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Race win for BCperformance & Olly Simpson in Queensland
BCperformance Kawasaki’s Olly Simpson claimed a spectacular second race victory and third overall on the Kawasaki Supersport podium at the third round of the 2025 Australian Superbike Championship in Queensland, while teammate Hayden Nelson finished one position behind in fourth place.
Riders were exposed to a variety of weather conditions across the race weekend, with the Queensland Raceway surface providing a fresh challenge for the Team Green crew each time they hit the circuit.
Free practice on Friday saw Simpson slot his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R into P1 on the timesheets with a 1m11.166s lap-time, as Nelson sat fifth after recording a 1m11.608s. Qualifying saw Simpson post a 1m11.148s for fifth on the grid while keeping a new tyre up his sleeve in favour of race strategy, with Nelson one position behind in sixth with a 1m11.212s.
South Australian talent Simpson continued his form as a round front-runner in both races, which was highlighted by a nail-biting second race victory as the top four riders put on a brilliant performance, covered by less than half a second as they crossed the finish line. Combined with a ninth-place finish in race one after an off-track excursion, Simpson finished third overall for the weekend.
Olly Simpson:"It was a really solid weekend for us as a team. We had really good practice sessions up towards the top and had good pace, even in qualifying – I was fifth on the grid, but I saved an extra tyre, so I had solid race pace. Unfortunately, in race one I ran into a small drama, went off the track and finished ninth, which was a bit disappointing considering how I felt. The last race was awesome, it was a battle, and I managed to come away with the win there. Massive thanks to the team for giving me a great bike all weekend.”
Nelson, meanwhile, was also competitive throughout the weekend on his BCperformance Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, extracting a fourth-place finish in race one for what he deemed as the maximum performance for that encounter. Fifth in race two after a measured ride in the afternoon, saw the 18-year-old finish with a 4-5 scorecard for fourth overall.
Hayden Nelson: "Fourth and fifth in the races, we banked some really good points again, and I think P4 in the first one was the best we could get out of it. Fifth in race two, I was a little disappointed with that. I put my head down to catch the boys at the front, but they had a bit of a slip-stream train going, so I thought better of it and stayed consistent. We’ve taken a massive step with the bike this weekend, and I’m looking forward to the technicality of Morgan Park.”
In terms of the Kawasaki Supersport Championship standings, Simpson climbs to second position, with Nelson sitting in fifth following three rounds of ASBK competition for 2025. The series will next travel to Morgan Park for round four of the season between June 13-15.
Kelvin Reilly, BCpeformance Kawasaki Team Manager: “A first win in the Kawasaki Supersport class from Olly is fantastic and I’m a little emotional right now. This is our first Australian championship race win since 2019 as well, and this weekend the team did such a great job and worked really hard. Both boys are just getting faster and faster, and the same goes for our Ninjas, we just improve every time we go racing. A massive thank you to all of our partners who support the team, we’re very grateful for the help.”
Kawasaki riders were also remarkably competitive in the Supersport 300 category in Queensland, where Champion’s Ride Days-backed Jake Paige rode his Ninja 400 to victory, followed by Riley Nauta in P2 and Tyler King in third place. Scott Nicholson and Tara Morrison completed the top five, making it an all-Kawasaki lockout in positions 1-5 this weekend.
2025 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) – Queensland Raceway, QLD
Kawasaki Supersport Round Three Results:
1. Tom Bramich
2. Jack Mahaffy
3. Olly Simpson, 9-1 (Kawasaki BCperformance Ninja ZX-6R)
4. Hayden Nelson, 4-5 (Kawasaki BCperformance Ninja ZX-6R)
Kawasaki Supersport Championship Standings:
1. Jack Mahaffy, 148 points
2. Olly Simpson, 121
3. Archie McDonald, 109
4. Tom Bramich, 102
5. Hayden Nelson, 98