After five rounds of the 2025 Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), a series of questions have emerged as to how the remaining three rounds will unfold across both the Superbike and Supersport divisions. With round six at Phillip Island fast-approaching, CycleOnline answers questions that count so far.

Image: Foremost Media.

Q: Can Archie McDonald run down Supersport series leader Jack Mahaffy?

A: Stop and Seal Racing’s Archie McDonald has been speedy each time his wheels have hit the tarmac throughout the 2025 season, and if it weren’t for an absence at round three thanks to a fixture clash with the STK600 European Championship, he’d likely be sitting pretty points-wise atop the Supersport standings. That isn’t the case, however, with his capable teammate Jack Mahaffy boasting a 26-point advantage over McDonald, with three rounds remaining to settle the score. A convincing 1-1 scorecard last time out at Morgan Park leaves McDonald with the current momentum, although the deal is far from sealed, and if all things go well, we could be in for an intriguing late-season battle between the teammates for this year’s title. Add in a hungry field of SSP contenders to the fray, and we’ve got an exciting series in the making with three rounds to go.

Q: Who is set to thrive over the following three rounds?

A: This question is relevant because certain racers – and machines – favour certain race tracks. We would say that the current ASBK points leader and four-time champion Josh Waters (McMartin Racing) thrives at the scenic Phillip Island circuit in Victoria, which is true, but then again, he has thrived everywhere this season, so this is kind of a mute point. Still, look for the number one to be ultra-fast at PI, while DesmoSport Ducati’s Broc Pearson earned an overall victory last year at One Raceway. This season has been a real challenge for the Queenslander in coming to terms with his new electronics package, although getting back to a circuit and layout that you have had success at previously can be the revitalisation needed. The Bend was all Waters’ last year, although Cru Halliday (Stop and Seal Racing) and Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing Team) have had strong showings there previously, so it’s still all to play for across the final three stops of 2025.

Image: Foremost Media.

Q: Will a bike change revert Halliday’s current-season form?

A: Stop and Seal Racing recruit Cru Halliday was very vocal after what was a disastrous Queensland Raceway round for he and the team, with his bike failing to fire across the two races contested and resulting in the veteran scoring next to no points. Understandably, he wasn’t stoked directly after the race, and didn’t mince his words as to what he thought was required to get back to the pointy end of the field. Fast forward a couple of weeks, and we’re now set to see the longtime Yamaha Racing Team rider line up on board a McMartin Racing-prepared Ducati Panigale V4 R by all indications, which has quite obviously been the class of the field this season. It’s a sizable change for the combination, as eyeballs will shift in Halliday’s direction as to whether this change can produce a Glenn Allerton-like revival of his career towards the latter stages of 2025.

Q: Can a switch to Next Gen Supersport be the kickstart that Tom Toparis needs?

A: The 2025 ASBK season hasn’t gone well for the highly-rated Stop and Seal rider, Tom Toparis. Featuring in the premier Superbike class during the opening rounds, the 25-year-old never really fired into action and has subsequently moved to the Next Gen Supersport division, where he achieved success at Queensland Raceway by splitting wins with R6-mounted McDonald, taking P2 overall on a countback. Additionally, he has moved away from the Yamaha R1 to a Panigale V2, which coincides with his mid-season class shift. Can these changes – which are substantial – generate the results and performances that are the expectation from the talented racer? Time will tell, although sometimes change can be as good as a holiday, with a freshen up breathing new life into racing. And as a multi-time Supersport champion, perhaps he’s simply better-suited to the smaller capacity machinery.

Image: Foremost Media.

Q: What does the battle beyond Waters look like in the Superbike category?

A: The battle behind Waters is well and truly alive, with Jones, Anthony West (Addicted to Track), and Glenn Allerton (Superbike Advocates) all jostling for position inside the top four, with the ultra-talented Cameron Dunker (MotoGo Yamaha Racing) in a commendable P5 placement in his second season in the category. What’s cool about this trio is they each have their unique storyline as to why where they are positioned is solid – well, maybe all except Jones, who you’d expect would be a little closer to Waters out front, being a former three-time champion himself. But for West, third place after what has been a consistently fast season of racing for the veteran is impressive, as well as the turnaround for Allerton since hopping aboard the all-powerful V4 R for this season. The 17-year-old phenom Dunker is proving that he is a serious prospect for the future, and with plenty of points still up for grabs in this year’s series, it’ll be interesting to see how this sequence shakes down once it’s all said and done, and whether the young gun can overhaul the veterans.