Youngsters shake up the ASBK form guide in cracking race one at P.I.

3 weeks ago 74
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Round One – Phillip Island
SW-Motech Superbike Race One

After delivering a precise and clinical lap to secure pole position in near-perfect Saturday morning conditions, Harrison Voight rolled to the front of the grid knowing that Phillip Island rarely rewards qualifying pace alone.

Voight’s benchmark lap to take his maiden Australian Superbike pole position earlier in the day came when temperatures were cool and grip levels at their best. By the time the lights went out for the opening 11-lap encounter of the 2026 ASBK season, conditions had evolved slightly and were slightly warmer, but the track was still expected to run fast despite the bitumen surface registering 37 degrees as they formed up on the grid.

Harrison Voight – Image RbMotoLens

Alongside Voight on the front row was his McMartin Racing team-mate, Josh Waters, while Cam Dunker rounded out the front row after banging in a brilliant lap early in qualifying to secure his front-row start on the Blue Marlin Pools backed YZF-R1 to finish the fastest of the Yamaha armada.

Josh Waters – Image RbMotoLens

Anthony West had been quickest on Friday, but it didn’t come together perfectly for the veteran on Saturday morning, and he headed the second row.

Cam Dunker – Image RbMotoLens

Moto3 exile Jacob Roulstone declared his potential on his Australian Superbike debut with CFG / Motocity Honda with a strong fifth place, while Mike Jones rounded out the second row.

Jacob Roulstone – Image RbMotoLens

Jack Favelle headed the third row and was flanked by Jonathan Nahlous and Cru Halliday.

Jonathan Nahlous – Image RbMotoLens

Glenn Allerton rounded out the qualifying top ten on the Advocates Ducati ahead of youngsters John Lytras and Marcus Hamod.

The condensed race distances in ASBK leave little scope for tyre conservation tactics to unfold. There is rarely time to manage, offset or play the long game; it is effectively flat-out from the moment the lights go out until the chequered flag.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

The lights go out!

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

Anthony West seemed to bog down off the line, which made life hard for himself outside the top ten as the two McMartin Ducati men charged through to lead the field into turn one, but Cam Dunker and Jacob Roulstone dusted Waters up a little in Southern Loop to push the defending champion back to fourth.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

Voight had clear air and was capitalising on it, dropping the hammer on the V4 R to stretch away from his pursuers over the course of lap one, but as they started lap two, Dunker was still only three-tenths behind. Roulstone two-tenths behind Dunker and Josh Waters a few bike lengths further behind. At turn four on lap two, Waters ran a little wide, which cost him more time.  Mike Jones was now fifth, Cru Halliday sixth, and Jonathan Nahlous seventh as Anthony West recovered to eighth.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

The Fireblade-mounted Jacob Roulstone managed to chase down Cam Dunker and got the better of the Yamaha rider at turn four early on lap three as Mike Jones now started to stalk that duo from close astern.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

Benefitting from that tussle was Voight, who continued to stretch away and run his own race up front.  Meanwhile, his team-mate Josh Waters had been demoted to eighth.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

Cam Dunker was trying hard to regain that second position from Jacob Roulstone, closing right onto his pipe at times as the slender gap ebbed and flowed around the circuit. Mike Jones continued to shadow that pair, biding his time and waiting for either of the youngsters to make a mistake…

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

A little further back a heady battle was being waged between Josh Waters and Jonathan Nahlous over fifth place and that pair had Anthony West trying to chase them down.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

Dunker slipped under Roulstone at Hayshed. Roulstone tried to get him back at MG, but Dunker held him out. Roulstone used the power of the Honda to move back up to second place on the run towards turn one next time around, only for Dunker to go inside at Southern Loop and fold the front, but somehow he saved it! Nonetheless, that front-end slide had allowed Roulstone and Jones to slip past.  The battle then intensified further over the remainder of that lap, with the three dusting each other up at every opportunity, and as they started lap eight, Dunker had his nose back in front. I can’t remember seeing this level of hunger and mongrel in Dunker before!

