OFFICIAL PROGRAMME

What ’ s the go ? Who ’ s in form ? What can we take away ? In 2022 , the mi-bike Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul ( ASBK ) joined the WSBK event in November for the second-to-last round and the riders ’ form was fairly clear , so answering who was going to be where over the weekend was easier . Not only that , it was also the second round for the year at The Island , so a casual glance at the results sheet from the earlier round also helped to tell – and predict - the tale .

Fast forward to season 2023 and Round One and it is a different caper altogether . The past King of the Island Wayne Maxwell hung up his ASBK leathers at the conclusion of 2022 . Further , Round One , 2022 PI winner Bryan Staring is currently without a ride in 2023 , while 2022 overall champion Mike Jones has not always been the go-to guy at Phillip Island .

That does , however , leave us with three-time ASBK title winner Josh Waters . In the back half of 2022 , he changed from a BMW M100RR to join Wayne Maxwell aboard a Boost Mobile

with K-Tech Ducati Panigale and to say he came to terms with the Ducati immediately might be the early leader for understatement of the season .

What was supposed to be a cameo filling in for Maxwell at the notan-ASBK round MotoGP event saw him break the ASBK lap record ( 1:31.705 ) in his second race and he pretty much forced team owner Craig McMartin ' s hand to offer him a seat for the remainder of the year .

At the penultimate event - Round Six - Waters was there to essentially run interference for Wayne Maxwell while also doing what he could to secure some points for himself . With Maxwell posting DNFs in two of the three races , Waters took his opportunities and finished the weekend as the round winner with one win and ultimately showed the Boost Mobile with K-Tech team that with Maxwell retiring , he would be the rider best suited to the spot in 2023 .

And so it is . The Craig McMartin prepped Ducati is still the weapon

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