Wayne Maxwell is confident he can hold onto his points lead to wrap up a maiden ASBK title. Image: Toby Lynch.

Australian Superbike Championship points leader Wayne Maxwell admits he did not expect to head to the series finale at Phillip Island this weekend with the considerable points lead he currently holds.

The Team Suzuki rider has won five of the last six races contested to establish a 31-point buffer over his closest rival and teammate Robbie Bugden.

Victorian Maxwell has come close to landing the elusive title in seasons past, and is hopeful that 2013 can be the year that he breaks away from the runner-up tag.

“I definitely didn’t think I’d be heading to the last round with a 31-point lead,” Maxwell told Ride Rage Radio. “I thought it would come down to the last race, last lap sort of stuff, but thankfully Suzuki have given me a bike that’s been good enough to put me in the position to win five out of the last six races.

“We’re very confident heading into the last round. We’re just working away and sticking to the same plan we’ve had since Darwin, to go there, lap by lap, session by session, and just keep ticking the boxes and doing what we do.”

Though the task on paper isn’t the toughest assignment Maxwell has faced, he is well aware that rival riders are all eager to round out the year at the front of the field.

He highlighted the record-breaking pace of the Superbike field as a sign that riders were pushing harder than ever in search of the perfect lap.

“Everyone’s got a point to prove, everyone wants to keep their jobs for next year,” he said. “You’ve got Jamie Stauffer got a bit of form coming on and still a possibility to finish second in the championship, and who knows what to expect from Glenn [Allerton] – he’s had a few down rounds and he’ll be looking to hit back.

“It’d be nice just to cruise out front and have no pressure but you have to be a realist. These guys are super competitive, the lap times we’ve seen at every circuit this year I think we’ve broken the lap record at every circuit bar one, so its been crazy fast everywhere we’ve been.”

The final grab for championship points will play out on Sunday over two 12-lap races following Saturday’s Superpole to set the grid.

Listen to the complete interview with Ride Rage Radio here