Image: Foremost Media.

McMartin Racing’s Josh Waters has walked away with the overall victory at Phillip Island’s opening round of the 2024 Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), with an oil spill forcing the final race of the weekend to be declared.

Waters was largely unstoppable all weekend, crushing the qualifying lap record with a 1m30.379s for pole position before going on to secure wins in all three races.

Saturday’s opening encounter saw Waters manage a lead for a majority of the race, crossing the chequered flag with a 1.250s margin over teammate Harrison Voight (McMartin Racing), with reigning champion Troy Herfoss (DesmoSport Ducati) a fraction behind in third. The top five was completed by Yamaha Racing Team duo Cru Halliday and Mike Jones.

Sunday morning’s race two could be likened to a Supersport 300 outing, as multiple position changes unfolded right to the chequered flag with less than a second separating the top four as they crossed the finish line.

Ultimately, it was Waters who held the advantage to secure yet another victory, as Herfoss and Voight traded positions to finish second and third respectively. Halliday was 0.142s shy of a podium, followed by Anthony West (Addicted to Track).

Race three was a short-lived affair after Matt Walters’ Aprilia RSV4 1100 started blowing smoke and dropping oil across the track, which ultimately ended in him crashing out at turn two while forcing a red-flag stoppage. With four laps completed, alongside the track clean up and time constraints, the race was declared and riders were awarded half points.

Again, it was Waters emerging with the race victory over Voight and Herfoss, followed by West and Halliday. Waters claimed the overall win and now has a handy 15.5-point championship lead, joined on the podium by Voight and Herfoss – just one point separating the pair.

The ASBK will head to Sydney Motorsport Park for round two of the championship, where it’s set to race under lights on 22-23 March.

Detailed results