
Team Suzuki Ecstar will contest the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship with a three-pronged attack of Josh Waters, Wayne Maxwell and Alex Phillis, with the news coming during a flurry of recent rider announcements ahead of round one at Phillip Island from February 22-24.
Waters has signed a two-year contract extension to remain at Team Suzuki Ecstar for the 2019 and 2020 ASBK seasons, with Maxwell returning to the Japanese manufacturer where he won the 2013 ABBK title.

Phillis will be the satellite rider at Suzuki, while in other ASBK news Penrite Honda will be adding to its roster in 2019 while Yamaha Racing Team will continue with a two-rider operation – but with a Maxwell replacement.
Reigning Australian supersport champion Cru Halliday is Yamaha’s new superbike rider, with Dan Falzon to continue his association with the marque.

Penrite Honda has signed Mark Chiodo to campaign alongside reigning Australian superbike champion Troy Herfoss. Chiodo was Waters’ teammate at Team Suzuki Ecstar in 2018.
At Kawasaki BCperformace Racing, Bryan Staring returns in 2019, to be joined by Lachlan Epis.

Meanwhile, Troy Bayliss is likely to continue his association with Ducati in 2019, with Glenn Allerton in the same boat at BMW. Whether they’ll be riding the powerful new Panigale V4 R and S 1000 RR – both announced at the recent EICMA motorcycle show in Milan – remains to be seen.
The 2019 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) will be held over seven rounds and across four states, and will conclude at Sydney Motorsport Park from November 1-3.
For more information on the championship, visit www.asbk.com.au.
