Bittersweet weekend for DesmoSport Ducati

Desmosport Ducati and Broc Pearson have completed the three-round northern swing of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) at the shared event with the V8 Supercars at Queensland Raceway, with the highlight being a third place podium in the opening race of the weekend. After an encouraging race simulation during the extended Saturday morning warmup, the packed house had to wait an extra day to see the Superbikes in action after the opening race was cancelled due to an oil spill. When the lights went out on Sunday morning Pearson battled solidly to slot into third place by mid-race distance, holding that position until the chequered flag. Improvement off the start-line has been a talking point this season and with a confident launch in the second race, Pearson sat comfortably in third with second-placed Mike Jones in his sights. Disaster struck several laps in however, with Pearson being taken out by another rider. It was an agonising conclusion to a weekend that had otherwise been overwhelmingly positive. Next Gen Supersport were integrated into the Superbike field for this event and once again Luca Durning turned in a solid performance on the Ducati Panigale V2, posting a 4-4 result in an expanded field. 

Broc Pearson #11

• Qualified: 4th (1:07.656)
• Fastest Lap: 1:07.656 (Q2)
• Results: 3-DNF, 12th Overall
• Championship Standing: 6th

Team Owner, Ben Henry: "Round five with the Supercars was awesome - until it wasn't. This morning in the opening race I felt we were pretty competitive. There is a little bit left to find in our starts, but I think we are about 80 percent there. Our lap speed is good, particularly over race distance and the big positive is that I feel like we are as good now with the new electronics package as we were at the end of last year. Unfortunately, the second race today just didn't quite pan out. It's disappointing, but now we move on to Phillip Island. We were strong there earlier in the year except for our starts - now they are much improved I'm really looking forward to going back and seeing what we can do."

Broc Pearson: "This weekend started out really well and to put our Panigale on the box in the first race was really positive. The pace was pretty quick but we were perhaps missing a few tenths to run with the front two guys. In the second race I got off to a good start and I was feeling confident, it was great battling with Mike and Glenn in the opening laps but to be taken out so early was really disappointing - not just for me but for everyone in the team. There have been a few of these types of crashes this year and it can be pretty hard to take; but on a positive note I do feel like we are making important steps forward as a team and it won't be long before we hit that top step. Thanks to all my friends, family and fans that turned out at QR, I'm already thinking about the next round at Phillip Island and how we can keep improving."

Round six of the ASBK championship will see Desmosport Ducati return to Phillip Island for the second time this year over September 6-7.

For full results head to www.computime.com.au

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2025 Australian Superbike Championship

• Round 1: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC Feb 21-23​
• Round 2: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW Mar 28-29​
• Round 3: Queensland Raceway, QLD May 2-4​
• Round 4: Morgan Park Raceway, QLD Jun 13-15​
• Round 5: Queensland Raceway, QLD Aug 8-10​
• Round 6: Phillip Island GP Circuit, VIC Sept 6-7​
• Round 7: One Raceway, NSW Oct 3-5​
• Round 8: The Bend, SA, Nov 7-9

Broc Pearson #11

Championship Standing: 6th

• Round 1: Phillip Island

5-4-DNF, 7th Overall

• Round 2: Sydney Motorsport Park

7-7, 8th Overall

• Round 3: Queensland Raceway

5-6, 5th Overall

• Round 4: Morgan Park

2-3, 2nd Overall

• Round 5: Queensland Raceway

3-DNF, 12th Overall

• Round 5: Phillip Island

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