Image: Foremost Media.

Securing a competitive lifeline with the MotoGo Yamaha team in the Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK), former national champion Bryan Staring has outlined the importance of the opportunity for the 2023 season.

Staring, 35, finished third in last year’s ASBK Championship after standing on the top step throughout the season, but was ultimately left without a seat when DesmoSport Ducati announced Broc Pearson would be the sole rider for the outfit this year.

“I guess the fact that I was so bitter about basically the fact that I wasn’t going to be on the grid this year, I was absolutely sure about that detail right up until about three weeks ago, so it’s important to me and I’m happy that I am here,” Staring said to CycleOnline.

“The racetrack isn’t really the part of life that makes you smile, it’s just the challenge in life. It’s hard to have good days at the racetrack, it’s incredibly hard, but the days when you walk away smiling from the circuit are normally the days that you have achieved something incredible.

“I know that I deserve to be here and I’m glad that I am here with circumstances that mean I am appreciated in being here. So yeah, I’m happy to be on the grid.”

The MotoGo deal came together relatively last minute, which meant Staring missed the ASBK pre-season test. Nonetheless, he is confident in his surroundings and on making progress throughout the year, also confirming the MotoGo team will be equipped with Pirelli tyres at the opening round after using Dunlop in previous seasons with Anthony West.

“Well, we are using Pirelli at the moment,” Staring added. “That’s just one very small topic I think, but as far as the direction of the team, I think that is a more interesting topic.

“I think that there is a bunch of incredibly good technicians that are involved with this team, and all of the technical knowledge and know-how here in this pit box is as good as any pit box on the grid, and that we have a really good chance at this.

“In saying that I feel like I have got every reason to be confident for the year, there’s no denying at the moment we are not as organised as what we need to be –  it’s all been a last-minute rush to put everything together, and we are not where we need to be at.

“The workload for the guys over the last two weeks has been incredible to come here with two bikes that are running and ready, and let’s say not without some little glitches on the circuit which is only evitable.

“Anyway, that’s more or less the plan for the year, and in saying that I think that more or less we can slowly work into it, but FP1, I think that was a success, even though I wasn’t exactly comfortable. If we can keep just making small steps from there, I think we can have a really good weekend here, and continue to improve over the rest of the year.”

In the first free practice session today in the opening round of the 2023 ASBK Championship, Staring was fifth quickest courtesy a 1m33.661s, 1.522s from pace-setter Cru Halliday (Yamaha Racing Team) at Phillip Island.