Image: Keith Muir.

Triple Australian Superbike champion Glenn Allerton returned to the front row of the grid following a heated qualifying two at Sydney Motorsport Park this afternoon.

The Yamaha Racing Team rider’s gritty 1m30.765s lap was enough to slot him alongside pole-setter Josh Waters and teammate Wayne Maxwell for Sunday’s pair of 14-lap races.

It was a timely turnaround for the experienced 36-year-old in his home round of the season and one that will provide him with an important boost of confidence come Sunday following an injury-riddled year to date.

“The speed was true and I’m really excited, because when you get hurt it’s a long process coming back,” Allerton told CycleOnline.com.au. “I always believed in myself, but there’s always that doubt in your mind whether you can get back to what you know you can do.

“I actually feel more confident now than going into the weekend and it’s building. The feeling with the bike is really good and obviously the two boys in front of me are really quick, but the race is different and I have a lot of experience here.

“If I can get a good start tomorrow and go with whoever it is that’s leading, if I can stay in the battle and be there at the end I can challenge for the win. It’s great to get the monkey off the back to be on the front row, especially after everything that I’ve been through. It feels really good.”

With each of the factory contracts up at the end of the season and with his health still not at 100 percent, a late run of form for Allerton across the final two rounds will be particularly important after the run of injuries he’s had through the season.