You don't change a winning team! That's why Phil Tainton, who manages Team Suzuki in Australia, decided to hire again the riders who allowed this Motul-supported team to win the Australian Endurance Championship last year. Therefore the highly awaited new GSX-R 1000 will be entrusted for the Superbike championship to Josh Waters, 2009 champion, and to Ben Attard, who rode for the team last year in the Supersport category on a GSX-R600. He is now hired full-time by Team Suzuki and is of course thrilled by this: 'Being part of Australia's best team and riding the best machine is exactly what I hoped for', he acknowledges. He replaces Troy Herfoss, busy in 2012 in a foreign championship.
For its Supersport programme, the team is relying on Brodie Waters, Josh's young brother who showed brilliant potential last year on a GSX-R 600. Last, Robbie Bugden, triple New Zealand champion, is also returning to the Superbike championship with a third factory-supported GSX-R 1000.
Phil Tainton is confident: 'I think that for 2012 we have an excellent team, and Josh has got back into shape like he was before the 2010 accident. I'm also impatient to see the new GSX-R 1000 racing. It features improvements on which we'll have to work this year. A new motorcycle always represents an enthralling challenge, because we accompany its development.'
The start of the championship is scheduled for 25 and 26 February at the Phillip Island circuit, in the state of Victoria, near Melbourne.
