Josh Waters continued his dominant run with another victory in round four of the 2025 Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), extending his lead in the Superbike standings, while Archie McDonald made a strong return to the top step in Supersport. CycleOnline caught up with both riders after the races for this Debrief feature.

Superbike

Image: Foremost Media.

Josh Waters, what a fantastic weekend for you. Gets the qualifying, that first race looked like you were just doing your own thing out there, hanging around. And then Mike [Jones] obviously made you work for it in the second one. Take us through the day.

Thanks! Yeah, to get pole yesterday was fantastic. To challenge Mike around here, you have to be on your game. I got to do a day test here, but the weather wasn’t fantastic – it’s a unique little circuit. Previous years, I’ve been useless around here, so I was really, really happy to be competitive. To get pole was fantastic, and to win the first race, I know Mike had troubles and I never wish that on any of my rivals. So the second race, he had nothing to lose – he was on it.

In that second race, obviously you want to win, but you’re not prepared to throw it down the track, obviously, because you knew who was behind you. I’ve seen you look over and see a couple of times. Was it almost like, “Okay, if you’re going to do that, you go”? Or in that moment, you just ride – you knew where you were going to be on the podium and the points situation?

Yeah, especially at this circuit, yeah, it was. Because it’s a unique little circuit, and very easy to make a mistake. I feel like I rode better than I’ve ever ridden here, but it’s not one that I’m super comfortable.

When you see the schedule for the year, are there a few tracks that you point out that you know are going to maybe be tougher ones for you? Where maybe you need to set a different goal and really think about the championship?

A little bit, but I also had a different brain coming into this event – not a beaten attitude.

Can you elaborate on that at all? You said it to me at Queensland Raceway. Is it that you came here in the past expecting that Mike could win? Is that it?

Yeah, 100 percent, because they’re so strong here. They’re based up here. I’m not saying it like I’m having a sook – it’s just, they can ride here all the time. I live where I live, so you go to the event, and I know in previous years I have, you’re just like, “What can I do?” But I think I proved – and I’m not pissing in my own pocket here – but I think I proved that on Saturday. You don’t get lucky to get pole. You have to put it all together. So that was a special feeling to do that, to do that kind of lap time in these conditions. Then to win the first race, I was really happy. Second race, I felt like I did what I had to do.

That race in the first one, I looked towards the end of it – you sort of toned it right down at the last minute. Was that because you knew the gap you had, or was it fitness out there? How was that?

Yeah, in that second one, yeah, I was. We had quite a big lead over third. I just did what I had to do, so yeah.

Yeah, and now finally as well, with what happened in the first race – Mike obviously DNFing – that is now giving you a whole bunch of points. That’s going to help in the championship. Does that give you a breath at all? I know you don’t wish for that. Does it change anything?

No, I still want to go to – I look forward to going to Queensland Raceway back there. I’d much rather ride there than here. Everyone will be working hard to beat me, so it’s just really, really hard when your main rival is finishing second to you to make points. Like I said, I never wish what happened on anyone, so yeah.

Does that give you – I’m not going to say confidence in it – but does that give you a moment to say, “Okay, I can have a hiccup”?

You never know. So yeah, I do have that, but I would love to go to Queensland Raceway, and I’m going to go there with the same mentality that I had at round one, and round two, and round three, and here. Then yeah, keep trying and whatever happens, happens.

So last question from me – the bike here as well. Watching your bike compared to some of the others – Broc Pearson in general – it looked good, it looked like it handled the bumps, it didn’t move around too much. That’s obviously something you guys have fine-tuned more?

We didn’t actually change the suspension all weekend. So it was trying to find how I can… we did do things, but it’s not like we reinvented the motorcycle this weekend. So maybe it was from being up in Finke last weekend and looking at all the bumps – I’m not going to whinge about these ones. So, you know, I focused on other things – how I can go.

Very impressive. I look forward to seeing you at Queensland Raceway, alongside the Supercars – that’s going to be cool, right?

That’ll be really cool. Maybe some more spectators there – the Supercars spectators always love the bikes. The track’s always in good nick when the V8s are there.

Do you think it’s different, like riding in front of more fans? Like, do you guys feed off that at all?

It’s always cool. I remember The Bend last year with a lot of people from my hometown – it was a bloody cool feeling.

So there is something to winning at home?

Yeah, at home. It’s a pity I live 18 hours away from here.

See you at Queensland Raceway, congratulations on today.

Appreciate it.

