ASBK 2024
Round Three- Queensland Raceway
Race and Road Australian Supersport 300
Supersport 300 Race One
Valentino Knezovic led Ryan Larkin and Will Nassif through the first sector as the ten-lap opening Supersport 300 bout, which got underway on Saturday afternoon at QLD Raceway. Nassif also took his turn to lead on that opening lap, but as they started lap two, it was Josh Newman with his nose in front.
Casey Middleton took his turn to lead early on lap three as Jesse Stroud moved up to second place ahead of Newman, Nassif and Harrison Watts. A few turns later, Watts was into the lead only for the red flag to come out after two riders went down a Turn Six, with the riders and their machines in positions that were clearly unsafe for racing to continue. Oliver Short and Jesse Stroud were the two riders down at that final complex. Stroud was on Tom Bramich’s championship winning bike from 2018.
Eventually, riders went out for a warm-up followed by a new four-lap race. This time around, Harrison Watts got off the line much better to take the early lead ahead of Josh Newman, Will Nassif, and Ryan Larkin. Officials then handed down a ten-second jump-start penalty to Will Nassif which meant his chance of victory was gone.
Valentino Knezovic worked his way to the front of the leading pack, only for Casey Middleton and then Ryan Larkin to also take their turns up front. At the last lap board it was Middleton, Larkin, Newman, Knezovic, Nassif, Watts, and Tara Morrison had also joined that party!
Having his nose in front when it mattered though, was Josh Newman, who again showed his racecraft to time his run at the right time.
Second across the stripe by a cigarette paper was Harrison Watts, while Valentino Knezovic rounded out the podium.
Then, it was Casey Middleton in fourth and Ryan Larkin in fifth. Will Nassif had crossed the line sixth, but after his ten-second penalty was applied, it demoted him to 14th place. That promoted Calvin Moylan into sixth position, ahead of Tara Morrison, Mitch Simpson, and John Pelgrave. Jordan Simpson rounded out the top ten, just clear of Ryder Gilbert.
That victory extended Newman’s championship lead over Watts to a still-slender five-points.
Supersport 300 Race One Results
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | J Newman | Kaw | 5m36.935 |
2 | H Watts | Kaw | +0.028 |
3 | V Knezovic | Yam | +0.161 |
4 | C Middleton | Kaw | +0.222 |
5 | R Larkin | Yam | +0.245 |
6 | C Moylan | Kaw | +1.375 |
7 | T Morrison | Kaw | +1.440 |
8 | M Simpson | Yam | +1.657 |
9 | J Pelgrave | Yam | +1.756 |
10 | J Simpson | Yam | +1.839 |
11 | R Gilbert | Yam | +1.946 |
12 | L Knight | Yam | +4.138 |
13 | W Hunt | Yam | +5.762 |
14 | W Nassif | Yam | +10.503 |
15 | M Cartwright | Yam | +12.651 |
16 | O Lewis | Yam | +13.098 |
17 | A Codey | Yam | +13.104 |
18 | M Shaw | Yam | +14.998 |
19 | J Kaiser | Kaw | +24.053 |
Supersport 300 Race Two
Josh Newman, Ryan Larkin, Valentino Knezovic, and Will Nassif were the chief protagonists on the opening lap on Sunday morning at Queensland Raceway. Also in that leading group were Casey Middleton, Harrison Watts, and Mitch Simpson.
They were five-wide heading into Turn Three on lap two but emerging out the other side with his nose in front was Newman, but Larkin took the lead later on that lap. Casey Middleton then took his turn up front early on lap three, and Valentino Knezovic tagged onto his tail in second place.
Ryan Larkin got tripped up under brakes at Turn Three next time around to drop out of contention. Mitch Simpson was also involved and lost a lot of ground.
Harrison Watts then took his turn to head the leading group, but with seven laps to run, Newman put his nose back in front. Eight-tenths covered the top nine at this juncture.
Will Nassif was then briefly in front with five laps to run. Young Kiwi, Jesse Stroud, then took his turn to lead after putting in a new fastest-lap of the race. You couldn’t really keep up with who was leading as it was on for young, and young… Tara Morrison and Ryder Gilbert had joined that leading throng to grow its number to ten.
As they started lap eight, Casey Middleton led Calvin Moylan and Valentino Knezovic.
Less than a second covered the top ten as they started the penultimate lap. As they got the last-lap board, Stroud had his nose back in front, Knezovic second, Newman third, and Watts fourth. Knezovic then went through to the lead from Newman and that is how they finished at the flag, virtually side by side, but Knezovic with his nose in front to deny Newman.
