Features 1 Dec 2009

Moto Talk with Josh Waters

MotoOnline.com.au speaks with Suzuki's new Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters just days after taking the number one plate.

Waters celebrates his championship after race two at Phillip Island.

Waters celebrates his championship after race two at Phillip Island.

The 2009 Woodstock Bourbon Australian Superbike Championship went down to the wire at Phillip Island in Victoria last weekend, where rookie wonder Josh Waters captured the crown for Team Joe Rocket Suzuki.

It was a startling year for the 22-year-old multiple-time Australian dirt track champion, winning the opening round at Phillip Island back in March and then going on to finish on the podium at every single round following.

Sitting two points behind defending champion Glenn Allerton entering the finale, Waters rode like a seasoned veteran onboard his GSX-R1000K9 on Sunday afternoon, winning both races by a comfortable margin in dominant fashion.

Those two race wins made it five for the year from the 14 contested, earning Waters the number one plate for season 2010 when it’s expected that he’ll defend his title with TJRS.

MotoOnline.com.au spoke to the new champ to see just how much life has changed now that he’s back home in Mildura in Victoria with that championship trophy on his mantle.

Josh, it’s now two days after wrapping up the title, has it sunk in yet that you’re the Australian Superbike Champion?

No, not really, to be honest. You know, after getting the Duke of Edinburgh Award and looking at all the names that are on that trophy, it’s pretty amazing that my name’s going to be on there too. It really hasn’t sunk in – I just can’t believe it.

It was a nail-biting season finale at the Island last weekend with yourself, Allerton and Maxwell in a position to win the title, so how did the weekend play out for you?

The weekend started off a little bit hard when after five laps I came into to pits and saw how fast Wayne [Maxwell] went and at that point it was obvious he was on his game for the weekend. I knew that I had to pull my finger out, so we worked through it and made the bike better after qualifying.

In the second qualifier I was able to do quick times on a really old tyre and then in morning warm-up I was able to go over a second faster than I had gone all weekend. After that I still wasn’t confident that I would definitely win, but I knew that I had a good chance to battle for it.

Although it was obvious you were focussed, you were still the same old Josh Waters throughout the weekend with a smile on your face. Did much change knowing that you had a shot at the title?

I was nervous – really, really nervous. I didn’t really know what to do, so I just tried to stay focussed on the job. It was really good to have Shawn [Giles] as my teammate because he’s been in that position a few times and he guided me a bit, so it worked out perfectly in the end.

Tainton and Waters make for a mighty combo at Suzuki.

Tainton and Waters make for a mighty combo at Suzuki.

We spoke about it a little for AMCN, but just how much has being on the TJRS team with Phil Tainton and also Gilesy helped you develop your career?

Ever since I joined Suzuki I think that my riding has really improved. It’s a huge credit to everybody in the team and Shawn has also been a huge part of it, I just feel really comfortable there. Phil seems to know how to bring the best out of me and know what to say, and when to say it at the right times to get me fired up. The main thing is that he understands what I say when I come into the pits.

That’s another thing of having a teammate like Shawn, I will probably never have another teammate like that where we share our settings and talk about what’s right or what’s wrong. We talk about where we are having troubles and seem to be able to fix any problem with the bike really fast. It’s just been fantastic.

I remember at Phillip Island when you won the opening round in the wet you were shocked, so did you even imagine at that point that you could be the champion as a rookie?

I was always going to try my hardest, but realistically I was happy to try and finish in the top three for the season. Coming into the season I thought that I might be able to get some podiums, and I knew that with a new bike on the way there was a possibility of winning a race or two, but to have the season that I’ve had is just unbelievable.

You seemed to gain a massive amount of confidence when you got the 2009 model GSX-R for the Eastern Creek round. How much different is that bike to the one you started the year on?

Well obviously the bike that I had was pretty capable. It was Craig Coxhell’s previous bike when he was on the team and he’d won races on it and had been extremely fast. There was nothing wrong with the 2008 model bike, but when I got on the new K9 it was just so much more like a 600 in the way that the power came on and that’s what I was used to riding. The front-end feel is just so confidence inspiring and is just awesome to ride.

At the race you said you’re dedicating this championship to two great riders in Kirk McCarthy and Judd Greedy, which was a great tribute by you…

Yeah, both of those guys have helped me out in my career. I used to go and annoy Kirk at the Broadford dirt track and he actually helped me get my first sponsor in Monza Imports. He was somebody I always looked up to, and I always wanted to win an Australian championship to dedicate it to him. And then earlier this year we lost Judd. We always seemed to be battling together and we never had any run-ins, he was just a top bloke, so it was hard when he passed away. It’s awesome that I was able to win and I’m so happy to be able to dedicate it to them.

And let’s speak about next year. Will we see you back again to defend that number one plate or have the international teams come knocking on your door by now?

Waters is likely to defend his number one plate in 2010 with TJRS.

Waters is likely to defend his number one plate in 2010 with TJRS.

At the minute, well either way I’ll be staying with Suzuki in whatever I do, but at the minute it’s looking like I’ll be racing here and hopefully some opportunities come to do some wild cards in world races. I’d love to be able to do it with my team that I’ve got, and I know that it’s a big ask, but I’d just love to race in a world race with the team I’ve got because I know that we could be pretty competitive.

Is an international career something that you’re aspiring for? Some guys say you should go now, but two ASBK titles on the resume would surely help the cause…

Yeah, for sure. The problem is that there are a lot of good riders and not a lot of top rides around at the moment. I’ve watched some of the good Aussie guys who have headed over and have probably done more damage than good by going over without the right team.

I don’t think it’d hurt staying in Australia and learning more, getting better and better, but I guess it’s a risk either way you look at it whether you go or not. The team around me is really great and I speak to Phil a lot about it. He is a pretty good judge and he says at the end of next year he’s going to make me go overseas. I guess sooner or later I’ll have to head over, but I want to try do it for the right team.

Alright mate, well congratulations again and we look forward to see you back with that #1 in 2010!

Thanks a lot, Alex.

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