ASBK resumes for epic back-to-back weekends to decide the 2022 Champion

It seems like an eternity since the Australian Superbike Championship last laid down rubber on a race track, but in fact, it’s only been three months. And this weekend, the wait to return to racing comes to an end as the championship goes full throttle for back-to-back weekends of competition that will decide the 2022 crown.

The Australian Superbike Championship last raced three months ago at Queensland's Morgan Park.

Supporting the final round of the World Superbike Championship being held concurrently, the ASBK title fight is a three way affair between Yamaha Racing Team’s Mike Jones, defending and three times champion, Wayne Maxwell and Desmosport Ducati’s Bryan Staring.

Since returning to Yamaha’s factory team at the beginning of the season, Queensland based Jones has found himself back in form after an indifferent couple of seasons plagued by injury and reliability. Dominant performances at Queensland Raceway, Wakefield Park and Hidden Valley in Darwin sees the man they call ‘Mad Mike’ leading the point score by 29 points heading into this weekend’s penultimate round.

Yamaha Racing Team's Mike Jones, currently leading the 2022 Australian Superbike Championship.

The rider that sits behind Jones in the standings is Wayne Maxwell, who has won back-to-back titles across the last two COVID-interrupted seasons. But season 2022 hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Wollongong-born rider, who rides a privateer Ducati prepared by Craig McMartin Racing.

A heavy crash in the opening race of the season at Phillip Island immediately put Maxwell behind the eight ball in his pursuit of a record-breaking fourth Australian title. Since then, he’s delivered consistently strong results, including dominating wins in the last round at Queensland’s Morgan Park. He is raring to go in his goal to reel in Jones and the Yamaha.

Current and three times Australian Superbike Champion, Wayne Maxwell at the opening round back in February. Credit: Karl Phillipson/Optikal

The biggest surprise of the championship fight is Western Australian Bryan Staring. Having joined Desmosport Ducati at the beginning of the season after his ride with Kawasaki collapsed midway last year, he’s been consistent with his race results throughout 2022. The major highlight was his emotional win in the opening race of the season, which he inherited following Maxwell’s crash in the same race.

Staring sits 53 points behind Jones coming into this weekend, but with three races on offer, Staring is not taking any chances against his opposition.

Bryan Staring won the opening race of the 2022 season in emotional circumstances back in February. Credit: Karl Phillipson

Whilst the attention is very much on the top three, don’t discount the likes of Troy Herfoss, Cru Halliday, Glenn Allerton, Arthur Sissis and Josh Waters. These are riders who all have a mathematical chance of staying in the hunt for the title and will be hoping for the right opportunities to come their way.

This weekend is sure to ignite plenty of drama and tension as the championship heads towards its dramatic conclusion. SBS and SBS On Demand is your destination for all things ASBK from 1pm AEDT, featuring highlights of races one and two and live coverage of race three. You can also catch up on previous rounds of the championship via SBS On Demand.