Allerton and Maxwell return to Yamaha

Yamaha Racing Team (YRT) will continue with incumbents Glenn Allerton and Wayne Maxwell in the 2017 Australian Superbike Championship, beginning at Philip Island from February 24-26 as the major undercard to the world superbike opener.

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Allerton and Maxwell finished second and third in the 2016 Aussie title, but as past champions are looking to wrest the No. 1 plate off Honda's Troy Herfoss in 2017.

At 36 years of age, Allerton shows no signs of slowing down.

“For a lot of people and teams, finishing second and third in the championship a couple of years in a row would be seen as successful and many would have rested on their laurels but that’s not how I or the YRT team see it,” Allerton said.

“We have analysed our seasons with a view of what we can do better in 2017. I feel that we are going down the right path to correct some of the issues that we had last year, and most importantly, I feel really confident on the Yamaha YZF-R1M.

“The testing we did at the end of 2016 was invaluable and my feel on the bike was excellent. My lap times were good, my confidence grew and the entire team is excited about going racing in 2017."

Maxwell expresses similar feelings to his teammate. He said: “We have already started testing and getting the preparation more sorted than what we did in 2016.

"We head into this year with more direction, more purpose and more knowledge and we are also in the same series so we are leaps and bounds further ahead as a team and this will be a huge benefit as the year progresses.

“With riders, teams and even privateers stepping up their game, 2017 promises to be a tough year with a great level of racing and professionalism both on and off the track. There will be a new race format and it will take more than just a few fast laps to win a round or a championship.

“I look forward to the new challenges and will prepare myself better than I ever have before. The team have shown their commitment and its time we rewarded them with some championship success."

This year's Australian Superbike Championship is set to be a cracker, with Bryan Staring returning from Europe to partner Herfoss at Honda; reigning Australian supersport champion Troy Guenther will take the step up to the top category on a BMW; Robbie Bugden and Kyle Buckley will join the action on Kawasakis; and Callum Spriggs has taken the Europe-bound Mike Jones' spot at Ducati.

There are also whispers that former Aussie champion Josh Waters could be gridding up on a Suzuki, as well.

2017 Australian Superbike Championship calendar
Rd1: 23-26 February – Phillip Island, Vic (WorldSBK)
Rd2: 17-19 March – Wakefield Park, NSW
Rd3: 28-30 April – Winton, Vic
Rd4: June – TBC
Rd5: 25-27 August – Morgan Park, Qld
Rd6: 8-10 September – Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW
Rd 7: 6-8 October – Phillip Island