remaining — putting him firmly in the box seat to potentially seal the crown at One Raceway next month.
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