Image: Russell Colvin.

Words: Russell Colvin

Australian Moto3 champion Joel Kelso will make a one-off appearance at next weekend’s sixth round of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) hosted by Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria.

The 15-year-old who hails from Darwin will compete in the highly-competitive Supersport 300 category, riding for the Johnson Racing Team aboard the Rebuilder-backed Kawasaki Ninja 300.

Kelso is no stranger to racing in the Australian Supersport 300 Championship, as last year he competed in two rounds while piloting a Yamaha YZF-R3 at his home event at Hidden Valley Raceway along with Queensland’s stop at Morgan Park where he finished 10th and eighth place overall respectfully.

“I have found the Ninja 300 is a lot more stable in the middle of corners, and top of that it tips in easier,” Kelso explained to CycleOnline.com.au. “The R3 obviously has a little bit more power, but all in all, I think I like the Ninja 300 a little bit better.

“My realistic goal is to finish inside the top 10 in all three races – a top five would be a dream, but a top 10 is what the Johnson Racing Team and I are aiming for at this stage. Of course it’s going to be hard, but we’ll push as hard as we can all weekend.

“I’m really thankful that Luke [Johnson] and the entire team are allowing me to race their bike next weekend. I can’t wait to see what we can do as a team and overall I’m just really, really excited to go racing.”

This year has seen Kelso competing in the Italian Pre-Moto3 championship (Campionato Italiano Velocità) with the JDS Moto team, which is headed up by 27-year-old Jake Skate. The sixth round of the Australian Superbike Championship is scheduled for 7-9 September.