Suzuki’s Josh Waters will be the target when competition resumes at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway for round 3 of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship this weekend alongside the V8 Supercars. The Victorian’s dominant start to the season has sounded an ominous warning to rival riders who are set to pull out all the stops in Western Australia. Barbagallo Raceway was a pivotal event for 2011 champion Glenn Allerton, who swept the round to setup his second premier class title. Allerton fell short of an overall podium finish a fortnight ago at Hidden Valley, and hopes to return his Procon Maxima BMW to the front of the field this weekend. “I’m pretty confident going to Barbagallo, I love racing there and I feel like we’ve made great progress with the bike,” said Allerton. “At Hidden Valley I got the best starts I’ve ever gotten on the BMW. We’ve been working on freeing up the power of the engine and are making good gains. “I’d like to go back to Perth and did what we did in 2011 which is take out both races.” Waters remains focused on the bigger picture, and is concentrating on scoring solid points at every outing. “It’s been a great start to the season but I’m not getting ahead of myself yet,” said Waters. “The bike has been working well and full credit to the team for giving me a bike that wins races when I come to the track. “We’re leading at the moment but the last thing you can do is write off any of these guys. “I didn’t race in Western Australia last year and will have to come up to speed with the track pretty quickly.” Just 9 points separate positions 2-6 on the points standings, demonstrating an evenly-matched battle for the title. Allerton is currently second, with Team Volvo Group Suzuki’s Robbie Bugden third after a competitive showing at Hidden Valley. The factory Honda duo of Jamie Stauffer and Wayne Maxwell were strong at Barbagallo Raceway last year and are hoping to move forward from positions fourth and fifth respectively. Sibling rivalry will be in full swing with Brodie Waters and Daniel Stauffer confirmed starters in the Superbike ranks. The field will contest single 20-minute practice and qualifying sessions on Friday before a second qualifying session on Saturday morning ahead of a 17-lap race. Sunday will host a second 17-lap race to determine overall round placings. Saturday’s race will be screened as part of Channel 7’s V8 Supercar telecast, with capital city times as follows: Brisbane (7): 14:30-16:00 Sydney (7):14:30-16:00 Melbourne (7Mate): 14:30-16:00 Adelaide (7Mate): 14:00-15:30 Perth (7Mate): 12:30-14:00