Desmosport Ducati prepare to tackle 'The Bend'

Round three of the 2026 Australian Superbike Championship, being held at The Bend Motorsport Park this weekend (May 1-3), represents the midway point of the new-look ASBK season and the Desmosport Ducati team feel well prepared for strong results. Anthony West, with backing from Elite Roads, sits fifth in the championship after the Sydney Motorsport Park round and will be targeting podiums at The Bend after strong recent testing. Teammate Luca Durning has also been putting in the hard yards on track, eager to continue his positive trajectory of personal best times. Next Gen Supersport points leader Olly Simpson heads to his home track after making further refinements to his Ducati Panigale V2 package in the previous month. You can watch all the action live via the ASBK live stream on Sunday from 10:05am and live on SBS and Stan Sport from 1:00pm.

DesmoSport Ducati Team Owner, Ben Henry: "Going into this round we've had a busy month with plenty of testing that has produced some really encouraging results. Westy made a big step forward with setup where we've been fine tuning the electronics, but the main factor is his level of experience. He knows what to chase to find a solution and he knows what a good bike should feel like. We tested with Olly on the V2 at The Bend and again, it was very positive. This weekend the target is podiums at a minimum and I feel like we are in a good position to achieve that."

DesmoSport Ducati Rider, Anthony West: "Phillip Island was interesting for sure but I was really pleased with my pace at the first round...now I feel well adjusted to the bike - I just have to make sure I've got the launch control sorted for the starts! We've had a very positive test here at Sydney Motorsport Park last month, now it's up to me to bring the results."

DesmoSport Ducati Rider, Luca Durning: "After such a huge improvement at SMSP where we took chunks out of my personal best lap times, it's really left me eager to get started at The Bend. We know the track well, the team are working great together and I can't wait to get started on Friday morning.”

DesmoSport Ducati Rider, Olly Simpson: "It feels surreal to be heading to my home track, The Bend, on a Ducati Panigale V2! The season has started off well for us, we are in a good position in the championship and I know we can only get stronger. It's good timing to be heading to a circuit I really enjoy and know well, I can't wait to see how we can improve the bike this weekend.”

On-Track Schedule (Australian Central Time - SA local time)

Superbike

Friday

Free Practice 1 9:50am (25 mins) 

Free Practice 2 12:40 pm (25 mins) 

Free Practice 3 15:35 pm (25 mins) 

Saturday 

Free Practice 4 10:15 (30 mins) 

Qualifying 2:30pm (20 mins) 

Qualifying 2 3:00pm (15 mins) 

Sunday 

Warm up 9:15 am (10 mins) 

Race 1 11:15 am (11 Laps) 

Race 2 2:45 pm (11 Laps)

Next Gen Supersport

Friday

Free Practice 1 8:55am (20 mins) 

Free Practice 2 11:25 am (20 mins) 

Free Practice 3 2:40pm (20 mins) 

Saturday 

Qualifying 9:10am (25 mins) 

Qualifying 2 11:25am (25 mins) 

Sunday 

Warm up 8:45 am (5 mins) 

Race 1 10:05 pm (9 Laps) 

Race 2 1:35 pm (9 Laps)

Watch all the action on Saturday: 

SBS Sport & Stan Sport from 7:30pm 

ASBK Live Stream from 3:25pm 

Watch the Live Timing: www.computime.com.au

Image Credit: RBMotoLens

2026 Australian Superbike Championship

• Round 1: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, VIC Feb 20-22
• Round 2: Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW Mar 27-28
• Round 3: The Bend Raceway, SA May 1-3
• Round 4: Morgan Park Raceway, QLD May 29-31
• Round 5: Queensland Raceway, QLD Jun 26-28