Waters and Team Suzuki were unstoppable in the Northern Territory.

Last weekend’s Hidden Valley round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship marked a redemption of sorts for reigning champion Josh Waters, bouncing back from a disappointing first round to dominant the time sheets in Darwin.

The Team Suzuki leader was quickest in every single session of the weekend, taking Superpole and winning both of Sunday’s premier races to jump from eighth in the series to second, just eight points off series leader Wayne Maxwell.

Waters seemed more focused than ever in the Northern Territory, determined to claw back the points he lost at Phillip Island’s season opener, working closely with team manager Phil Tainton to make the most of his powerful GSX-R1000.

MotoOnline.com.au gave the Victorian from Mildura a call today to find out his thoughts on the weekend.

Josh, it was a perfect weekend at Hidden Valley for you, that must feel pretty satisfying for you considering the depth of talent in ASBK this season?

For sure, it was a perfect weekend and the team did a great job with the bike. I knew from the test that we would be quick after we did a lot of work for the team, but I really didn’t expect it to go as good as it did.

I guess winning both races is one thing, but being quickest in every session was a massive achievement…

Yeah, I was thinking just before the second race that I’d look like a bit of a clown if I didn’t win it, since I was quickest in every session and won the first race up until that point. It’s hard to predict what will happen in the races because the depth of talent in our championship is quite tough, so I just had to keep my head down and keep trying as hard as I could.

You’re eight points off series leader Maxwell now even though you entered the round 24 points behind, so are you relieved to be back in the championship hunt now?

Well I never thought I was out of the championship really, because Wayne was nearly 30 points behind last year and then by the final round he had every chance of winning it going into Phillip Island.

I wasn’t too stressed about the title going into Hidden Valley, and looking at the circuit I knew that the bike would be quite strong there. It was a perfect weekend to be fastest every session and then win both races in different conditions – it shows how good the GSX-R1000 really is.

You seemed focused in Darwin, more so than usual, so do you think that helped you gain the advantage over your rivals for the round?

Yeah, I think so. I tried really, really hard at the test and I knew that we were going to be quick. I never usually do race simulations at the tests and I did before last weekend, so I knew how the bike was going to be and I knew what times I could run at over the race distance. Like I said, it was the perfect weekend for the team and I.

What did you think of the week in the Northern Territory? Did you like the Hidden Valley circuit and the promotion of the event?

It was perfect. It would be awesome if we could have it at each round like that. It was a good weekend and we’ve never had that much publicity, it was an awesome weekend. Also, to have my little brother Brodie win his first Supersport race was pretty cool, so it was an awesome weekend for the family.

Queensland’s just over a month away, are you confident that’s a track where you can possibly take over the series lead?

I’ll try my hardest, but it’s a strong track for at least five of us guys up there and it’s going to be a dog fight. It’s going to be really hard, but I just need to keep working. Hopefully we have a good round up there and can really get back in the championship.

Supersport round winner Herfoss and Superbike sweeper Waters were all smiles after the second races.

You mentioned it before, but your younger brother Brodie won his first Supersport race for second overall at Hidden Valley, you must be pretty excited for him…

Yeah, it was awesome for him and the team that he’s put together with Nicholas. He puts a lot of effort into his bikes and I think a lot of people would be blown away by the dedication that he puts into the sport. I’ve enjoyed riding with them a fair bit this year, so it’s been really good.

I was watching race two, the battle between him and your Team Suzuki teammate Troy Herfoss, who do you cheer for when you’re in your team pits???

As long as it’s a Suzuki one-two finish then that’s all that matters [laughs]! I actually said it to Lynne Tainton, I was like “who do I go for here!?”. But they’re really good, Phil helps Brodes out quite a bit also, so the way I see it is that it’s a win-win as long as Suzuki’s winning. But in saying that, I’ve got to go for my little brother [laughs].

Alright mate, well good job once again and we’ll catch up with you again soon!

Thanks, Al.