Benny Baker signs off on Supersport 300 career with championship victory

2021 Australian Supersport 300 Championship finale

In a dramatic final Supersport 300 race of the year Ben Baker made history becoming the first rider to win the Dunlop Supersport 300 Championship and the Yamaha Finance R3 Cup titles.

The 16-year-old has dominated the year in the Supersport 300 class and was only ever really challenged at round 1 where Carter Thompson took the race wins and during qualifying this weekend where he and Thompson were the front runners in qualifying.

Baker crashed in race 2 earlier today after battling with the leaders allowing Championship rivals Zac Johnson and Reece Oughtred to gain vital points.

Race 2 was taken out by Glenn Nelson ahead of Reece Oughtred with Archie McDonald came home third. Zac Johnson in fourth scoring crucial points to close the gap to Baker.

Dunlop Supersport 300 Championship The Bend Race Two

Dunlop Supersport 300 Championship The Bend Race Three

In race 3, the pressure was on Baker to not only finish, but to ensure he finished in front of Championship challengers Johnson and Oughtred.

McDonald and Glenn Nelson continued their weekend long battle at the start of race 3 at the front, as Baker slipped to 6th place as Angus Grenfell, Tom Drane and Johnson jumped him.

By lap 3 Johnson had dived into the lead momentarily before Nelson punched back as Johnson visited the dirt but remained on track.

With a dozen riders in the front pack and only millimetres between them the lead swapped several times between Drane, James Jacobs, McDonald, Nelson with a massive pack of 14 riders all within two seconds.

Baker was trying to stay out of trouble in the big pack of riders and was sitting in 9th on lap 5 before he made several moves to sit in 5th at the first corner of lap 6.

Johnson crashed on lap six after colliding with another rider losing his Championship chase.

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Drane, Baker, McDonald and Nelson diced on the last lap and as they crossed the finish it was McDonald for another win over Nelson, Drane, Grenfell, and Baker in 5th.

Baker was ecstatic with his Championship win thanking Greg and Lachlan Epis, Janis and Stewart Winton, Yamaha YRD, and his many sponsors.

Ben Baker

“A lot of work and effort has gone into this to take the double championship and I’m happy to be the first person to do it. Thanks to everyone for the support.”

Baker will love up to the highly competitive 600 Supersport class in 2022.

Dunlop Supersport 300 Championship The Bend Race Three

2021 Dunlop Supersport 300 Championship