Image: Russell Colvin.

Two-time champion Jamie Stauffer is planning on a racing return at the final two rounds of the 2019 Motul Pirelli Australian Suprbike Championship (ASBK) aboard the all-new Ducati Panigale V4 R with McMartin Racing, the number 27 sampling the Italian machine this week while testing at Winton.

Stauffer, who last raced a superbike at the 2018 ASBK finale, intends to contest rounds six and seven at Phillip Island and Sydney Motorsport Park respectively, with the McMartin Racing outfit understood to have secured backing from telecommunications giant Boost Mobile.

“At this stage we’re going do to Phillip Island and Eastern Creek,” Stauffer explained to CycleOnline.com.au. “I’ll have a ride there and see what happens. I won’t be racing at Winton – Phillip Island is also a bit a long stretch because I’ll be over in Europe with Max.

“We fly out the weekend after Winton, and fly back in on the Tuesday before Phillip Island. A bike like that, you want to ride it at Phillip Island.

“The V4 is definitely nice – the bike wasn’t really available [at the beginning of the season], the only bike available was the V4 S, but that can’t be raced in ASBK, so we decided to wait for the V4 R to arrive, then I would come back and ride.”

The Ducati Panigale V4 R is yet to be piloted in ASBK, with DesmoSport Ducati continuing to field the Panigale 1299 Factory Edition with Mike Jones despite having a V4 R in development.