Recapping the opening Supersport bout from The Bend

ASBK 2024
Round Seven – The Bend
Australian Supersport Championship
Michelin Supersport Race One

The opening Supersport bout of the ASBK finale took place on Saturday afternoon over seven laps of The Bend.

Olly Simpson lined up on pole position with Archie McDonald and championship leader Jonathan Nahlous alongside him on the front row.

Jack Mahaffy headed row two and beside him on the grid there was much action as the crew of Tom Bramich worked to find a solution to a problem the Victorian found on the out-lap. Also on that second row Jack Favelle.

Olly Simpson capitalised on pole position to lead McDonald and Mahaffy through turn one for the first time. Jonathan Nahlous in fourth at this early juncture. Simpson got a lightning start and had his head down from the off.  Ryder Gilbert an early faller.

The Stop & Seal duo of McDonald and Mahaffy started to close in on Simpson on lap two as that trio started to break away from the rest of the field. Jack Favelle got the better of Nahlous for fourth place and that pair also had Jake Farnsworth in close company.

McDonald the fastest rider on lap two to close right onto the tailpipe of Simpson. Mahaffy still in that mix too, right behind his team-mate.

McDonald got the better of Simpson on lap three to move into the race lead, the pair actually brushed on the main straight after McDonald moved to the inside line, presumably unaware that Simpson was there. Olly Simpson ten km/h slower than the Stop & Seal bikes through the speed trap.

Jack Mahaffy pushed Simpson further back to third on the next lap and set out after his team-mate. A new fastest lap of the race to Mahaffy saw him close in on McDonald.

As they started the penultimate lap Jonathan Nahlous was in fourth place but still had Jack Favelle for company. That pair had pulled away from sixth placed Farnsworth, who was now starting to come under attack from Tom Bramich.

Olly Simpson back up to second place on lap six and holds on to that position across the stripe to start the final lap. McDonald had two-tenths on Simpson with 4.95 km to run.

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Mahaffy up the inside of Simpson to take second place halfway through the final lap but Simpson got the better of Mahaffy once again a few turns from the end and started stalking McDonald…

The gap at the stripe less than a tenth of a second but it was McDonald that had his nose in front when it mattered. Mahaffy a further two-tenths behind to complete the rostrum.

Fourth place to Jonathan Nahlous, almost seven-seconds behind the podium finishers. The Sydneysider’s championship lead trimmed to 36-points with 50-points still up for grabs.

With that victory Archie McDonald moved up to third place in the championship, four-points behind Olly Simpson. Tom Bramich and Jake Farnsworth also still both in contention for that #2 plate.

Supersport competitors will be back on track early on Sunday morning for their second bout before the championship deciding third and final bout of the 2024 season slated to get underway at 1335. Sunday’s races will be run over longer nine-lap distances.

Michelin Supersport Race One Results

Supersport Championship Points

ASBK Final TV Schedule