Simpson rewarded with maiden Superbike podium at season finale

Desmosport Ducati finished the 2026 Australian Superbike Championship on a massive high at Queensland Raceway over the weekend of June 27-28, with Olly Simpson grabbing his maiden Superbike podium in race two. Simpson, who had once again been competing in both the Next Gen Supersport and Superbike classes, surging into the lead at turn two and holding it until the penultimate lap. Simpson's challenge didn't end there - fighting into the final turn for a well deserved second place. Simpson had just dismounted his Panigale V2, having dominated both Next Gen Supersport races and equipped with valuable track knowledge on the now wet track. The foundations for victory were built during practice, with Simpson hitting lap record pace on old tyres, further highlighting his level of performance throughout the season. Anthony West also made his highly anticipated return at Queensland Raceway, but admitted to feeling rusty after being sidelined for two months with a broken hand. West managed ninth in race one after running as high as seventh but fell foul of an engine issue in race two while hunting a podium finish. Luca Durning also experienced a tough weekend and after continually improving his lap times, a broken chain forced a premature end to his second race. The Desmosport Ducati team will now focus on preparing for the 2027 ASBK season with the first task being finding new homes for the current Panigale V4 R race bikes. The new Summer Series format, which commences alongside the Phillip Island MotoGP round over October 23-25, allows plenty of time to source support for the coming season as the team makes the exciting step to the new seventh generation Panigale V4 R.

Olly Simpson #45 

Superbike 

Qualified: 10th (1:14.858) 

Fastest Lap: 1:14.432 (R1)

Results: 10-10 

Championship Standing: 14th 

Luca Durning #18 

Superbike 

Qualified: 18th (2:25.077) 

Fastest Lap: 1:55.841(R1) 

Results: 14-14 

Championship Standing: 13th 

Olly Simpson #45 

Next-Gen Supersport 

Qualified: 1st (1:54.902) 

Fastest Lap: 1:54.058(FP3) 

Results: DNF-DNS 

Championship Standing: 3rd

DesmoSport Ducati Team Owner, Ben Henry: "Round five, the last round for the 2026 season at Queensland Raceway. I bit off more than I could chew this time, which is my favourite thing to do! We ran three superbikes without too many more staff - so we all had to work way harder. Fortunately for us, the V2 literally runs itself. We didn't even put new tyres on it on Friday, it was just minor adjustments here and there. With Olly running in both Superbike and Next Gen Supersport, his performance in both classes was probably compromised a little. With two race wins and a podium, as an overall result it couldn't have worked out better; when he rolled out in Superbike in the wet after winning Supersport it was a big advantage. It was awesome to have Westy back, he's reliable and always fast - it was a shame he was a bit rusty but he'd just broken his hand - what are you going to do? It was our final round with Luca and a shame to see to him go, really. Thanks to him and his family for the last couple of years, it's been really enjoyable and they are great people; I look forward to seeing them at the track next season.”

DesmoSport Ducati Rider, Anthony West: "Happy to be back riding but I'm frustrated with the way things have turned out this year. I love the team and I love the bike but we just haven't been able to put things together. In the final race I felt like I had third in the bag and might have been able to catch Olly and Glenn, but I had a big high-side out of turn three. I saved it, my legs were up in the air, but I think the quick over-revs broke the engine. It's a disappointing way to finish the season, but that's racing I guess. It never gets any easier, but I wish it would! I'm not sure what the future holds but I'm not done yet."

DesmoSport Ducati Rider, Olly Simpson: "It was a super productive and happy round; it was good to end on a high note, I reckon. From the get-go the V2 was fast, we pretty much had the lap record in practice and the qualified P2. Winning both races in the dry and wet, I was super happy to end the season like that. It was a shame to pick up third in the championship, but those results show how strong we were once we got it going. I was happy with the progress we made on the V4 as well, I think I got a PB in race one. The first race didn't finish that strong - there were a few mistakes from myself but I can see there are things I can work on. In the second race we had drizzle on the start line and had to switch to wets; the whole team did a great job getting the bike ready quickly. Coming fresh off the V2 in the wet I was able to grab the lead and put Glenn behind me, but he just pipped me at the end! I was struggling on the right handers a little bit but I gave it my all and we're super happy with P2, I couldn't ask for much more! I've now got plenty to work on during the off-season to get stronger on the superbike and I'd like to say a big thanks to Benny and the whole team for a fantastic season."

DesmoSport Ducati Rider, Luca Durning: "It was not the weekend we were hoping for at the final round, but I just want to say a big thank you to Desmosport for having us this season and last. I've had so much fun working with the team and the environment has been great. I look forward to potentially working with them in the future - I want to especially say a big thank you to Ben for taking on not only myself but our team into Desmosport, it's been amazing."

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

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Image Credit: RBMotoLens

2025 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 26-2