News 17 Sep 2014

Maxwell open to shock 2015 Yamaha ASC switch

Current ASC leader could exit Honda at the close of this season.

Image: Keith Muir.

Image: Keith Muir.

Current Swann Insurance Australasian Superbike Championship leader Wayne Maxwell could transfer to the factory Yamaha Racing Team (YRT) with YMI in 2015 as uncertainty surrounds his position within Team Honda Racing.

After being dumped by Honda at the end of 2012, Maxwell won the 2013 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) for Team Suzuki, before reuniting in a Motul-backed sub-division of Team Honda Racing in the ASC for 2014 when Suzuki exited the sport.

Prior to securing a seat with Honda domestically for this season, Maxwell landed a plum ride in the Endurance World Championship with the Monster Energy Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART), which could lead to a fulltime berth aboard a YZF-R1 in 2015 both locally and abroad.

Maxwell, 31, has made no secret that he’s yet to enter negotiations with Honda for next year; instead setting up a shock switch to Yamaha upon arrival of a hotly-anticipated R1. Such a move would be one of the biggest in the sport’s history if he manages to clinch both the ASC and Saturday-run Australian FX-Superbike crowns at Sydney Motorsport Park in November.

“I really want to continue racing overseas in World Endurance and Yamaha is a good option there,” Maxwell revealed to CycleOnline.com.au. “I want to be on the same manufacturer in Australia and Europe next year – that’s something I’ll be looking at and I have spoken to Yamaha about that. I’d like to think they will take me into consideration and I can see myself fitting in at their team. Hopefully they can see the same and we can come up with a deal.”

Maxwell has been in phenomenal form to date in 2014 since returning aboard the CBR1000RR – in the SP variant this year – but doesn’t expect to be retained if Team Honda Racing does downsize from its current four-rider structure as per ongoing paddock speculation suggests.

“If Honda races I would also like to think they would consider me as an option, but they haven’t spoken to me yet and it appears they’ve spoken to some other guys in the team,” he added. “It would be Honda’s loss if they don’t want to take me on.

“They got rid of me at the end of 2012 because they didn’t think I could do the job, so to win the ASBK championship last year for Suzuki and to be leading both championships this year back with Honda, I would like to think they could reconsider their point.”

Coming off the back of two successive round wins despite ongoing recovery from injury, Maxwell is at the centre of the local silly season, with Yamaha or Honda yet to determine their 2015 racing programs – either the series they will contest or rider line-ups.

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