Image: Russell Colvin.

Ted Collins will continue to race aboard BMW Motorrad machinery with Next Gen Motorsports in the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), the youthful talent has confirmed.

Collins embarked on his first outing of the year at Wakefield Park in New South Wales on Monday, sampling Dunlop tyres for the first time aboard his practice-spec BMW premier class machine, sparking increased confidence within the 2017 Supersport champion.

“We were at Wakefield yesterday for the first day of testing on Dunlop tyres, it was a really positive day for us with the Next Gen Motorsports team,” Collins explained to CycleOnline.com.au. “I tested out the Dunlops and I felt pretty comfortable on them – I was actually on my practice bike that I own, and straightaway I was able to get down to PB lap-times.

“So that was a confidence booster going into the season still with the Next Gen Motorsports team. I’ve built up a pretty good relationship over the last nearly four years racing for them. Last year they offered me a deal that no one else could offer in the paddock, but unfortunately there’s not much money it the team or myself, so we’ll be doing it a bit tougher this year.

“Everyone in the team and myself still have the same goal – to be the best we can and be up the front. As far as the Asia thing goes, I definitely won’t be involved in that – I’ll just be racing ASBK.”

With his rookie season behind him, earning a career-best result of fourth at Phillip Island’s finale, the number 29 is anticipating a strong start to his campaign as he intends to build on the base he formed in the closing stages of 2018.

“I’d put the start of the 2018 season down as a disaster,” he added. “I struggled to get my head around the superbike in general and I guess a little bit in myself – it was tough going from being at the front of Supersport and winning the title, then all of a sudden fighting to be in the top 15.

“Coming into the garage and seeing my name that far down was pretty hard. It wasn’t until midway through the season that I changed my mentality – from then onwards, I had massive improvements. Coming into the season, I know I’ll be in a much better position than last year having a stronger base to work off.”

The Next Gen Motorsports team is understood to be fielding Glenn Allerton again for 2019, with the three-time ASBK champion intending to contest the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) with the BMW squad.