The results were as unpredictable as the weather at Phillip Island, when the Yamaha Racing Team tackled round one of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), over the weekend.
The long-standing season opener, run in conjunction with the first round of the World Superbike Championship, saw the Phillip Island elements at their unpredictable best. Friday was a glorious day in perfect sunshine, Saturday dawned overcast and cleared as the day went on, while Sunday had the four seasons in one day analogy come to life.The weather had teams working overtime on Sunday as the track was dry, but it was raining and it was hot, then it was cold, so the crew chiefs earned their keep on the weekend.
The depth of the 2026 field has also deepened considerably and each of the three races contested in the Superbike class provided some sensational battles and intense racing, none more so than race two where the top seven riders were separated by less than a second after 11 laps. 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting year.
JJ Nahlous made his ASBK debut for YRT and despite a slow start to the weekend, slowly but surely put the pieces together that culminated in a spectacular final race. He qualified in ninth place on the grid and had a lot to do if he wanted to turn his weekend around.
The first two races saw him cross the finish line in sixth and ninth. But, with the weather closing in and the need to finish on a positive note, Nahlous stepped up to the plate in the final 11 lap Superbike race of the weekend. He launched from the grid and immediately locked into battle with any rider in his way. He clawed his way forward and hit the top four with a few laps to run.
But he wasn’t done yet, he snatched third and then made an aggressive move to grab second and with set off after the leader. With the rain falling and the track getting more treacherous by the second, Nahlous didn’t let off and maintained his dry pace right to the finish to finish within sight of the race leader and cap off the weekend with a podium in the final leg.
His 6-9-2 results gave him fifth for the round but more importantly injected some confidence into the teenager ahead of round two at his home track at Sydney Motorsport Park.
“What a great way to finish the weekend,” Nahlous said at race end. “We had a couple of small issues to start the weekend, but everyone kept on working and I’m really proud to be able to turn it around in the final race and get on the podium for my first race with YRT.
“It’s been awesome since I joined the team and testing has been going well but the racing is where is really matters, and it was such a good feeling to show that work everyone is doing in the results.
“Thanks to my guys on the team and Yamaha for giving me this opportunity. Hopefully it is just the beginning,” he ends.
Mike Jones continues his turbulent relationship with the Phillip Island circuit and while finishing eighth for the weekend doesn’t look great on paper, there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic moving forward.
Jones finished with 5-7-9 results but dig a little deeper and it's not all gloom and doom. Jones qualified in sixth place, but just .2 from the front row. From there, each and every race saw him charge through the field and often post some of the quickest laps of the race, only to make a mistake or run wide.
He was in contention for a podium in every race, but just wasn’t able to happen, but reflects with his usual honesty and responsibility.
“The team gave me a great bike all weekend, so I will take responsibility for the results,” Jones laments. “Looking back, despite just being a tenth or two off, my qualifying position wasn’t good enough and I was always in the chaos of the pack on the opening laps.
When I was able to break clear of that, I was able to move forward and work my way back into the race but with the depth this year, those small mistakes prove costly.
“I need to be more assertive on the opening laps and control my track position better. I got pushed around on the weekend and took me too long to settle into my pace. But this is fixable and I go into round two with a different mindset, I’m sure the results will be much different.
“Thanks to the team for their efforts on the weekend, they didn’t stop. It's up to me to put it on the podium and give them to reward they deserve,” Jones said.
It’s a month turn around before round two at Sydney Motorsport Park and the focus has already shifted with further testing already planned. The two-day event, that runs into the night and under lights is set down for March 27-28.
ASBK Results
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ASBK Results
Rd1 – Phillip Island
Superbike
1st Harrison Voight - 68
2nd Jacob Roulston - 62
3rd Cameron Dunker- 56 (Yamaha)
4th Josh Waters - 50
5th JJ Nahlous – 47 (Yamaha Racing Team)
6th Ant West - 45
7th Glenn Allerton - 42
8th Mike Jones – 42 (Yamaha Racing Team)
9th Jack Favelle - 35 (Yamaha)
10th Cru Halliday - 35