Image: Keith Muir.

Motul Australian Supersport Championship leader Mason Coote has secured an instrumental deal with AARK Racing to contest the Wakefield Park round of the 2017 series, following his surprise win at Phillip Island last month.

Coote wasn’t planning on contesting the entire series this season, however as the current points leader, a newfound partnership with AARK Racing will see him race-on aboard a Yamaha YZF-R6 at round two.

“It’s with much excitement and a little bit of nervousness that I can announce I will be riding for AARK Racing for the Wakefield round of ASBK,” Coote confirmed. “With everything going well and the whole team being happy, there is also the option to continue for the remaining rounds of the championship.

“None of this would of been possible with out the help and support of the team at Consent 2 Go. They have come on-board as a major sponsor for myself and the team, I can’t thank them enough. AARK Racing has a lot of experience and knowledge, already with an Australian championship under their belt and multiple years racing in World Supersport.

“I’ll be doing everything in my power to make this work and hopefully bring more success to a already successful team. This opportunity has come as a complete surprise, it’s caught me completely off-guard. I feel unworthy of such a position, but I’ll be grabbing the chance with both hands and trying my absolute best to utilise the tools to their maximum.”

Coote’s plans to take part in last week’s test at Wakefield Park were derailed when he struck transport dramas travelling from Melbourne to Goulburn, ruling him out of both days and missing valuable track time as a result. He carries a 13-point lead over Ted Collins entering round two.