Supersport

Image: Foremost Media.

Archie McDonald, hey, what a great way to kick off the weekend. Top of the board all weekend and 1-1 in the races. Take me through it.

Yeah, I won both the races and I’m over the moon. It’s something we definitely work for, something I work for personally with the team. I’m over the moon and grateful. I can’t give back enough for the rest of my life, you know? It’s such an honour to have so many people back me, like FHO Racing and the whole Stop and Steal crew. Everyone behind the scenes is absolutely amazing. It’s such an honour to take away a dominating weekend – first in practice, first in qualifying, lap record in qualifying, lap record in racing, and two race wins in the round overall. It’s amazing and I’m so grateful.

26 points now separates you and your teammate there. Title prospects, after missing a round, coming back, doing what you did – how are you feeling with it?

26 – it’s not enough, is it? If he gets second for the rest and I get first for the rest, it’s not enough. That’d have to be every pole as well, [laughs].

It’s a lot in it, but you know, if we look in the Superbike class today, anything can really happen in racing.

You’re right, I’ve said that. I’ve got a chance of winning races, so does the person in last in the championship – has a chance of winning races. I mean, I finished the first round of last year in 11th, and the last I was second. So yeah, you’re right, anything can happen. It’s racing. It’s just a matter of the future and what lies ahead. I can’t control it all, but it’s bound to happen and I’m going to do what I do best and stay consistent as much as I can while keeping my head screwed on, because that’s the most important.

What about the dynamic of your greatest rival out there being your teammate? The one person you want to beat the most is your teammate. You want to be the number one guy in the truck. How’s that dynamic – you know, missing a round, coming back and putting you back on top – like, is that a statement for you?

Look, me and Jack [Mahaffy], we were best mates. I lived with him in Spain for a year and I’ve nearly grown up with him. Like, I’ve learned so much from him, himself, and to be now rivals – not rivals – but to be fighting each other for a championship… the problem is, it’s just a friend to a rivalry, which sucks, but it is what it is. It’s business. But at the end of the championship, I hope to be mates with him again – no matter the result – because it’s uncontrollable by then. But it’s work. I want to win just as much as he wants to win, and we’re both going to do everything we can – no matter the friendship, no matter the team we race for – it’s rivalry at the end of the day.

Is it hard? Your greatest rival out there is your teammate though. Like at the end of the race, you have to go back to the same truck, you got to go back to the same garage.

Correct. Like I said, he’s one of my – he’s one of my best mates in racing. I lived with him in Spain and now we’re rivals, but it is what it is. It’s a rivalry. I don’t know what to say – it’s a rivalry. But like you said, yeah, it sucks having him right next to me in the garage, seeing what he’s doing. He knows when I’m out on track, he knows what bike setup I have. It’s tricky, but it is what it is.

Take us through that second race as well. More like a sprint race, right? And like you said, you couldn’t let him get out in front – you had to do what you could do.

Well, I saw five laps and I was like, damn, if I was Jack, I’d go to get in front and I’d do everything to hold that line because there’s only five laps. And he did it until probably the second-last lap. Then I put it up the front of him and I just went as hard as I could and I put a good second on him, which I thought was going to happen. But he kept up a fight and I respect it. But yeah, no, it’s such an honour to have a dominant weekend.

The backflip – that was pretty cool. Was that planned or in the moment? It looked good.

You’re taking the piss out of me, [laughs].

No, no, no, I’m all in – I loved it.

So I jumped up, I was like, here we go, I’ll do a backflip. The thing was only a metre off the ground. I had nothing to work with, it was all me. And I went for it – bang, landed on my face. I was like, you know what? That’s my fault, I’m doing it again. Bang, landed on my face two times. The camera only showed it once, but still embarrassing.

So there was another one?

There was one the camera didn’t show, [laughs]. It’s me, it was a mistake.

Hey, what a return to ASBK though – really stamping your authority. A lot of excitement from you on the podium. That must have meant a bit to you to come back and, like you said, dominate and top the charts each time.

That’s the one thing I wanted. I wanted a first in everything. You name one thing I didn’t win this week and then I’ll give you 100 bucks. But I was happy because I’ve worked for that. The relief after months and months of putting work in – especially the team – the behind the scenes is unseen. So to have it relieved is great. But then we still have half a year ahead, which is something we will keep working for no matter what.

Hey, congratulations. Thank you.

Thank you CycleOnline, I’ll see you guys at the next one.