Leigh Adams and Phil Tainton talk road racing at Phillip Island.

World Speedway Grand Prix star Leigh Adams was the special guest of Team Joe Rocket Suzuki’s Australian Superbike Championship team at Phillip Island on Monday, making his debut on the blacktop onboard a GSX-R600.

Adams, who is a multiple-time SGP race victor who finished second in the 2007 world championship, rode alongside the TJRS team including new Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters on a production bike supplied by Suzuki Australia.

“It’s absolutely incredible,” said 39-year-old Adams of the experience. “I’ve always had a great amount of respect for what these guys do, but even more so now that I’ve tried it for myself!”

After retiring from the world championship following an 11th place finish overall in 2009, Adams is in Australia for a month during the holiday period before heading back to Europe next month to ride for Swindon Robins in the United Kingdom, Leszno in Poland and Lejonen in Sweden.

Adams was at the Phillip Island test with ASBK champion Waters, both from Mildura in Victoria, with the latter experiencing Adams’ Speedway bike last week before returning the favour.

Waters and TJRS Supersport teammate Troy Herfoss were at the Island testing the 2010 control tyres for Dunlop Australia, while MotoOnline.com.au was also at the circuit to test Waters’ championship-winning GSX-R1000 Superbike for an upcoming feature.

Another notable team on hand at the Island were the Evolution Sports Group KTM team with a fleet of RC8 Rs for Shannon Johnson, Chris Trounson and Wayne Hepburn, with Johnson declaring that his lap times were good enough for a podium position at the season finale last month.