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

With two to run, that battle for second place had grown in number as Josh Waters, Anthony West and Jonathan Nahlous gatecrashed the Roulstone-Dunker-Jones party to turn it into a six-way melee!

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

Up front, Voight was unaware of all the drama unfolding more than three seconds behind him.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

Roulstone got the last lap board with his nose still in front. Dunker challenged at three but couldn’t quite pull it off. Waters then slotted up the inside of Jones to move up to fourth at turn four.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

Rousltone defended his line at Hayshed this time, and again at four, which saw Dunker take a wide line to try and smash it under him at 11 but couldn’t quite pull that off… Around 11… 12….

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

Jacob Roulstone, the winner of that titanic battle with Cam Dunker, as both youngsters brought their A game to this ripper season opener to score their places on the rostrum alongside clear race winner Harrison Voight.  Could that be the youngest ever Australian Superbike podium?

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Image RbMotoLens

After a tough opening half of the race, Josh Waters bagged good points with his recovery to fourth ahead of Mike Jones, who secured fifth by a nose over his young team-mate Jonathan Nahlous.  Anthony West was a second further back in seventh.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One – Harrison Voight the winner – Image RbMotoLens

Cru Halliday was 12 seconds adrift in eighth place ahead of Glenn Allerton, Jack Favelle and Marcus Hamod, with little separating that quartet.

ASBK 2026 – Round One – Phillip Island – Superbike Race One
A great start to the year for Roulstone on the back of limited preparation – Image RbMotoLens

The final two Superbike bouts of this ASBK season opener are slated for 0945 on Sunday morning, followed by race three at 1340.  They will need to be a bit special to outdo that one!  The results might not make it look as though that race was anywhere near as good as it was, but that was a ripper, no doubt about it. The ‘older’ contingent will be out to try and reassert the pecking order next time out…

Superbike Race One Results

Pos Rider Bike Gap
1 Harrison VOIGHT (QLD) Ducati V4R 16m54.627
2 Jacob ROULSTONE (NSW) Honda CBR RR +2.932
3 Cameron DUNKER (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 +3.053
4 Josh WATERS (VIC) Ducati V4R +3.095
5 Mike JONES (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 +3.618
6 Jonathan NAHLOUS (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 +3.636
7 Anthony WEST (QLD) Ducati V4R +4.946
8 Cru HALLIDAY (NSW) Ducati V4R +16.902
9 Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) Ducati V4R +17.758
10 Jack FAVELLE (NSW) Yamaha YZF-R1 +17.782
11 Marcus HAMOD (NSW) Honda CBR RR +17.832
12 John LYTRAS (QLD) Yamaha YZF-R1 +31.290
13 Brendan WILSON (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R1 +43.249
14 Luca DURNING (QLD) Ducati V4R +43.466
15 Ty LYNCH (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +48.768
16 John QUINN (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R1 +53.551
17 Charles HOLDING (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +57.411
18 Matthew RINDEL (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R1 +57.425
19 Luke JONES (VIC) Yamaha YZF-R1 +1m10.895
20 Adam SENIOR (WA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +1m11.140
21 Michael KEMP (SA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +1m17.988
22 Ross HUDSON (WA) Yamaha YZF-R1 +1m24.134
23 Mitchell CARR (WA) Honda CBR RR 1 Lap
DNF Josh NEWMAN (NSW) Ducati V4R 7 Laps

Superbike Race One Images

2026 ASBK Provisional Calendar

2026 ASBK PROVISIONAL CALENDAR
Round One February 20-22 Phillip Island, VIC (WorldSBK)
Round Two March 27-28 Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Round Three May 1-3 The Bend, SA
Round Four May 29-31 Morgan Park, QLD
Round Five June 26-28 Queensland Raceway, QLD
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