Yamaha rider Mike Jones has kept his slim 2025 Australian Superbike Championship title hopes alive with two wins from two races in Round 7 of the championship at One Raceway on the weekend.
In front of several thousand passionate spectators, the Gold Coast rider was at his silky-smooth best as he won both races from pole position on his Yamaha Racing Team machine around the tight and twisty Goulburn circuit.
Meanwhile, Jones' heroics also coincided with the lowest scoring round of the season for championship leader Josh Waters (McMartin Racing Ducati).
Waters scored two fifth-place finishes, which allowed Jones to slash Waters’ lead to 50pts (338 to 288), down from 69pts at the start of the weekend.
“It’s been a really good feeling today, so special thanks to the Yamaha Racing Team for putting in such a big effort to give me a great motorbike," said Jones. "It was really special to get two wins for them.
"I’ll just keep the championship alive and roll onto the next one and see how we go.”
Impressive 17-year-old Cameron Dunker (MotoGO Yamaha Racing Team) was second in both races; hometown hero Troy Herfoss finished third in Race 1 but was relegated to fourth in Race 2 by Anthony West.
It was also a good weekend for One Raceway ambassador Tom Toparis, who came away with a pair of podium finishes - second in Race 1 and third in Race 2 - aboard his Next Generation Ducati in the Supersport races. Toparis earned a big cheer from the crowd when he leapt into the lead at the start of Race 2.
“I’m still learning the bike, I haven’t had the opportunity to test it outside of a race weekend,” Toparis said.
“I was right in the thick of the battle for the lead in both races, but I rode with a degree of caution - I was racing against the title contenders, and I didn’t want to ruin someone else’s championship by taking them out.”
The other Goulburn rider, Charlie Nichols produced a consistent weekend, finishing 10th, fourth and fifth in the three Oceania Junior Cup races.
The next major event at One Raceway is the final round of the NSW Motor Racing Championships on 17-18 October.
