Double dose of ASBK Grand Final action from the Bend on SBS On Demand

The 2023 Australian Superbike Championship is set to go down to the wire at The Bend Motorsport Park next weekend and in a big bonus for ASBK fans, SBS On Demand will stream all of Saturday’s qualifying action, as well as the Sunday action live and free.

For the third year in a row, the final round of ASK will be held at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia.

From the sand of the Dakar Rally, to the dirt of ProMX to the burning rubber of the Australian Superbikes, there’s a host of great motorsport to watch on SBS On Demand.

All classes within the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) will be crowning new champions next weekend and fans will get to witness all the tension and excitement of qualifying, with all day coverage commencing from 9:50am AEDT to 6pm AEDT. On top of qualifying, there’s coverage of the opening races for Supersport 300, Oceania Junior Cup, Yamaha Financial Services R3 Cup and the Superbike Masters.

Fans can then tune into live coverage of Sunday’s action on SBS and SBS On Demand from 1pm AEDT, featuring the title deciders in Superbike, Supersport and the aforementioned junior classes.

“We’re thrilled to stream the final round of the 2023 Australian Superbike Championship on SBS On Demand for a jam-packed weekend of action for motorsport fans,” said SBS Director of Sport, Ken Shipp.

“SBS Sport strongly supports Australian motorcycle racing and we can’t wait to see the nation’s fastest riders battle it out at The Bend Motorsport Park.”

For the third year in a row, the top prize in domestic motorcycle racing will be decided at Australia’s newest permanent motor racing facility on the outskirts of Adelaide in South Australia. In 2021, it was Wayne Maxwell who won his third Australian championship aboard the McMartin Racing Ducati V4R, fending off an injured Troy Herfoss.

Maxwell was aiming to create ASBK championship history last year by becoming the first rider to win four titles in the premier class. However, a number of crashes and mechanical issues prevented that from happening, as Mike Jones went on to win the 2022 championship for Yamaha, making it the first championship win for the factory team in 15 years.

It was also Jones’ third ASBK title win of his career, becoming the fifth rider in championship history to win three Australian titles. He joined Maxwell, Josh Waters, Shawn Giles and Glenn Allerton as the most successful champions in ASBK history.

However, 2023 has not been kind for Jones and Yamaha. Engine failure in the opening race at Sydney Motorsport Park, plus a crash at the last round at Phillip Island ended his chances of winning a record-breaking fourth title.

Instead, it’ll be a head-to-head grudge match between Mildura’s Josh Waters for McMartin Racing and Ducati against Goulburn’s Herfoss and Honda Racing. The pair head into the final round equal on 293 points, the first time in ASBK history that a championship heads into the final round with the protagonists deadlocked.

Troy Herfoss and Josh Waters will head into the final round deadlocked on 293 points.

For Waters, ASBK championship history awaits as he aims for that elusive fourth title with his previous three titles all aboard Suzuki machinery - the last being in 2017. For Herfoss, he’ll be trying to prevent that from happening and become the sixth rider in the 35 years of the championship to win three titles in the premier class.

It’s a scenario that has Motorcycling Australia CEO Peter Doyle salivating at the prospect.

“In the four decades of the Australian Superbike Championship, this is the first time two riders have gone into the final round deadlocked on points,” he said. “That means every minute of racetrack action at The Bend will be must-viewing and SBS On Demand will be there to make sure we get the full picture.”

How to watch the ASBK Grand Final on SBS

Saturday, December 2

9:50pm - 6:00pm AEDT

EXCLUSIVELY LIVE on SBS On Demand

Sunday, December 3

1:00pm - 4:00pm AEDT

LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand