After creating history in Sydney, ASBK heads to the Paperclip for round three

Having created Australian motorcycle racing history last month with the first successful night round of the Australian Superbike Championship, the riders and teams now head north to Queensland Raceway in Ipswich for the third round of an already enthralling title fight in the sport’s premier class.

Josh Waters leads Cru Halliday during race one, round two of ASBK at Sydney Motorsport Park

From the sand of the Dakar Rally, to the dirt of ProMX to the burning rubber of the Australian Superbikes, there’s a host of great motorsport to watch on SBS On Demand.

With many predicting that Sydney Motorsport Park under lights would suit the likes of Yamaha and local rider Cru Halliday, it was current championship leader Josh Waters who came away with a pair of race wins aboard his McMartin Racing-prepared Ducati V4R. The Mildura-based rider not only battled fierce opposition from the Yamahas of Halliday and Mike Jones, as well as the factory Honda of Troy Herfoss and the GT Racing BMW of Glenn Allerton, but also the changing elements as intermittent rain lashed the Sydney venue for much of Saturday.

Current championship leader, Josh Waters.

Waters’ race-winning dominance of the championship thus far sees him with a 35-point gap over his nearest rival in Herfoss. Waters is on 126 points to 91 for Herfoss, heading into the third round this weekend. Allerton is the next best in third overall, but he is 53 points behind the Ducati rider on 83 points. Halliday is just outside the top three on 79 points, with South Australian Arthur Sissis sitting fifth on 72 points.

One favourite missing from the top five riders in the current standings is defending and three-time ASBK champion Mike Jones. The Yamaha rider suffered a catastrophic engine failure in the opening race last round, severely denting his championship defence and dropping him to eighth overall in the standings on 64 points. But Queensland Raceway is a place where the Queenslander shines strongly and if last year’s results are anything to go by, he will be one to keep an eye on.

It was round two of last year’s championship that saw Jones take charge of the championship chase, taking a clean sweep of race wins and pole positions to snatch the championship lead - a lead he would never relinquish by season’s end. A similar performance this weekend would bolster his title defence, along with some potential bad luck that could befall his rivals.

Last year's round at Queensland Raceway was a happy hunting ground for Mike Jones. Credit: Karl Phillipson / @optikalphoto

Affectionately known as the Paperclip for its uncanny resemblance to the said office item, Queensland Raceway is one of the fastest race tracks in Australia where horsepower and straight line speed will be the key factors for success around the 3.1km layout. Last year, it was Yamaha that took advantage of these two points, just who will it be this year?

Round three of the Australian Superbike Championship features both races for the main class, along with live action from Supersport, Supersport 300 and the Oceania Junior Cup.

You can catch all the action live this Sunday from 1pm (AEST) on SBS and SBS On Demand. You can also rewatch all previous rounds and seasons of ASBK anytime on SBS On Demand.