Will Nassif secured the final step on the podium ahead of Jesse Stroud and Harrison Watts.
Calvin Moylan took sixth place, one-second behind the race winner, but in close company with seventh-placed Tara Morrison. Also in that pack was Ryder Gilbert, while Jordan Simpson rounded out the top ten half-a-second further behind.
Supersport 300 Race Two Results
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | V Knezovic | Yam | 13m57.800 |
2 | J Newman | Kaw | +0.024 |
3 | W Nassif | Yam | +0.410 |
4 | J Stroud | Yam | +0.548 |
5 | H Watts | Kaw | +0.847 |
6 | C Moylan | Kaw | +1.095 |
7 | T Morrison | Kaw | +1.135 |
8 | C Middleton | Kaw | +1.266 |
9 | R Gilbert | Yam | +1.284 |
10 | J Simpson | Yam | +1.730 |
11 | J Pelgrave | Yam | +11.161 |
12 | O Short | Kaw | +11.314 |
13 | L Knight | Yam | +11.623 |
14 | W Hunt | Yam | +12.769 |
15 | M Simpson | Yam | +17.687 |
16 | O Lewis | Yam | +24.653 |
17 | M Cartwright | Yam | +32.340 |
18 | M Shaw | Yam | +32.467 |
19 | J Kaiser | Kaw | +57.830 |
DNF | A Codey | Yam | 4 Laps |
DNF | R Larkin | Yam | 7 Laps |
Supersport 300 Race Three
The same protagonists battled early on in the third and final ten-lap Supersport 300 contest at Queensland Raceway. Josh Newman was the early leader ahead of Valentino Knezovic, Harrison Watts, Casey Middleton, Jesse Stroud and Will Nassif.
That sextuplet broke away from the rest of the pack over the course of the opening laps as they traded turns at taking the race lead. Josh Newman held the lead the most of the time, though.
With three laps to run, though, after a bit of a biff, Newman was pushed back to fifth place. Not for long, though, as he soon jumped back up to second. Harrison Watts took his turn up front, as did Casey Middleton.
At the last lap board Harrison Watts had his nose in front but alongside him across the stripe were Casey Middleton and Valentino Knezovic. Watts, Newman and Stroud right there also.
Out of the final turn Harrison Watts led Josh Newman onto the main straight and kept his nose in front at the flag to take the victory over Newman by eight-hundredths of a second.
Casey Middleton claimed the final step on the podium, three-tenths behind the victor and a tenth clear of fourth placed Jesse Stroud.
Valentino Knezovic a whisker behind Stroud to claim fifth. Will Nassif lost touch with the group on the final lap and took sixth.
Tara Morrison got the better of the Simpson brothers late in the race to take seventh place while Ryder Gilbert rounded out the top ten.
Calvin Moylan had tumbled off into the kitty litter quite spectacularly with three laps to run. Justin Kaiser and Alexander Codey went out early.
Josh Newman took the overall round win and with it the championship lead. It is tight at the top, though, with Watts only four points behind.
