Newly-crowned QBE Australian Superbike Champion Wayne Maxwell was the man of the moment on Sunday afternoon at Phillip Island’s season finale, clinching his first national title after more than a decade in the series.

It was a popular victory for the Melbourne-based 30-year-old, in what has been a swift transition to the Phil Tainton Racing-prepared GSX-R1000 in 2013.

Russell Colvin caught up with Maxwell to speak about the season that was for CycleOnline.com.au.

Team Suzuki’s Wayne Maxwell celebrates the 2013 Australian Superbike Championship victory. Image: Russell Colvin.

At the start of 2013 in Tasmania, what were your hopes for the Australian Superbike Championship?

Well I knew we would be competitive. I’ve been competitive for the last five or more years, so I just knew once I became 100 percent confident in the Suzuki GSX-R1000 we would be competitive.

How hard was it at the beginning of the season in February to come to grips with a new bike being the Suzuki GSX-R1000?

I guess it’s like any job, when you turn up every day, you cash in the motions and take things for granted. The change was difficult but it was made super easy by the support that the people at Team Suzuki gave me and they worked tiredly to give me the package that we needed to win races.

Also Dunlop worked so hard to supply a tyre that was simply amazing. All in all the Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Dunlop tyre made the best package for the year – I can’t thank them everyone enough for their hard work.

You have finished in the top three in every single race this season. Is that something that has been a highlight for you this year?

We have been on the podium at every race this season, which is great. The first four races we had four seconds, then we went to Sydney Motorsport Park where I got my breakthrough win and we had four wins.

Maxwell sealed the title with six race wins to his credit. Image: Andrew Gosling/TBG Sport.

Then onto Darwin we won the first race, and apart from the jump start penalty we would have won the second race, then obviously at Phillip Island we got a win and a third. As I said the package has been great since the get go, we’re just getting stronger and stronger with every outing.

What’s been your main highlight then this year, Wayne?

I guess my highlight would have to be not only my first win for Team Suzuki at Sydney Motorsport Park, but to take four from four. It’s hard enough to win races on the best of days, but to be able to win four races in the style that we did was just unbelievable and something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.

When you crossed the finish line at the island in race one and wrapped up the championship, can you describe your emotions. What was it like to finally get the monkey off your back?

To win the championship, my first championship within my first year with Team Suzuki was unreal. I’ve been so close so many times and didn’t quite get there and I had to put all the time I hadn’t won out of my mind and thought forward.

And the belief I guess. When someone puts belief in you, I don’t like to disappoint anyone. So to be able to reward Suzuki with the championship and everyone that has supported me, not only Suzuki. It’s a really big weight off my shoulders and makes me sleep easy at night that’s for sure.

Maxwell will take the same consistent approach into the 2014 season in his title defence. Image: Andrew Gosling/TBG Sport.

Looking towards 2014, can you go back-to-back championships?

Anything is possible. But until your there in the situation, obviously the plan is to stay with Suzuki and go from there and try and go back to back championships. But I will be sticking with the same plan as we went through this year taking it lap by lap, session by session, race by race, and hopefully at the end we have enough points to go back to back championships.

Now that the season is over for the year, what’s the plan for your off-season summer break?

In the off-season, I’m getting married in November, so I’m looking forward to that. And from there continue training. Hopefully Melbourne turns on a good summer and really looking forward to going jet-skiing with Russell Colvin…