Halliday shadows Allerton as ASBK finale begins at Queensland Raceway

Round Five – QLD Raceway – Friday

The fifth and final round of the 2026 Penright Australian Superbike Championship began on Friday at Queensland Raceway, where competitors were greeted with cool, dry conditions across three practice sessions at the compact six-turn venue known as ‘The Paperclip’.

With titles in the main categories still to be decided, Friday’s practice was about much more than outright speed. The Superbike crown is still up for grabs for Harrison Voight, while Supersport and Next Gen also enter the weekend with their own championship contests.

Ducati machinery were dominant throughout the day, with Crews Halliday topping the combined Superbike time with a 1m07.055, while Ollie Simpson put the Desmosport Ducati V2 at the top of the combined Supersport/Next Gen order with a 1m10.376. In the BLU CRU R3 Cup, Matthew Ritter was Friday’s pacesetter at 1m21.829.

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superbike

As the 2026 ASBK finale began, Glenn Allerton came out swinging, with the three-time veteran Australian Superbike champion taking the top spot in FP1, finishing second in FP2, and leading the way in FP3 before the crew holiday made its way into the afternoon.

Halliday’s 1m07.055 on the Stop & Seal Racing Ducati V4 R ultimately edged Allerton by just 0.034 of a second, while Mike Jones finished third for Yamaha Racing Team with a 1m07.330. Jonathan Nahlaus made it two YRT machines in the top four, while Jack Favell was fifth on the Addicted to Track Yamaha.

It was particularly tough at the fast end, with the top ten covered in less than a second, and the top seven covered in just 0.537 seconds. Holliday, Allerton, Jones, Nahlaus, Favell, Josh Waters and Harrison Voit were all in the 1m07s, showing that Saturday qualifying could be tightly contested.

The championship equation is heavily in Voit’s favor. The McMartin Racing Ducati youngster arrived at Queensland Raceway with 198 points, 24 more than defending champion and team-mate Josh Waters. Cameron Dunker is third at 146, Holliday at 135, Allerton at 130, Jones at 129, Nahlaus at 125 and Jacob Rolston at 124.

On Friday, Waters ended the day in sixth place with a 1m07.531, while Voit finished seventh with a 1m07.592. That left just 0.061 between the two title heroes, while Halliday, Allerton and Jones all made it clear they were capable of asserting themselves as spoilers in the championship fight.

Queensland Raceway form also adds another layer. Jones has been a major force at the venue in recent seasons, while Allerton has taken more Superbike wins than anyone else in the current field at the Ipswich circuit. On Friday, both looked immediately at ease.

Anthony West also returned for Desmosport Ducati after missing the previous two rounds due to a hand injury and finished ninth fastest with a 1m07.912.

Brock Pearson, a late entrant ahead of a planned full-time ASBK return in the new summer-format 2026/27 season, was 11th on the Honda, while Ollie Simpson continued his dual-class development by finishing 12th on a Desmosport Ducati V4 R in addition to his Supersport/Next Gen duties.

what comes next

Another Superbike practice session will take place on Saturday morning before Q1 at 1325 hrs and Q2 at 1355 hrs. Sunday’s two 16-lap Superbike races are scheduled for 1125am and 1520am.

Supersport and Next Gen qualifying will take place on Saturday morning, with two 14-lap races scheduled for Sunday at 1025am and 1445pm. All times are AEST.

Superbike Friday Practice Times Combined

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Supersport / Next Generation

Ollie Simpson led the combined Kawasaki Supersport/Next Gen practice line-up, leading the Desmosport Ducati V2 to the final session with a 1m10.376. This was five thousandths faster than the current Supersport qualifying benchmark listed in the timing notes, although Friday’s practice time does not count as a qualifying record and Simpson is competing in the Next Gen class.

Hayden Nelson was second fastest on Friday with a 1m10.583 on a BCPerformance Kawasaki ZX-6R, while Tom Topris was third with a 1m10.765 after switching back to his trusty Yamaha YZF-R6 for the final round. Tom Edwards, the Next Gen points leader, was fourth with a 1m10.937.

This sets up an interesting Sunday at Next Gen. Edwards leads the inaugural class standings with 188 points, just four points ahead of teammate Nelson. Simpson, third in the standings with 134, and Toparis, fourth with 114, may not be in the same title position, but both have enough speed to impact major points.

In the Supersport Championship, Valentino Knezovic arrived at Queensland Raceway with a 16-point lead over Jake Farnsworth, 184 to 168 points. Farnsworth was fastest among the regular Supersport riders on Friday, finishing fifth overall at 1m 11.262, while Anupab Sarmun was sixth at 1m 11.422 and Knezovic seventh at 1m 11.449.

Knezovic has built his lead in the championship based on consistency with two wins and eight podiums in the first four rounds, while Farnsworth has been a more prolific winner with five wins, but that has also cost him two non-finishes. Jordie Simpson is third in the Supersport standings with 136, followed by Ghez Plowman with 127, Josh Soderland with 125 and Sam Pezzetta with 121.

SuperSport/Next Gen Practice Times Combined

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supersport 300

supersport 300 practice time joint

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r3 cup

Matthew Ritter topped the BLU CRU R3 Cup combined in Friday’s practice time with a 1m21.829, 0.534 of a second ahead of Jordy Simpson. Jed Lewis was third with a 1m22.670, just ahead of Connor Lewis, Nicholas Lazos and Oscar Lewis.

The R3 Cup title image is also still very much alive. Oscar Lewis reached the finals with 116 points, defending champion Jordy Simpson at 108 and Ritter at 101. Connor Lewis, fourth in the standings at 95, and Seth Dellow, fifth at 94, remain on the outside looking in.

So, Friday’s order added another layer to the title fight. Ritter had the fastest pace, with Simpson right behind him, while points leader Oscar Lewis finished the day in sixth place. With there always being a slipstream battle and late race condition changes in the R3 Cup, Saturday and Sunday’s races are unlikely to be straightforward.

r3 cup practice time joint

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bLU Cru Oceania Junior Cup Practice Times Combined

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Superbike Masters Practice Times Combined

Friday Images by RbMotoLens

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2026 asbk calendar

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