Team Honda Racing's Wayne Maxwell was the last man standing in the opening ASBK race at the Paperclip. Image: TBG Sport/Andrew Gosling.

Team Honda Racing’s Wayne Maxwell has won a dramatic opening race of Queensland Raceway’s sixth round of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship.

Maxwell proved the last man standing in the first 16-lap race of the weekend, holding off series leader Glenn Allerton (Procon Maxima Racing BMW) by 0.224sec.

The race was led early on by pole-setter Jamie Stauffer (Team Honda Racing) before he crashed out on lap two at Turn Four, leaving Allerton, Josh Waters (Team Suzuki) and Ben Attard (i-Style The Natural Aprilia Racing).

Waters then fell victim to the Turn Three braking area and ran off the circuit shortly after taking the lead, before Attard did the same thing a lap later.

That slip-up allowed Maxwell to take over at the front, with he and a fast-finishing Allerton doing battle until the race’s conclusion.

Rounding out the podium was Attard, who passed Robbie Bugden (Team Mack Trucks Suzuki) and Craig Coxhell (Demolition Plus GAS Honda Racing) in the closing laps.

Meanwhile, Waters fought his was bay to sixth ahead of returning Suzuki rider Scott Charlton (Racer’s Edge Performance Suzuki) and Troy Herfoss, who recovered from an off-track excursion of his own early on.

Top Prostock finisher was Linden Magee in 11th outright for Coastline Motorrad BMW, leading home Team Suzuki’s Brodie Waters, who was directly behind him.

The second and final race of the weekend will take place tomorrow at 2.05pm.

Click here for detailed results