Image: Foremost Media.

A welcome return to the front row in third position at Phillip Island today marked another step forward in the turnaround of three-time champion Josh Waters at Next Gen Motorsports.

Waters, now 35, was handed a lifeline with Maxima BMW following the Kawasaki BCperformance team’s withdrawal from last year’s season-finale at The Bend.

The Victorian admittedly had his self-belief shaken following last year’s results, qualifying a frustrating 13th at Winton’s 2021 opener, with his best outing being a P8 at Hidden Valley before his season was brought to a premature close.

“Last year, the first round I think I was fifth row, and coming into Christmas I honestly thought I had lost it…” Waters explained. “To have people believe in you still, I have a great bunch of personal sponsors that made it possible for me to compete.

“Also the team’s sponsors, the team have been fantastic bending over backwards to get me out there, so it’s great to reward those guys with the faith they have shown in me.”

The early promise sparks hope for Waters fans that a record title number four could be a possibility and, while Phillip Island pace-setter Wayne Maxwell currently enjoys a near 1.5s buffer over the field, the number 21 still has room to gain strength as he continues to adapt to the M 1000 RR and new surrounds.

Waters won his first ASBK crown as a rookie in 2009, again clinching it again in 2012 and repeating as premier class champion in 2017.