Image: Russell Colvin.

A team sponsorship announcement by Crankt Protein Honda Racing earlier this week has subtly confirmed factory duo Troy Herfoss and Jamie Stauffer will return to the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) fulltime in 2016.

Honda has won the past two Australasian Superbike and Australian FX-Superbike championships with Wayne Maxwell (2014) and Herfoss (2015) respectively, but won’t defend the titles in the upcoming season.

Team principal Paul Free preferred not to make a major splash about the high profile team’s ASBK switch when contacted by CycleOnline.com.au on Thursday, but did further confirm that the team has turned its attention back to the ASBK following a positive two seasons in the rival FX-ASC series.

The confirmation that Crankt Protein Honda Racing will revert to the ASBK came in the final paragraph of this lengthy team sponsorship announcement on Monday, purposely placed by the team in order to reduce the fanfare surrounding its long-speculated switch.

It was previously announced that Honda will maintain the Herfoss and Stauffer rider combination for 2016, alongside a newly-formed factory motocross and supercross team – the entire operation backed by incoming title sponsor Crankt Protein.