Image: Foremost Media.

Boost Mobile with K-Tech team owner Craig McMartin is targeting to have a decision made on whether the outfit will compete in the 2023 Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) by the new year.

McMartin’s privateer effort has achieved immense success in recent seasons, winning two out of the last three ASBK titles with the now-retired Wayne Maxwell.

As the Ducati-equipped team is not a ‘factory’ program, its entry each year is heavily dependent on sufficient sponsorship received from external supporters, with a 2023 campaign again hanging in the balance of adequate funds being secured.

“Nothing is 100 percent just yet,” McMartin told CycleOnline. “It’s just a matter of the right sponsorship and having all of that stuff in place. Definitely, it is something we want to do, but we will just have to see how it ends up, so really don’t have a final answer at this point.

“We’d like to know before Christmas or before the end of this year, because definitely we need to make a final decision on which way we go. We’re waiting on some sponsors to come back and see what they say, then we will make a decision on what we do.”

With Maxwell closing the curtains on his full-time racing career following the final round of the 2022 season at The Bend, the question surfaces as to who his replacement could be.

Filling in for number 47 at the Australian MotoGP event, Josh Waters made a statement on his debut with the V4 R as he delivered a perfect scorecard. Later impressing once more at the penultimate round of ASBK this year, Waters claimed the overall win and qualifying record at Phillip Island when he was provided with the opportunity to compete in the final two rounds with McMartin’s outfit.

“For Josh to stand in for Wayne at MotoGP and do what he did was pretty impressive,” McMartin added. “Then the last two rounds, he did a fantastic job. It would be hard not to go with Josh – he was a great fit in the team and we all worked well together with him, so definitely on the list I suppose is the best way to say it.”

The complete 2023 ASBK calendar has not yet been revealed, however, it has been confirmed that Phillip Island will open the season on 24-26 February and round three will take place at Queensland Raceway between 28-30 April.

A Darwin Triple Crown two plus four event will feature again in 2023, alongside the Supercars championship, with the series set to compete at Hidden Valley between 16-18 June. Also, Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP) will host the official pre-season test on 1-2 February.