Queenslander Robbie Bugden will miss this weekend’s opening round of the Viking Group Australian Superbike Championship at Phillip Island, focusing on capturing his fourth successive New Zealand Superbike title instead.

Bugden, an official factory-backed Team Suzuki satellite rider in the ASBK, will contest the penultimate round of NZ SBK at Manfeild this weekend, hoping to make a dent on arch-rival Andrew Stroud’s 13-point lead with just two round remaining.

The decision by Suzuki to have Bugden focus on the Kiwi crown is a massive blow to his ASBK title aspirations, however the opportunity of sealing a fourth title in New Zealand with the Triple R Suzuki team is important for both Bugden and Suzuki.

Bugden will return to the ASBK at the second round of the championship at Hidden Valley Raceway in Darwin on 8-11 April, which is just two weeks following the NZ finale at the new Hampton Downs circuit.

From that point, Bugden will have to score a string of good results if he is to match his overall ASBK championship position of fifth in 2009, set to again shine alongside factory teammates Josh Waters and Shawn Giles on the Phil Tainton Racing-prepared GSX-R1000s.

The news was confirmed by Bugden late on Monday afternoon direct from New Zealand, where he had been testing at the Hampton Downs circuit with Triple R Suzuki.