Round 2 winner Mike Jones (Yamaha Racing YZF-R1) is the current points leader through the first two outings on 86, with Round 1 victor Bryan Staring (Ducati V4R) second with 70 closely followed by Josh Waters (BMW) on third with 67.
Staring will need a big effort at Wakefield Park to wrestle the lead back or even make up significant ground, and any errors will open the door for Waters to vault into second with such a slim margin between the two.
With that in mind, let's look at how the first two rounds of Superbikes action saw these contenders on their respective points tallies.
Round 1 - Philip Island
Veteran rider Wayne Maxwell (Ducati V4R) began the first race of the season in dominant fashion until a slip-up on the fifth lap saw him crash out on turn eight, which left the trailing Staring a clear trail ahead to roll through to the finish with a four-second margin on Yamaha YZF-R1 duo Cru Halliday and Mike Jones.
Maxwell regained his composure to grind out a win in the second race, staying on the bike to take victory by two seconds over Staring and Halliday (Yamaha YZF-R1).
Staring took the overall lead at the end of the day with 45 points ahead of Halliday on 38 and Jones on 35.
Round 2 - Queensland Raceway
Staring got out to a hot start in the first race, looking to extend his lead on the rest of the competitors before Jones took a narrow lead on the second lap. Staring wouldn't be able to take the lead back though, as an error going through a corner saw him surrender second place to Maxwell as Jones secured victory by 5.6 seconds, with Waters again finishing third.
Maxwell was the one to have the best start in the second race, but it was short-lived as Jones blitzed through to lead once again with the rest of the race a tight cat-and-mouse affair between him and Staring. Jones eventually held off his rival to complete a two-from-two winning performance on the day, this time by 4.6 seconds ahead of Staring in second and Maxwell third.
Jones took a huge 51 total points from round two, leapfrogging Staring in the process who only managed 25 with Waters moving up to third with 34 to improve on his 33 in Round 1.
Australian Superbikes Championship - Round 3, Wakefield Park
1:00pm - 4:00pm (AEST)
LIVE on SBS and SBS on Demand
