Queenslander Ben Attard is confident that surgery to combat severe arm pump will set him up for a strong finish to the Australian Superbike Championship season when it continues at Queensland Raceway this weekend.

Attard and his i-Style The Natural Aprilia Racing team have been somewhat of a surprise package in 2011, and the Brisbane-based rider has shown he will be a factor right until the final race.

“I was able to get in an have an operation after the last round to try and reduce the arm pump I was suffering, my arms feel a lot stronger now and I’m confident I’ll be able to hang on to the bike for the full race distance,” said Attard.

“We’ve been working on a few new parts for the bike and the test showed they are taking us in the right direction.

“Jamie [Stauffer] is the target for the whole field at the moment. He’s got the bike dialled for this circuit and it’s up to us to work hard and close the gap.”

The 2+4 events feature a combined grid of Superbike and Prostock racers, and the separate Prostock Challenge will continue to intensify.

Riders will have 20 minutes on Friday morning to find a suitable setup ahead of Friday afternoon’s Qualifying 1 and Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2.

The top eight times in Qualifying will advance to QBE Superpole to determine the front row of the grid for Saturday and Sunday’s 20-minute races.