Josh Waters, Bryan Staring and Wayne Maxwell shared the podium spoils when the ASBK visited Queensland in June.

The Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship will return to Queensland Raceway tomorrow when practice fires into life for this weekend’s fourth round of the 2010 championship series.

Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing’s Bryan Staring is fresh off a stunning double victory when the series last visited the Sunshine State back in June for the most recent round, currently leading the standings by 4.5 points over fellow Honda rider, Demolition Plus GAS Honda’s Wayne Maxwell.

The top three contenders in the Superbike class have shared an equal spread of race and round wins in 2010 – Maxwell won two from two at Phillip Island, Team Suzuki’s Josh Waters won two from two at Hidden Valley and Staring won two from two at Queensland Raceway.

Separated by just 9.5 points in total, the top three have set the bar high but are not yet clear of a handful of experienced riders ready to pounce given the opportunity.

Waters is fighting to regain fitness after injuring himself in a high-speed crash at Willow Springs Raceway in California last month, forcing him out of two guest rides with the Rockstar Makita Suzuki factory American Superbike team.

Three-time Superbike titleholder, Team Suzuki veteran Shawn Giles is steadily closing the gap to third place and is only 22.5 points shy of teammate and defending champion Waters.

2008 champion, Valvoline Superbike Team rider Glenn Allerton is in hot pursuit just 2.5 points back, and top privateer performer Racer’s Edge Suzuki rider Scott Charlton is just a point shy of Allerton.

Local crowds will be cheering for Brisbane-based rider, Team Mack Trucks Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden, who has lapped the circuit thousands of times in his competitive career and knows every bump and braking point like the back of his hand.

Bringing two new manufacturers into the mix for 2010, KTM Superbike Team’s Shannon Johnson and The Natural Aprilia Racing’s Daniel Stauffer also cannot be discounted as they continue to make significant progress with the development of their race machines.

Two-time champion, Ducati’s Jamie Stauffer will be hoping for a better run of results after the last round where he was quickest in Friday practice but plagued by mechanical problems on race day.

The official action gets underway at 9:00am on Saturday 21 August for qualifying and Motul Superpole, and again on Sunday 22 August for all the day’s racing action including two 16-lap Superbike races.

A host of support classes will be on show, as well as all the action of the Aussie Racing Cars and Australian Supermoto Open plus exciting freestyle motocross demo’s from the Showtime FMX team.

Tickets start at just $20, with the Family Pass ($80 for 2 adults and 3 children for 2 days) offering best value.