Once the racing season kicks into gear, we find ourselves spoilt for choice with events to attend and follow. Today, CycleOnline.com.au presents our Top 10 races to follow, with a focus on the Aussie talent taking to the grid.

Source: MotoGP.

World Superbike Championship Rd1, Phillip Island
As is customary, the FIM World Superbike Championship will open its schedule for the year at Phillip Island on 23 February. Though we’re only a month out from the event, it’s unclear if we will have any local riders in the Superbike or Supersport classes taking part. Local wildcards are a chance, and there are still a host of highly-credentialed domestic riders that could potentially fill seats in these classes. Here’s hoping that the event produces an entertaining and closely-fought start to the season and that local crowds will have a home rider to cheer for.

Australian Superbike Championship Rd1, Queensland Raceway
The first of three rounds of the Australian Superbike Championship at Queensland Raceway takes place on 5-6 April, also the season opener. Grid placings are slowly coming together, with a host of new faces confirmed and a number of familiar riders confirming they will either make a switch to the Australasian Superbike Championship or possibly forego season 2014 altogether. It’s a crucial year for the ASBK, so here’s hoping that round one can kick things off on a positive note and build some strong momentum and interest in the championship.

MotoGP World Championship Rd1, Qatar
It will be hard to top the epic 2013 MotoGP title fight, a season that will be remembered for exhilarating competition, rivalry and controversy. Beginning under the lights of the Losail Circuit, it will be our first chance to see a vastly-different field in action. Australia will be capably represented in each class, with Broc Parkes taking on the challenge of racing a Paul Bird Motorsports-built production machine in MotoGP and Ant West returning for the QMMF Racing Team in Moto2. Jack Miller will be a top title contender in the Moto3 ranks in the class-leading Ajo Motorsports factory KTM outfit, and Arthur Sissis remains in the mix, eager to make inroads in a new challenge with Mahindra.

Australian Superbike Championship ‘2+4’ Hidden Valley
We expected to see the Superbikes back in the Northern Territory but confirmation has come through that the event, which receives significant support from NT Events, will run alongside the V8 Supercars. The result will be another valuable boost in exposure for the championship, in an area which is already quite familiar with the riders having visited since 2010. Superbike and Supersport will be on the bill, but that will be the extent of the classes taking part, a tough outcome for some of the supports who enjoyed the annual haul to the Top End.

MotoGP World Championship Rd17, Phillip Island
The 2013 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix will be recalled for years to come following a bizarre tyre degradation issue that forced a mandatory ‘bike swap’ mid-race in the MotoGP class, not to mention the drastic shortening of the support class races. 12 months down the track, that issue is sure to be a thing of the past, but its assured we can look forward to another gripping competition as the best in the world do battle. As indicated above, Australia will be represented in each class, with Parkes taking up the mantle of the premier class’ sole local combatant.

Image: Toby Lynch.

Australasian Superbike Championship Rd1, Wakefield Park
The premier ASC class will be without a number one plate holder with Parkes vacating his factory mount at Yamaha for a berth in MotoGP. Change is the name of the game in 2014, with a number of top-level riders making drastic changes. ASBK race winner Robbie Bugden is in at YRT, teammate Cru Halliday debuts in the top class, and Mike Jones is the newest 1000cc class rookie on a Kawasaki ZX-10. The opener in the rural town of Goulburn will be a solid indicator of form, one that will be watched closely as the series steps up its campaign to take on the ASBK.

Suzuka 8 Hour
The Suzuka 8 Hour carries with it an air of prestige that no other endurance event does. One third the distance of comparable World Endurance Championship marathons, there is a heightened focus on the urgency of the race – one mistake or slip-up can prove costly. Australia can expect to be well represented again in 2014, with Josh Brookes confirmed for Yamaha Austria Racing Team, and Josh Waters surely a top choice as he returns to his marque of choice at Suzuki.

British Superbike Championship Rd1, Brands Hatch
The hallowed Brands Hatch bookends the 2014 British Superbike Championship, a favourite series for Australian riders due to its leading level of competition. The opener will be one to watch, especially for Aussies, with Josh Brookes and Josh Waters literally swapping seats to line up for Milwaukee Yamaha and Tyco Suzuki, respectively. Brookes is a proven force, and should be a contender for race wins from the outset. Waters is back on his favoured GSX-R and should come into his own with a season of experience beneath his belt. Aussies pack the support classes too, and we’ll be following the progress of each and every one closely.

Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man TT is the one of the world’s most prolific road races and rightly so – few can step forward and say they have put together a perfect lap of the world’s most treacherous public roads, a task that demands speed, precision and unrelenting bravery. In 2013, Aussie fans had an even greater interest in the race as Josh Brookes made a stunning debut, claiming the honour of Fastest Newcomer. While Brookes may miss the 2014 event depending on Yamaha’s participation, there will be plenty of focus on the performance of the Aussies that do make an appearance.

Australasian Superbike Championship Rd2, Mallala Motorsport Park
National level competition returns to South Australia in 2014 with the confirmation of round two of the ASC on 16-18 May. Mallala has not hosted such an event since 2009, and the return has been welcomed by competitors and fans alike. Unfortunately, the event falls on the same weekend as the ASBK’s second round, unavoidably held in concert with the V8 Supercars in Western Australia. A number of top-level teams and riders have a difficult choice to make in terms of the event they will attend.