Wayne Maxwell
There’s not much that hasn’t been written about Wayne Maxwell. His stellar career has been very well documented but for 2023 and beyond his life is heading off on another tangent.
Officially retiring (for the second time!) after the final round of the ASBK title at The Bend last year, he is no longer a competitive racer, but it doesn’t mean he is slowing down in real life. He probably has more on his plate now than he has had in many a year.
His focus is on two areas: helping his mates, Dimitrios Papaconstantinou and Nick Angelopolous with the FIM MiniGP, and being a part of McMartin Racing with KTec Ducati team as they attempt to wrestle the ASBK crown back off Mike Jones and Yamaha.
From the outside it was a bit bizarre to see the three times Australian Superbike Champion sitting in the pit box during the test without pulling the leathers on, instead working in his new role and settling into it.
We caught up with him for a quick chat after the two-day official ASBK test at SMSP last week.
Mark Bracks: Well Wayno, your first time really as a non-rider, being a bit of an overseer… what’s your title now?
Wayne Maxwell: “I’m not sure, coffee guy or something like that *laughs*. In a small team like ours, it’s just a matter of picking up the slack when we’re under the pump. Reading the situation and doing that, then just trying to basically assist Josh a little bit with what I can see.
“Sometimes when you’re out there you just try and make the bike work, but sometimes from the outside others can see the bike is not working for you. So between that I try and be a bit of an interpreter, and speed up the process really. Which is pretty easy to do, because josh is such a talented guy with a good pedigree.”
Bracksy: I know you’ve been looking after the Ohvale FIM MiniGP series and you’ve been stepping away from racing , but what was the experience like with helping a mate, who was once a competitor, a rival, turned into a team mate for two meetings – Phillip Island and The Bend – and now you’re basically a… not a coach… an ear to listen to, I suppose?
Maxwell: “It’s alright, it’s nothing like riding and winning, but seeing Josh happy and be able to win, I guess I can smile, and for our guys a lot of it had become about the rider and that. But they were the ones that gave me the best bike on the grid, and we’re proving now we’ve still got the best bike on the grid and the best people. To me that’s the reward. Seeing other people smile and be happy is what it’s about.”
Bracksy: Any pangs, thinking you wouldn’t mind going out and having a ride on the bike?
Maxwell: “Nah, I mean I think for sure, you could go out there and even today we would have been first and second, I have no doubt about that, but one lap is different than wanting to suffer for a whole season, week in and week out. So not really, I got my yardstick out judging, but unless you’re out there living it, it’s quite hard to do.”
Bracksy: You’re comfortable where you are now?
Maxwell: “Yeah, I’ve got no choice now *laughs*, it’s Josh’s ride now, his bike, and he’s taken to it like a duck to water. I was always a rider, just like he is, it’s Craig’s team and we’ve got some key people here, but it’s really good sometimes I’m learning other stuff.
“Now my focus is not just on riding all the time, so for me, it’s really like another apprenticeship. I think as I go, I will be more of a value for helping Josh, and improving the team on the overall, so exciting times for me.”
Bracksy: So the rivals, I’ll mention names you tell me what you reckon of them, based on what you’ve seen. Herfoss first.
Maxwell: “Herfoss is a dogged, sort of hardened character, he’s been through a rough patch, we’ll see a bit more of the original Herfoss – I wouldn’t say old Herfoss – now that they are going to give him the bike that he needs. I don’t think his fitness was ever a major issue. I think it’s that he needs a bike.”
Bracksy: Broc Pearson, on the Ducati.
Maxwell: “It’ll be interesting to see what he has to do, he has got a big year ahead of him and a responsibility to represent a whole manufacturer, he’s a factory rider now, there’s no excuses, we’ll see how he goes.”
Bracksy: Mike Jones.
Maxwell: “Mike is a fantastic rider, he’s in the biggest team with the biggest budget, and the most resources. We’ve seen at the end of the last year how much testing and resources they put behind it. We’ve come in a bit more prepared this year, to be able to do that and challenge that. We’re going to come out and try and challenge him. As a competitor he’s a fantastic rider, he puts in his work behind the scenes, turns up prepared, the results speak for themselves.”
