Shark Leathers Riders Strong on Friday at ASBK Round 3

Friday practice is complete at The Bend Motorsport Park, with Shark Leathers riders showing strong pace across Round 3 of the Penrite Australian Superbike Championship presented by Pirelli.

With weather reports showing an 85% chance of rain on Saturday, the opening day became an important chance to bank dry track time, build confidence and get the bikes into the window before qualifying.

The Bend is never an easy place to master. It is technical, physical and this weekend it has already thrown windy conditions at the field. Even with that challenge, the Shark riders finished Friday right in the mix across Superbike, Supersport 600 / Next Gen and Supersport 300.

Jonathan Nahlous

Superbike

Jonathan Nahlous put together a strong opening day in Superbike, finishing 5th overall and less than a second off the fastest lap of the day.

It was a positive start to the weekend, with Jonathan using the practice sessions to work on both himself and the bike as he continues building confidence around The Bend.

“Day one was good, lots of progression throughout the day working on myself and the bike,” Jonathan said.

“The Bend is a good track. It’s really technical and difficult to go fast, but when you get it, it’s satisfying.”

Heading into Saturday, the focus is on improving bike rotation and refining lines around the circuit.

“Going into tomorrow I’m working a bit on setup to help the bike rotate better, as well as playing around with my line.”

“The goal for tomorrow is just to keep moving forward and hopefully move myself a bit further up the grid.”

Jonathan also gave his Shark suit the all important tick after a full day on track.

“The suit was feeling good, really comfortable and most importantly looks sick.”

Valentino Knezovic

Supersport 600 / Next Gen

Valentino Knezovic also had a strong Friday, finishing 2nd in the Supersport class and 5th in the combined Supersport / Next Gen field.

The day did not start perfectly, with Valentino needing to work through some early bike feeling issues, but the team found a better direction and he was able to set a new personal best by FP3.

“The morning was quite difficult with the bike not feeling comfortable, but it was quickly resolved, being able to set a new PB in FP3,” Valentino said.

Valentino described The Bend as a physically demanding circuit, but one that rewards the rider once everything starts to click.

“Very physically demanding track, but once you’re doing things right the amount you have to work lessens and lap times come easier.”

The wind was one of the big challenges across Friday practice, and learning how to work with it became a key part of the day.

“Adjusting to the wind was a big learning curve today. Once I was able to use it, things eased.”

Heading into qualifying, Valentino knows there is still time to find, but the areas he wants to improve are clear.

“Overall time needs to improve, but in areas that we can fix easily which is a comforting thing.”

His target for Saturday is to qualify on the front two rows and set himself up strongly for the races ahead.

“To hopefully qualify on the front two rows, setting myself up good for the races ahead.”

Valentino was also happy with the feel and fit of his Shark suit.

“Shark suit felt amazing. Its comfort and sturdy fit provide me the confidence I need that in the unlikely event of a crash, I’m super safe. Not only that, it looks hella cool.”

Riley Nauta

Supersport 300

Riley Nauta was the standout performer in Supersport 300, finishing 1st overall after topping both FP2 and FP3.

Day 1 started with Riley and the team trying a new setup in FP1, but slippery track conditions made grip difficult. Even so, he still managed P2 before the team moved closer to last year’s setup for FP2.

“The bike felt much better straight away,” Riley said.

From there, Riley put together a strong run, going P1 in FP2 with a 2:10.8, finishing 1.5 seconds clear of P2.

He backed that up again in FP3, improving to a 2:10.2 despite traffic and time lost in a few sectors.

“In FP3 I focused on improving a few areas where I was stronger last year. Even with some traffic and losing time in a few sectors, I finished P1 again with a 2:10.2 and an ideal of 2:09.8, so overall I’m happy.”

Riley was also happy with the feel of his Shark suit.

“The Shark suit felt really comfortable and had no restrictions in movement.”

Heading into qualifying, Riley is focused on cleaning up a few sectors and putting the full lap together.

“The goal for tomorrow is pole and the race win.”

Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia Pacific Championship

The weekend also features Round 2 of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia Pacific Championship, with the young international field joining the ASBK programme at The Bend.

It was a very windy start to the weekend for the bLU cRU riders, with four riders coming down during the day. Thankfully there were no serious injuries, with all riders back up, while the bLU cRU team worked hard and fast to get the bikes repaired and ready to return to the track.

The big standout on Friday was local rider Hunter Corney, who dominated the day by topping both practice sessions.

Hunter got his head down early and looked comfortable from the start, finishing the day with a 1.25 second gap back to 2nd place.

For many of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia Pacific riders, The Bend is a new and challenging circuit. Friday was all about adapting quickly, learning the layout and building confidence before qualifying and racing begins.

Saturday Could Shake Things Up

With rain looking likely tomorrow, Friday’s dry practice running could prove extremely valuable.

Jonathan is right in the mix in Superbike. Valentino has put himself near the front in Supersport. Riley has started the weekend on top in Supersport 300. And in the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Asia Pacific Championship, Hunter Corney has made the strongest possible start on home soil.

Now the focus turns to qualifying, where changing weather could play a major role across every class.

Team Shark is right in the fight. 🦈