Maxwell is still the ASBK leader heading into round three.

Demolition Plus GAS Honda Racing’s Wayne Maxwell has maintained his Australian Superbike Championship points lead after a solid performance at Hidden Valley Raceway in a very hot and humid Darwin last weekend.

Race one was a wet and slippery affair with heavy Darwin rains hitting the circuit half an hour before the start of the race. A great start saw Maxwell lead the first lap of the race only to be passed by Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters and Valvoline Superbike Team rider Glenn Allerton on lap two.

Maxwell held third position for the majority of the race until Team Suzuki’s Robert Bugden made a pass on lap seven. With championship points in mind, Maxwell rode a conservative race and held fourth position until the race was declared on lap eight after a red flag.

The second and final race of the day was a warm one with the temperature hitting a humid 31 degrees. Maxwell got off the line well, following Waters into the first turn and sticking to his rear wheel for the first few laps. Maxwell held second position until lap nine as Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing rider Bryan Staring made a move.

It was a battle for second as the two riders fought it out to the chequered flag. Waters took the win with Staring in second, while Maxwell crossed the line in third position on track, only to be dropped to seventh after recieving a 10-second jump start penalty.

“Overall I’m happy with the weekend’s results; we maintained our point’s lead and made a lot of positive progress with the bike which is the most important thing,” Maxwell said. “I really enjoyed the Hidden Valley circuit and had a great time in Darwin. I’ll definitely be looking forward to coming back next year. ”

The next round of the ASBK will be held at Queensland Raceway on the 3–6 June.