Jonathan Nahlous crowned Australian Supersport Champion

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

Despite the early hour of Sunday morning when the Supersport competitors lined up on the grid the track temperature was comparable to what they found on Saturday afternoon, largely thanks to less wind this morning. Saturday’s contest had been over seven-laps but today’s two bouts were scheduled to run nine laps.

Olly Simpson capitalised on his pole position to lead Archie McDonald and Jack Mahaffy into turn one as Jack Favelle, Tom Bramich and Jonathan Nahlous gave chase.  Simpson had six-tenths over McDonald by the time they started lap two, but things then started to tighten back up over the course of that second lap.

Tom Bramich, the fastest rider on lap two to move up to fourth place, breaking away a little from Favelle as he started inching back towards the leading trio.

Archie McDonald tried to take the lead from Simpson at the end of the chute as they started lap four, but Mahaffy then switched to the inside which saw him almost cannon into his team-mate. McDonald having to stand it up a fraction but they all remained upright, and Simpson remained in the lead… That little melee had allowed Bramich to close right in and turn that contest into a leading group of four.

Mahaffy briefly took the lead around the back of the circuit but Simpson got him back a turn later. Mahaffy briefly into the lead again but Simpson again responds instantly after Mahaffy ran slightly wide.

Three wide into turn one next time around, Simpson, Mahaffy and McDonald, emerging with the lead was Mahaffy, but Simpson once again wasted little time moving to the fore once again. McDonald holding station in third, Bramich still right there in fourth.

Jack Mahaffy continued to pile the pressure on Simpson but the South Australian was more than up for the fight.

As they started the penultimate lap Simpson still had his nose in front of Mahaffy and stayed there until late in the lap when Mahaffy nosed ahead again, Simpson right back into the lead on exit, then Archie McDonald into the lead at turn one as they started the final lap.

McDonald kept his nose in front through the opening sequence of turns, Mahaffy slotted up the inside of Simpson halfway through the lap to push Simpson back to third. Simpson selected a wrong cog in his quest to get back on terms with the Stop & Seal duo which then allowed Tom Bramich to steal that third place.

It was now a two-man dogfight to the line, McDonald and Mahaffy nose to tail onto the chute but it was McDonald with his nose in front when it mattered to take the race win.

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Tom Bramich rounding out the podium a second further behind followed by a disappointed Olly Simpson.

Jack Favelle almost six-seconds behind the winner in fifth place and then a similar distance back to Jonathan Nahlous in sixth.

Nahlous celebrating the hardest, not for that sixth position, but knowing that the result was enough to secure him the 2024 Australian Supersport Championship. The young Sydneysider happy to safely stay well out of that battle for victory safe in the knowledge that he would win the war. And that he did! Celebrating with a huge burnout in parc ferme.

While the championship has now been decided second place is still up for grabs. That victory promoted McDonald past Simpson into second place in the championship, the gap a slender four-points with one final nine-lap bout to decide it later this afternoon.

Michelin Supersport Race Two

Supersport Championship Points