2013 marks the first full Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) season for Beau Beaton, a versatile racer who brings plenty of international experience to the fore in the Racer’s Edge Suzuki seat.

The hard-working privateer team has been a fixture in the ASBK paddock for some time, and Beaton is eager to continue developing the GSX-R1000 as the events tick over.

A consistent start to the season has Beaton in the battle for the top privateer and well in the mix on overall standings too. We caught up with Beau to break down the first few rounds and find out what he hopes to achieve as the season passes the half-way point.

Beau Beaton is aiming for the title of top privateer in the 2013 Australian Superbike Championship. Image: Andrew Gosling/TBG Sport.

You’ve contested a number of rounds before but this is your first full season on a Superbike. Was it good to lock in the seat knowing you’d be working with the team over the course of the entire year?

Yeah absolutely. I did few rounds on a Ducati back in 2010 and then came on board with the team towards the end of last year so it was good to lock in the full season for 2013. I was a bit rusty when I came back last year, I’d been off the bike for a while so it took a bit to come together. But definitely, it was good knowing the team and the bike I’d be riding. Over the full season I think I’ll really be able to come to grips with it, I’m really happy to be riding for the Racer’s Edge team.

We’re two rounds into the season now. Can you sum them up for us – have your results been what you’d expect at this point?

In Tassie I was really happy with the pace. We were quick at Phillip Island and we carried that over to the first point-scoring round so I was happy to keep that up. There was a bit of drama there involving other bikes, in one race I had my helmet covered in oil, but I was stoked with the pace. Queensland Raceway isn’t one of my favourite tracks and I didn’t go as well as I’d hoped there at all. We did the test beforehand but got to a certain point and couldn’t move forward. That’s kind of where we stayed for the round. It wasn’t a terrible result but there is still room to move forward.

You’re working with the team to refine the bike to your liking. You outlined some of the issues at Queensland but overall is the development of the bike moving in a positive direction?

I think so. I think we had really good pace at the World Supers, which wasn’t for points, and then were pretty much on the mark at Symmons Plains. I wasn’t up to scratch at Queensland so we did go in search of some things there that we just didn’t manage to find in time. I’m looking forward to Eastern Creek (Sydney Motorsport Park) because it’s a track I know and like. I think I’ll have a better feeling for the bike there and hopefully be at that level we were at Phillip Island.

Beaton scored two consistent finishes at Queensland Raceway. Image: Andrew Gosling/TBG Sport.

The battle for the points between the privateers seems pretty intense and it’s hard to separate one contender from another. How are you finding the level of competition so far?

It’s been so close. Myself, Linden (Magee) and Chas (Hern) were all pretty even at the opener before we even started scoring points. It’s only getting closer. Now we’ve got young Glenn (Scott) in the mix and he’s doing really well. Chas is super fast, and going to be hard to beat in this bunch. I’m on the same equipment as Chas so there are no differences there. In the end it comes down to the rider. At the end of the season if we can come away as the leading privateer then I’d be really happy.

Racer’s Edge Suzuki opted for the Pirelli tyres for 2013. You had a chance to compare the brands as you raced the bike in the closing stages of last year. Has it been a good move?

Absolutely. I hadn’t really ridden on Pirelli slicks at all before the start of the year but felt really comfortable straight away. The Suzuki feels fantastic on Pirelli.