Waters back in Aussie superbikes
Will ride a Yamaha in the final round of the Aussie championship at Winton, and then at the MotoGP support races at Phillip IslandMultiple national road racing champion Josh Waters will make a surprise return to domestic competition this weekend at the final round of the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) in Winton (Vic).
After failing to secure a contract to continue riding in the British Superbike Championship in 2016, 29-year-old Waters has grasped the opportunity to return to domestic competition in a brand new privateer team outfit called Apex Motorsport.
Waters will compete at Winton on a Yamaha YZF-R1M, after impressing in a two-day test session at the same circuit last week when he was second fastest behind Honda's Troy Herfoss.
"I'm really excited to be back out there this weekend. Of course I'm a little bit nervous, as my last year here (in 2012) was a successful year," said Waters. "Obviously it's going to be hard, because all these guys that I'm racing against are Australia's best riders and they've been racing these bikes all year.
"It's not going to be easy, but being a racer I want to try my hardest and hopefully be towards the front end."
The former junior dirt- and long track prodigy won his second Australian superbike title in 2012, and then left Australia to compete in the British superbike title. His three-year tenure in the UK returned mixed results, the highlight being a win at Brands Hatch in 2014.
His only race track forays in 2016 have been in Japan, and he was extremely impressive in being the first privateer team home in the famed Suzuka 8-Hour world endurance race. Waters rode alongside good friend Nobuatsu Aoki and Yoshihiro Konno to finish fifth, the trio aboard a Suzuki GSX-R1000 -- the same bike which brought Waters his two Aussie superbike titles.
Back in Australia, Waters will ride under the Custom Plates banner via a Victorian government-backed 'Keep it on the track and off the street' road safety initiative.
The final round of the 2016 Australian Superbike Championship kicks off with practice on Friday, building up to Sunday's two races.
Yamaha's Wayne Maxwell leads on 216pts from Herfoss (209) and Glenn Allerton (Yamaha, 205).
For full results from Winton, click here.
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