Josh Waters on his way to the 2012 ASBK title with Team Suzuki.

Team Suzuki manager Phil Tainton has high hopes for Josh Waters upon return to the GSX-R1000 in the 2014 British Superbike Championship.

Waters was confirmed this morning to be joining John Hopkins at Tyco Suzuki for next year’s BSB campaign (click here for details).

Tainton steered Waters to two Australian Superbike Championship titles, his first as a rookie in 2009 and another in 2012 before he departed for BSB full time this year.

“It’s a good opportunity for him,” Tainton said. “There are enough unknowns over there without throwing a whole new bike into the mix for the first year at least.

“Now he’ll be back on the Suzuki, he’s a little bit more familiar with the tracks and surroundings, that should be his grounding foundation.

“Josh knows what the Suzuki’s like and he should be able to make enough adjustments to make it how he likes them. He has what it takes to be competitive on another Suzuki.

“That’s not to say the Yamaha or Kawasaki that he rode this year have anything wrong with them, I just think that a known quantity will set him straight and build his confidence again.”

Tainton’s Team Suzuki squad successfully defended its ASBK title in 2013, with Wayne Maxwell at the helm after replacing Waters in the factory team.