Image: Russell Colvin.

Following two challenging seasons with the factory Yamaha Racing Team (YRT), Aiden Wagner has made the switch to the Addicted To Track Yamaha team for 2022 and has been revitalised by the new surrounds in his push towards the front.

Wagner, 28, stormed onto the domestic Superbike scene in 2015, winning a race in his debut weekend in the class with Honda Racing before heading overseas to compete.

The Queenslander made a full-time return to the ASBK championship in 2019, victorious at the opening round at Phillip Island riding a private Yamaha before his season was brought to a premature close following an injury sustained at Wakefield Park.

Wagner competed under the YRT banner for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, admittedly not achieving the results he expected, ninth and 13th overall in the 2020 and 2021 championships, respectively, and missing Wakefield Park in last year’s campaign.

“It’s been a tough couple of years, not the results we had hoped for with the factory team,” Wagner commented. “Really, really pleased to be back here with Addicted To Track Racing and Northstar Yamaha – Mark McGregor picked me up, got me back on an R1 and we are going alright.

“I was starting to doubt myself a little bit and think maybe I’ve lost it, but to go back out there and feel strong is a great feeling and to know we can do it as a team is even better.”

The 2022 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) pre-season test at Phillip Island saw Wagner finish fifth fastest on combined times, the first round of the season kicking off in less than a month at the Victorian circuit between 25-27 February.