fierce battles and fond farewells at Queensland Raceway


Racing alongside the Australian V8 Supercars Championship brought a unique atmosphere to Round 5 of the ASBK, with packed grandstands and a new buzz in the paddock. While we missed having our Supersport and Supersport 300 riders on track, it was still a big weekend for the team.


Ant West – #13

Ant West put on a strong performance across the weekend, showing impressive pace but just missing out on that elusive podium. After qualifying in P5 and seeing Race 1 cancelled due to oil on the track, he battled hard in Race 2. West struggled with grip differences on the shared track, which made it difficult to match the Ducati’s drive out of corners. Despite that, he kept his laps consistent in the low 1:08s and finished in P5. Some changes were made between races, and in Race 3 West chased Glenn Allerton all the way to the flag, finishing just 0.4 seconds shy of P3. That secured him P4 overall for the round, a solid result that earned valuable championship points. West enjoyed the incredible atmosphere racing alongside Supercars brought, and with three tracks he feels confident at still to come, he’s looking forward to the rest of the season.


Jack Favelle – #33

Jack Favelle had a mixed weekend at QLD Raceway. He started strong with a P3 in wet conditions during FP1, but setup issues in qualifying saw him pushed down to 12th on the grid. In Race 2, Favelle struggled to find his rhythm and finished P10. Ahead of Race 3, the team made major setup changes, which helped him have a much smoother run and finish P8, providing valuable insights as the team moves forward. While the results weren’t exactly what he was aiming for, Favelle is focused on the positives taken from this round.


Ryan Yanko – #82

Ryan Yanko continued to build momentum across the weekend, improving each time he went out. After qualifying P15, Yanko put on a good show in Race 2 with a hard-fought battle against Marcus Hamod. After trading places throughout the race, he a little too comfortable on the last lap, where Marcus passed him on the back straight, resigning him to P14. Race 3 saw him take another step forward, setting his fastest lap time of the weekend and bringing it home in P13. Overall, Yanko came away from Round 5 in P14.


Eddie Leeson – #73

Guest rider Eddie Leeson made steady progress throughout the weekend as he adapted to the bike’s new setup and ever changing track conditions. After qualifying in P18, he showed great determination in Race 2, overcoming early traffic to finish P15, a result he was very happy with. He repeated that performance in Race 3, finishing P15 again. His consistent effort earned him P16 overall for the round.



Michael “Pops” Edwards – #37

Round 5 ended on a bittersweet note,  as Michael “Pops” Edwards took to the ASBK grid for the final time. Michael spent the weekend dialling in his new bike, steadily improving his pace each session, and saw his best pace of the weekend despite opting to retire from Race 3 in the final laps. Though not the finish he might have dreamed of, it was the right moment for him to step away - at his favourite track, where he’s made so many great memories over the years. After more than 30 years of racing, Edwards announced that he was going to “hang up the helmet while I can.” While he still dreams of conquering local meetings, he’ll be leaving the top tier to the next generation of riders. It’s been an honour having Pops with Addicted to Track these past few years, and we couldn’t be prouder of the way he signed off - with style and a smile.


A huge thank you to our sponsors for their continued support: Motorex Australia, bLUcRU, ShopYamaha, Pirelli, Queensland Raceway, Northstar Yamaha, EK Chains, Moto Master, Hel Performance Australia, Motomuck, Evans Coolant, Vandemon Exhaust Systems, Füsport, Ricondi Motorcycle Apparel, Race and Road, SP Tools, Aly-Tek Racing Components, StoreAll Self Storage, Pitlanecrew, and Coach 49 Rider Development.


We now eagerly look ahead to Round 6 at Phillip Island on September 6th and 7th, with the whole team back on track.


Written by Taylor Hoeymakers.

Images by Pit Lane Studio.