Supersport 300, YMF R3 Cup and OJC Champions to be Crowned at SMP

Championships will be decided in three different support categories for this weekend’s Motul Pirelli Australian Superbike Championship season finale at Sydney Motorsport Park, with the YMI Supersport 300, YMF R3 Cup and Oceania Junior Cup titles set to go down to the wire.

Max Stauffer looked set to cruise to a comfortable victory in Supersport 300, but in the most recent round at Phillip Island, his points margin was eroded by Senna Agius, who claimed a pair of victories at Phillip Island. As a result, Agius has closed to within 16 points of Stauffer, and is a genuine chance for the title if he can maintain his winning form.

The YMF R3 Cup has produced a see-sawing contest between Hunter Ford and John Lytras, the two riders swapping the points lead several times over the last couple of rounds. At Phillip Island, Ford scored two wins but Lytras kept his chances alive with a trio of third-place finishes, and heads to SMP 13 points behind Ford.

Also in contention for the R3 Cup title is Max Stauffer (18 points off the lead) while Brandon Demmery and Locky Taylor are outside chances.

Carter Thompson and Angus Grenfell have established themselves as stars of the future in the Oceania Junior Cup this season, and both riders will battle for the OJC title this weekend, Thompson holding a 14-point lead over Grenfell after winning the most recent race at Phillip Island.

The battle for third in the standings between Tom Drane, Archie McDonald, Max Gibbons and Jacob Roulstone will also be one to watch, and Sydney Motorsport Park’s combination of a long straight and wide, sweeping corners should provide plenty of overtaking opportunities in the junior development category.

The Motorsports TV Supersport title was already decided in the previous round at Phillip Island, Tom Toparis establishing an unassailable lead over his rivals. Similarly, it would take some serious misfortune for Broc Pearson to miss out on the runner-up honours, thanks to his 38-point advantage over Nic Liminton.

An addition to the Supersport field will be Tommy Edwards, who comes off the back of a season-best sixth-place finish in the World Supersport 300 round in Qatar last weekend. The support programme for this weekend’s ASBK round will be completed by the Superbike Masters; read the separate preview for the Masters here.