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Top-five scores for Kawasaki BCperformance riders Olly Simpson and Hayden Nelson in ASBK Round 2
BCperformance Kawasaki teammates Olly Simpsonand Hayden Nelson both posted top-five finishes in Sydney Motorsport Park'ssecond round of the 2025 Australian Superbike Championship, the pair ofKawasaki Supersport class contenders impressing in the spectacle under lightsthis weekend.
Free practice on Friday saw Simpson slot hisKawasaki Ninja ZX-6R into P4 on the timesheets with a 1m34.621s, with Nelsonsixth after recording a 1m34.698s lap-time. Qualifying saw Simpson improvefurther at 1m33.564s for fifth on the grid, join on the second row by Nelsonafter he managed a 1m33.808s.
Riders were faced with drying conditions in raceone on Saturday afternoon at the 3.93-kilometre Gardner GP Circuit, whereSimpson – equipped with Pirelli's wet weather tyre option front and rear – ledmultiple laps on his way to an eventual fourth position. The second race sawSimpson card a P5 result in the evening, securing him fourth overall and just asingle point outside of the podium.
Olly Simpson:"Itwas a good weekend of learning for us as a team, we gained a lot out of it asfar as the bike goes and how I have to ride it. In race one, I think we playeda pretty good strategy, but just missed out. It's just one of those unluckythings where the wets just went off just towards the end there and the riderson slick tyres were able to come past us once the track dried more. In thesecond race, I just sort of struggled a little bit with maybe the wrong tyrechoice, but there are still positives to take out of the round and we roll ontoQueensland next."
Nelson, meanwhile, was also competitivethroughout the weekend on his BCperformance Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, putting in ameasured performance in the opening 11-lap encounter for sixth, before edgingSimpson to claim a confidence-inspiring fourth in race two on Saturday night.Those results placed him fifth overall, showcasing the capabilities of bothriders despite the challenging conditions experienced over the course of theweekend.
Hayden Nelson:"Thisweekend was good. It's our team's home round and it was good to bank somepoints with 6-4 results, despite the mixed conditions. I feel like I rode wellin that last one, just missed the podium, and we were able to take home goodresults as a team. I think we will be even stronger at Queensland Raceway next,we will be able to make steps forward and we are scoring good points at themoment, so it's all looking good for the long haul in terms of thechampionship."
In terms of the championship, Simpson remains inthird position, with Nelson climbing to fourth following the first standaloneround of the ASBK championship. The series will next travel to QueenslandRaceway for round three of season 2025 in the Sunshine State from between May2-4.
Kelvin Reilly, BCpeformance Kawasaki TeamManager: "Overall, we're satisfied. Westill have some work to do in areas, but both of the boys rode great in themixed conditions that we experienced all weekend long and the team worked sowell together, too. We haven't had the new Ninja ZX-6R for long – onlyaround two months at this stage – so there is more to come, and we're in a muchbetter place this season already than where we were last year. We are excitedto keep building upon this momentum."
2025 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) – Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Kawasaki Supersport Round Two Results:
1. Jack Mahaffy
2. Archie McDonald
3. Jesus Torres Cabrera
4. Olly Simpson, 4-5 (Kawasaki BCperformance Ninja ZX-6R)
5. Hayden Nelson, 6-4 (Kawasaki BCperformance Ninja ZX-6R)
Kawasaki Supersport Championship Standings:
1. Jack Mahaffy, 110 points
2. Archie McDonald, 109
3. Olly Simpson, 84
4. Hayden Nelson, 65
5. Marcus Hamod, 62