Image: Andrew Gosling (tbgsport).

Motorcycling Australia (MA) has announced the following affiliated clubs that will act as the Australian Superbike Championships (ASBK) Host Clubs in 2016.

Hartwell Motorcycle Club, Motorcycle Racing Club of WA and Motorcycle Sportsmen of Queensland all ran rounds of the championship in 2015, while St. George Motorcycle Club will be newly added to the list of Host Clubs in 2016.

ASBK will again continue its strong working relationship with the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for round one as the 2016 ASBK championship roars into action at the World Superbike Championship in February.

The Host Clubs played a crucial role in the success of each and every ASBK round during the 2015 rebuild and they again join MA with the common goal of creating a sustainable and successful Australian Superbike Championship.

In 2016 MA will continue to focus on the key elements of Stability, Consistency, Safety and Fairness for all competitors.

“MA is committed to providing an inclusive championship for its members with the opportunity to race in the national series made available for club competitors through to Australia’s elite riders,” Motorcycling Australia CEO David Cottee said of the Host Club model.

“This forms a long-term strategy to develop not only a successful ASBK in 2016 but to build the framework for future champions. The next Australian world champion will begin the pathway with ASBK like many Aussie champions before them.”

Speaking about the announcement, president of Motorcycle Sportsmen of Queensland Paul Dawson said it was great for the club to again be involved with the ASBK series.

“We are very much looking forward to bringing the ASBK back to Morgan Park after a successfully run event in 2015, and will certainly be trying to make it bigger and better for everyone,” he said.

“There was a lot of positive feedback after the event and we are going to bring the superbike experience back to Warwick where we had such great support from the local community, the track and from our riders, competitors and the volunteers as well. Being the final event it should be a big drawcard, and we can’t wait to host it!”

After great success last year the Club Challenge races return to each standalone round in 2016. This important development opportunity provides the chance for club level competitors to compete at the pinnacle of Australian road racing in front of big crowds.

At rounds 2–6 each of the Host Clubs gets the chance to select a local category that is popular at their club and state championships to compete at the ASBK round in their area.