Bracksy: Cru?
Maxwell: “I would like Cru to reach his potential consistently, week in and week out, and I hope that with the structure change, he can do that as a rival, but also as a friend. I like Cru, I’d like to see him do that for his own well being.”
Bracksy: Mark Chido back on the Honda?
Maxwell: “Same deal for Mark, he has a huge amount of talent, but he needs to get some structure and consistency behind him, not for a week and then change. It’s a three month process, to see a result week in and week out.”
Bracksy: Max Stauffer?
Maxwell: “Max is our biggest team-mate in the paddock, his dad rode for Craig and has been my team-mate, I’ve known Max since he was a little kid. Used to make cheap shots to him about his dad when he was out there racing. To see that they’ve stuck to something and what they’ve done and the level of professionalism they’ve brought, and now Max is seeing some rewards, I couldn’t be more stoked.”
Bracksy: Arthur Sissis.
Maxwell: “We’ll see how Arthur goes, I think he’s a hugely talented guy, he’s put in a lot of work in the off-season that I’ve seen. If he can make another step, there’ll be races where he’ll be really really competitive. For me, the more competitive he gets, the higher the level, the more people paying attention and that’s what I’m about. I want the sport to be bigger and better. The young guys are going to come through and that’s what we need.”
Bracksy: Ok looking at the guys coming through, we’ve both got a passion for what junior racing produces. Cameron Dunker has jumped up to the 600s, what do you reckon of what hes done so far and his capabilities?
Maxwell: “He’s unbelievable, he’s a 15-year-old kid, his dad and I raced each other when we were kids on junior dirt track and road racing, and he was a very good rider as well, so he comes from good pedigree, similar to Max, so I think Cam is in for a big year. He’s really exceeding people’s expectations. The best part that I like about him, there’s never a word that comes out of his mouth, there’s never an excuse, he adapts really quick and gets on with it. I think he has a big future ahead of him.”
Bracksy: Harrison Voight.
Maxwell: “Harry is a fantastic rider, he’s spent a lot of time on his craft and worked hard and had an up and down couple of years with injury, but I think he’s back getting stronger now. I feel if he can work on a few more things, tidy up a little bit in some areas, and smooth it out he has a big next five years ahead of him.”
Bracksy: What about the man in the garage beside you, Tom Bramich?
Maxwell: “Same thing, I think Tom needed some consistency and continuity of the people around him, and I think that’s what we’ve worked into place, where I’m helping Tom obviously behind the scenes, a little bit to just try the same. We obviously see the results, he did the fastest last sector, but he’s still a second off the number where he needs to be at. He can go as fast as those guys, it’s just giving him the confidence he needs. Once that momentum gets going and he believes in himself the way we believe in him, we’ll really see what we can get out of him.”
Bracksy: Anyone else you’d like to mention?
Maxwell: “Obviously young Johnny Lytras is coming back, he’ll grow again, they don’t come from a shit load of cash or support, he has a lot of talent, so same deal, hopefully he can make another step and get some support along the way.”
Bracksy: What about the return of Hunter Ford after his… learning curve of life.
Maxwell: “Well, it’s great to see him back, he’s probably been a bit, or feels a bit lost, awkward and bits and pieces, as he’s been through a rough time, but that’s what makes and breaks you. He’s a fierce competitor the way he rode 300 Supersports, if you haven’t ridden a bike in a few years it’s hard to get back to it, but it would be cool to see him back fighting up front.”
2023 ASBK Calendar
| 2023 ASBK Calendar | |||
| Round | Circuit | Location | Date |
| Test | Sydney Motorsport Park | NSW | Feb 1-2 |
| R1 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | VIC | Feb 24-26 |
| R2 | Sydney Motorsports Park | NSW | Mar 24-25 |
| R3 | Queensland Raceway | QLD | Apr 28-30 |
| R4 | Hidden Valley Raceway | NT | Jun 16-18 |
| R5 | Morgan Park Raceway | QLD | Jul 14-16 |
| R6 | Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit | VIC | Oct 27-29 |
| R7 | The Bend Motorsport Park | SA | Dec 1 – 3 |
