10 riders to watch for in ASBK 2022

Wayne Maxwell first announced his retirement in March of 2021, but as the year progressed, so did his form. With four race wins and four 2nd place finishes aboard his Boost Mobile Ducati V4R, Maxwell won the 2021 Championship with a 43-point lead over BMW’s Glenn Allerton.

Whilst still announcing his retirement in the post-race interviews at the final round at The Bend Motorsport Park, you could sense the fire was still there. It only took one and a half months for the privateer to announce he wasn’t quite ready to hang up the leathers just yet, saying he’s “ready to make an assault on the 2022 ASBK Championship.”

After Troy Herfoss’ horrendous crash in Race 2 at Hidden Valley Raceway, Darwin in 2021, no one knew how the 2018 Australian Champion would come back from it. Troy’s Penrite Honda machine hit the air-fence first at speed, damaging a large extent of the protective barrier surrounding the concrete wall in which Troy made impact with.

Herfoss sustained a badly broken right humorous and femur which both required surgery. Eight months later, Herfoss is still limping around with his right leg 10mm shorter than the left, but there’s no doubt he will be eager to mix it with his main championship contender Maxwell in 2022.

Queenslander, Mike Jones has an impressive resume to his name and has an ability to gel with any motorcycle he rides. After winning the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship with Desmosport Ducati, Jones seemed to have lost touch with the front pack of Herfoss and Maxwell, finishing 7th in 2020, and 9th in 2021 after sitting out the final round at The Bend.

After the shock announcement of Mike parting ways with Desmosport Ducati and announcing his new home at the Yamaha Racing Team in 2022, Mad Mike is ready to make the championship his own on the Yamaha R1M.

It was a disappointing end for Bryan Starring in 2021 when his longstanding team of BC Performance pulled out of the ASBK Championship with one round remaining, but it didn’t take long for Starring to announce his move to Desmosport Ducati team in 2022. Whilst the move to the Ducati V4R this year will put him to the test, Starring will also be moving to a proven tyre manufacturer.

There’s a dark horse in the 2022 ASBK Championship who resides in the newly formed BMW Alliance Racing team. 22-year-old Lachlan Epis is no stranger to the race track on an international and national scale, but he’s never quite been in the mix at the front. That could all change in 2022 after putting down some solid lap times at the 2-day official ASBK test at Phillip Island, placing him third overall behind Yamaha Racing Team’s Cru Halliday, and of course, championship favourite Wayne Maxwell. Watch this space.

2017 Australian Superbike Champion, Josh Waters, is set to make amends after a disappointing season in 2021, and he’s got the package behind him in 2022 to make it work. It goes without saying that gaining a seat on the Next Gen Motorsports BMW M 1000 RR in 2022 could be his best move yet, after posting some solid results in both unofficial and official pre-season testing. Josh Waters could be what BMW needs to get its first championship title after an eight-year drought.

There are two very fast rookies in the mix in 2022. You can’t discount 18-year-old Max Stauffer for the Rookie Championship title, with the Stauffer surname a very popular one across the paddock. Max’s dad, Jamie Stauffer, has a world of knowledge like no other when it comes to hurling a superbike around the fastest tracks in Australia, and the pressure will certainly be on.

Having just won the Australian Supersport 600 championship last year, Broc Pearson has impressed many straight out the gate jumping onto the Yamaha R1M this season. With a strong team backing Pearson this year, he is set to give Stauffer a run for his money for the Rookie Championship in 2022.

Although Ant West didn’t post the strongest of times at the official ASBK test at Phillip Island, finishing 11th overall, it’s exciting nevertheless to have a former Moto2 World Championship competitor on the grid. There’s no doubt his knowledge and experience will come through when it matters most.

The 2018 Australian Supersport 600 Champion is yet to win a SBK title, but after a strong official test at Phillip Island leaving him 2nd overall, this could be his best chance yet.