Image: Foremost Media.

A tough qualifying at The Bend left Boost Mobile Ducati with K-Tech’s Wayne Maxwell with positions to recover, as the retiring three-time Mi-Bike Australian Superbike (ASBK) champion delivered a spirited charge on Sunday to finish second overall and conclude his career.

Maxwell entered the weekend with a mathematical chance to still win the title, 49 points back from Yamaha Racing Team’s Mike Jones after crashes and a race win at Phillip Island.

The number 47 finished free practice on Friday in fourth, however, a disastrous qualifying two on Saturday saw Maxwell’s best time far from his usual standard, and as a result he lined up for the season-concluding races from the fourth row of the grid.

In the re-started race one, Maxwell sliced his way forward to race-winning contention, taking the lead on lap six before ultimately finishing runner-up, just three-tenths behind winner Troy Herfoss (Penrite Honda Racing).

Race two and the V4 R rider again made swift work towards the front of the field, leading once more at the lap six mark before taking the chequered flag third, ensuring he stood on the overall podium one final time and also securing P2 in the championship standings.

“It was a bit of a tough weekend really, it was pretty much my worst ever qualifying I think in 21 years, so to be starting down in P12 made our challenge really hard and I used up a lot of physical effort to close the gap and get through,” Maxwell explained to CycleOnline.

“It was a disappointing day, I didn’t quite get the most out of the bike I had, I wasn’t quite good enough, but overall, satisfied to end the career in one piece, yeah, it’s pretty good.”

Maxwell’s career has spanned over 20 years at a national level, winning ASBK premier class titles for Suzuki and Ducati, also achieving success domestically for Yamaha and Honda.

The number 47 has also competed at an international level, notably as a wildcard in the Moto2 World Championship and in the Suzuka 8 Hours. He has set a high standard in domestic superbikes for numerous years and has been a continual race-winning and podium presence.