With 1994's Shell Series champion Anthony Gobert summoned to the World Championship, his nearest competitors Marty Craggill and Peter Goddard started the season as favourites. Goddard put the aging Ansett Air Freight Suzuki on pole for the first ever Shell Superbike Series event, but in the wet conditions on Sunday New Zealand's Jason McEwen took first blood before his Ducati broke down in race 2 handing a win to Craggill. Returning from injury, Kirk McCarthy immediately scored 4 consecutive podiums in his comeback but was already out of contention having missed round 1. While Craggill and Goddard were consistent they were outclassed in the latter half of the season when the Ducati Dealer Team replaced their old 888 machines with brand new 916s; Shawn Giles went from a consistent finisher to a 4-time race winner with a run of form that clinched him the championship at the final round.