Image: Keith Muir.

Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship leader Wayne Maxwell is expecting race starts to be ultra-important in Sydney’s penultimate round of the season tomorrow.

With Suzuki’s Josh Waters setting the pace to take his first pole position of the year this afternoon, a late charge from Yamaha Racing Team’s Maxwell at 1m30.458s was good for second on the grid.

That result will position him well for Sunday’s action, however with Darwin winner Waters clearly gaining strength in the back-half of the season, track position will be paramount from the outset at the Eastern Creek-based circuit.

“We just have to get away well tomorrow in the races,” Maxwell explained. “I have done a few practice starts and we seem to be able to get away pretty well. Tomorrow we’ll try and get away with the front guys and hopefully go with Josh as he has been super-fast and consistent in every session today. I believe our main battle will come down with Josh.”

Throughout qualifying Maxwell and the team adjusted the bike settings and it’s constantly moving in the right direction, adding that the R1M is improving on used tyres – a factor that will be instrumental across the two 14-lap races.

“We’ll just have to keep working away and get the tyre better and better, as well as the Yamaha R1M and hopefully that will help the tyre,” he concluded.

Two solid results and a strong haul of points will go a long way toward Maxwell’s hopes of clinching a second ASBK crown this season, currently leading defending champion Troy Herfoss – who lines up in P5 – by five points with four races remaining.