Source: MA.

Motorcycling Australia (MA) has announced a total of five Australian riders that will compete as wildcards in the opening round of the Superbike World Championship (WSBK) at Phillip Island on 20-22 February.

Australia will be well represented with two riders in the World Superbike (WSBK) class and three competing in World Supersport (WSS) ranks.

Representing Race Center, Jed Metcher is set to give the WSBK class a shake up, having just signed a two-year deal to race in the competitive British Superbike Championship. The 24-year-old is looking forward to kicking off 2015 racing against the best in the world.

“I’m super-excited to be able to showcase what a small Melbourne-based company like Race Center can produce on the world stage,” Metcher said. “We understand that we still have a long way to go with our preparation and testing but we are confident that we can produce impressive results at the beautiful Phillip Island circuit.”

Matthew Walters, 23, joins Metcher in the premier Superbike class. He was selected as a replacement for the Perdecini Kawasaki team in 2014’s opening WSBK round after Italian Luca Scassa was ruled out injured.

Due to mechanical issues, Walters was unable to see much track time last year, he’ll undoubtedly grab his second chance in the WSBK saddle with both hands this year.

Headlining the World Supersport (WSS) wildcard entrants is Queenslander Aiden Wagner, who raced in the Moto2 class as a wildcard with Marc VDS at last year’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Wagner is racing under the Oz Wild Card Racing banner aboard a Yamaha, his experience at the elite level racing against the likes of Esteve ‘Tito’ Rabat will be invaluable as he takes on the world-class grid.

Joining Wagner in WSS is young Territorian Sam Lambert, an ASBK Supersport front-runner who will race a Triumph at the Phillip Island Circuit.

West Australian and winner of the Supersport Class at 2014’s Kings of Wanneroo, Tim Boujos, rounds out the Australian contingent competing against the rest of the world.