Harry Khouri to 2021 World Supersport 300 championship
Australia’s 2020 Supersport 300 Champion, Harry Khouri, is lining up for a tilt at the World Supersport 300 Championship after signing with RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki.
Khouri won the first three Aussie Supersport 300 races at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit last year with relative ease, and at Wakefield Park Raceway backed that up with a race victory, second, fifth, and two fourth placings to take out the Championship.
Khouri had also travelled to Germany earlier in 2000 to compete in the IDM Supersport 300 class where he put it straight on the podium.
Khouri, a quietly spoken 16-year-old from Richmond, NSW, was fierce on the track in 2020. However the Championship win did not come easy for him as he struggled in the final few races because of the severe winds and nerves.
Harry Khouri
“I was chasing Carter Thompson and I nearly crashed and that’s when I started thinking I just need to finish each race. I was quite nervous on Sunday as it was windy as well and with all that stuff in my head, I was making mistakes. So, I just had to calm down as I didn’t want to crash. Winning the Championship was something I had hoped for. I’ve been in the 300 class in Australia for a couple of years and I was always up the front, but never there at the end of the season. So, it is really cool to win the ASBK Championship, especially after such a strange year. It didn’t sink in at first when I crossed the line. I thought damn it I got 4th in the race and it wasn’t until I got into the pits and saw the reaction of Mum and Dad that I realised I had won the Championship. They were ecstatic and so was my mechanic Andy! It was great to see them all happy. My brother came out holding the pit board that said 2020 Champion. So that was great. It was definitely a highlight of my racing career and one of my best achievements. To wrap up the Championship here was definitely something I wanted to do.”
Khouri puts his championship win down to the tough competition ASBK has provided him over the years. He now hopes to create a career path into World Superbikes or MotoGP. Khouri leaves next month for team testing in Europe.
“There are so many guys in ASBK that can win the Championship and the racing is tough, as you can go from first to 10th really quickly. ASBK has definitely given me a little more edge this year. In Australia, from my experience, there is a lot more passing and divebombing. Whereas in the IDM, riders work together. I have goals and I want to be in the points in the top 15 of WorldSSP 300 and be battling with the guys up front. I want to go to World Supersport next year or the year after. MotoGP is my ultimate goal, but World Superbikes is also a really good championship.”
Khouri predicts this year’s ASBK YMI Supersport 300 class will be very strong with plenty of competition amongst the riders, but he favours two of the classes most talented riders.
“Carter Thompson will be tough to beat and Archie McDonald also, but there are a couple of kids who could quite easily win the Championship.”
The first round of the 2021 ASBK Championship kicks off at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on February 19-21, with the Australian All Wheels Race Fest, featuring Superbikes, Supersport, Supersport 300, R3 Cup, Oceania Junior Cup as well as the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships.
Tickets are available via the eventbrite website (link).
2021 Australian Superbike Championship Calendar
| Round | Circuit | Location | Date |
| R1 | Australian All Wheels Race Fest (SBK, SSP, SSP300, R3, OJC) | Phillip Island, VIC | Feb 19-21, 2021 |
| R2 | Winton Motor Raceway (SBK, SSP, SSP300, R3, OJC, Sidecar) | Benalla, VIC | Mar 12-14, 2021 |
| R3 | Wakefield Park Raceway (SBK, SSP, SSP300, R3, OJC, Sidecar) | Goulburn, NSW | Apr 16-18, 2021 |
| R4 | Hidden Valley Raceway (SBK Only) | Darwin NT | Jun 18-20, 2021 |
| R5 | Morgan Park Raceway (SBK, SSP, SSP300, R3, OJC) | Warwick QLD | Aug 20-22, 2021 |
| R6 | The Bend Motorsport Park (SBK, SSP, SSP300) | The Bend, SA | Sep 23-26, 2021 |
| R7 | TBC | TBC | Nov 2021 |