Supersport 300 Race Three Results
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
1 | H Watts | Kaw | 13m51.293 |
2 | J Newman | Kaw | +0.084 |
3 | C Middleton | Kaw | +0.289 |
4 | J Stroud | Yam | +0.383 |
5 | V Knezovic | Yam | +0.395 |
6 | W Nassif | Yam | +1.654 |
7 | T Morrison | Kaw | +5.617 |
8 | J Simpson | Yam | +5.717 |
9 | M Simpson | Yam | +5.734 |
10 | R Gilbert | Yam | +9.790 |
11 | L Knight | Yam | +12.484 |
12 | W Hunt | Yam | +12.574 |
13 | R Larkin | Yam | +12.676 |
14 | J Pelgrave | Yam | +12.684 |
15 | O Short | Kaw | +14.273 |
16 | M Cartwright | Yam | +34.829 |
17 | O Lewis | Yam | +35.358 |
18 | M Shaw | Yam | +35.387 |
DNF | C Moylan | Kaw | 6 Laps |
DNF | J Kaiser | Kaw | 8 Laps |
DNF | A Codey | Yam | 9 Laps |
Supersport 300 Round Points
Pos | Rider | Pole | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
1 | J Newsman | 25 | 20 | 20 | 65 | |
2 | H Wratts | 20 | 16 | 25 | 61 | |
3 | V lknezovic | 1 | 18 | 25 | 16 | 60 |
4 | C Middsleton | 17 | 13 | 18 | 48 | |
5 | T Morrirson | 14 | 14 | 14 | 42 | |
6 | W Nassilf | 7 | 18 | 15 | 40 | |
7 | J Simrpson | 11 | 11 | 13 | 35 | |
8 | J Strosud | 17 | 17 | 34 | ||
9 | R Gilbdert | 10 | 12 | 11 | 33 | |
10 | M Simptson | 13 | 6 | 12 | 31 | |
11 | C Moyllan | 15 | 15 | 30 | ||
12 | J Pelgrhave | 12 | 10 | 7 | 29 | |
13 | L Knnight | 9 | 8 | 10 | 27 | |
14 | W Hulnt | 8 | 7 | 9 | 24 | |
15 | R Larkian | 16 | 8 | 24 | ||
16 | O Shoirt | 9 | 6 | 15 | ||
17 | M Ctartwright | 6 | 4 | 5 | 15 | |
18 | O Lewics | 5 | 5 | 4 | 14 | |
19 | M Srhaw | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
20 | J Kaisser | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
21 | A ecodey | 4 | 4 |
Supersport 300 Championship Points
Pos | Rider | Bike | Points |
1 | J Newman | Kaw | 171 |
2 | H Watts | Kaw | 167 |
3 | V Knezovic | Yam | 157 |
4 | M Simpson | Yam | 123 |
5 | J Simpson | Yam | 118 |
6 | C Moylan | Kaw | 102 |
7 | R Larkin | Yam | 102 |
8 | J Pelgrave | Yam | 99 |
9 | W Nassif | Yam | 97 |
10 | T Morrison | Kaw | 91 |
11 | J Stroud | Kaw | 78 |
12 | P Svoboda | Kaw | 69 |
13 | L Knight | Yam | 65 |
14 | R Gilbert | Yam | 63 |
15 | O Short | Kaw | 55 |
16 | W Hunt | Yam | 52 |
17 | C Middleton | Kaw | 48 |
18 | V Fleming | Kaw | 44 |
19 | O Lewis | Yam | 43 |
20 | T Nicolson | Kaw | 43 |
21 | A Codey | Yam | 30 |
22 | T Relph | Yam | 28 |
23 | A Cameron | Yam | 22 |
24 | M Ritter | Yam | 20 |
25 | M Cartwright | Yam | 18 |
26 | N Yfantidis | Yam | 14 |
27 | M Shaw | Yam | 10 |
28 | J Kaiser | Kaw | 4 |
29 | H Air | Yam | 4 |
30 | T Zhao | Yam | 3 |
31 | H Short | Yam | 2 |
Supersport 300 Qualifying
Pos | Rider | Bike | Time |
1 | V Knezovic | Yam | 1m21.547 |
2 | R Larkin | Yam | 1m21.626 |
3 | W Nassif | Yam | 1m21.643 |
4 | C Middleton | Kaw | 1m21.665 |
5 | J Newman | Kaw | 1m21.739 |
6 | H Watts | Kaw | 1m21.779 |
7 | C Moylan | Kaw | 1m22.128 |
8 | J Simpson | Yam | 1m22.165 |
9 | M Simpson | Yam | 1m22.215 |
10 | J Stroud | Yam | 1m22.514 |
11 | R Gilbert | Yam | 1m22.740 |
12 | T Morrison | Kaw | 1m22.815 |
13 | J Pelgrave | Yam | 1m22.883 |
14 | L Knight | Yam | 1m23.282 |
15 | O Short | Kaw | 1m23.401 |
16 | W Hunt | Yam | 1m23.530 |
17 | A Codey | Yam | 1m23.591 |
18 | O Lewis | Yam | 1m24.203 |
19 | M Cartwright | Yam | 1m25.697 |
20 | M Shaw | Yam | 1m26.283 |
21 | J Kaiser | Kaw | 1m26.485 |
2024 Australian Superbike Championship Calendar
Round 1: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC Feb 23-25Round 2: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW Mar 22-23Round 3: Queensland Raceway, QLD Apr 26-28- Round 4: Morgan Park Raceway, QLD Jul 12-14
- Round 5: Phillip Island GP Circuit, VIC Sept 7-8
- Round 6: One Raceway, NSW Oct 4-6
- Round 7: The Bend Motorsports Park, SA Nov 8-10