Image: Keith Muir.

Finding a set-up to match the tight and technical characteristics of Morgan Park has been paramount for Yamaha Racing Team’s Wayne Maxwell entering round five of the season.

Maxwell is currently fourth in the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) standings, 22 points from the lead despite crashing out of race two in Darwin.

With the current MotoGP-inspired YZF-R1M traditionally suiting more fast and flowing circuits, 2013 champion Maxwell said that adjusting the bike to suit the Queensland circuit will be key in search of victory on Sunday.

“The feeling in the Yamaha camp is rally positive heading into round five after a challenging round at Hidden Valley Raceway for us,” Maxwell said. “I bounced back at the official ASBK test, topping the time-sheets ahead of the field, which has given us a real confidence boost.

“The R1 is designed as a MotoGP-style bike that is more suited to a fast and flowing circuit and suits tracks like Sydney Motorsport Park and Phillip Island. Morgan Park is not a favourable track for us, but we have changed a few settings to match the tight nature of it and the team is sure we can make it work over race distance.

“We are always strong over race distance and I’ve been training flat out to build strength for the round to help with the G-forces in braking and acceleration. The mistakes made in Darwin have meant that I will need to work harder to stay out in front and stay there.”

Maxwell finished a distant second to reigning champion Troy Herfoss in both races at Morgan Park last season, however proved he will almost certainly factor for victory on the resurfaced layout by topping this month’s official test.