Image: Keith Muir.

Emerging Queensland talent Aiden Wagner is confident he can contend for the Supersport victory this weekend when the Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship resumes in South Australia during his first competitive appearance at the Mallala circuit.

The Yamaha YZF-R6 pilot was third at Wakefield Park’s opening round in a promising performance, and with multiple days testing completed at Mallala in the lead-up to today’s first practice sessions he’s hopeful of debut success in SA.

“I’ve never raced at Mallala before so I’m really hoping to make it a track to remember and bring home the win,” Wagner said. “It will be tough, but I feel I am as ready as possible to face whatever comes to me, I have been training very hard with Richard Holt from ‘The Holt Bolt’ to get my body in shape to fight for victory.

“I feel our testing was a success with good pace for much of our time there. It all went to plan with a heavy focus on setup, working directly with XXX Rated Race Suspension. We encountered a few gearbox issues at times but we worked hard to resolve them over time and I feel we are in a good position leading into Friday practice.”

According to Wagner, the commitment of traveling to South Australia pre-race for his vital first laps at the venue will play a major role in boosting his race-winning chances across the weekend.

“We are feeling confident leading into the race weekend and I’m really glad we had the chance to get some testing completed before the event,” he added. “The weather is very different to what I am used to in Queensland so adapting myself and the bike to this is crucial.”

Round two of the 2014 Swann Series will take place at Mallala from 16-18 May.