Image: Russell Colvin.

‘Team Australia’ will be out in force during the opening round of the 2016 Motul FIM Superbike and Supersport World Championships, Yamaha Finance round, at Phillip Island from 26-28 February.

A total of 10 local riders, five full-timers and five wildcards, will line up across the two production-based world classes, with Mike Jones (Ducati) and Jed Metcher (Kawasaki) making one-off appearances in WorldSBK alongside the two Joshs, Brookes (BMW) and Hook (Kawasaki).

In World Supersport, Moto2 race winner Anthony West (Yamaha), Kane Burns (Suzuki) and Mitch Levy (Yamaha) will join full-timers Glenn Scott (Honda), Aiden Wagner (MV Agusta) and Lachlan Epis (Kawaski) on the grid.

Metcher was also a wildcard at the 2015 WorldSBK round and he’s banking on a local test at Phillip Island on 8-9 February to ignite his 2016 assault. Meanwhile, Jones will be making his debut in the category following a breakout 2015 which saw him clinch the Australian Superbike Championship and also win races in the Australasian Superbike Championship against much tougher opposition.

Moreover, Jones will also be making his debut for the all-new DesmoSport Ducati team co-managed by three-time WorldSBK champion Troy Bayliss, so the attention will squarely be focussed on the extremely talented 21-year-old.

“The wildcard ride is awesome, but also a slightly scary proposition at the same time,” said Jones. “When I first got the ride with DesmoSport to compete in the Australian Superbike Championship the WorldSBK wildcard wasn’t really on the agenda, but then Troy (Bayliss) got the idea and it’s just snowballed from there.

“The exposure for the team at Phillip Island will be great, especially with Troy’s massive presence in the paddock, and my goal is to learn as much as I can from the other riders and see where the results take me. Top 15 is always a goal and a top 10 finish would be awesome.”

West’s return to WorldSSP comes after a six-year break, in a class where he won races on Yamaha machinery way back in 2007. The Queenslander has also produced some stirring rides at Phillip Island in the past, especially in the Moto2 ranks, and in 2015 was a substitute rider in the MotoGP race.

West’s Yamaha will race under the Green Tea X50 banner in a team owned by Steve Trinder Jnr, the son of former Aussie road racing star Steve Trinder. In the 2009 WorldSSP race at Phillip Island, West finished third, just 0.153secs behind race winner Kenan Sofuoglu.

Meanwhile, Burns and Levy impressed in separate national supersport titles in 2015, and the former also showed sizzling form in the support races at the 2015 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

The WorldSSP race will be held over 18 laps on 28 February, while the traditional double-header Sunday format for WorldSBK has been jettisoned in favour of one race each day, with both 22-lappers to be held at 3:00pm on 27 and 28 February respectively.

WorldSBK will still practice and qualify Friday and Saturday, but Superpole has been moved up to Saturday to run from 12:30pm prior to the 3:00pm Saturday race.

The WorldSSP race at Phillip Island will be held over 21 laps at 1:20pm on Sunday, while the two 22-lap WorldSBK races are scheduled for 3:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Entry to the 2016 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, Yamaha Finance round, Phillip Island will cost $115 for a three-day pass, $80 for a Sunday only pass, while kids 15 and under are free. On circuit camping is just $100 for four nights, with kids 15 and under free. Visit www.ticketek.com.au for tickets or www.worldsbk.com.au for info.