Team Suzuki’s reigning Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters will race at rounds six and seven of the AMA Pro American Superbike Championship for Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki, replacing injured regular team rider Blake Young alongside Tommy Hayden.

After a test at Barber Motorsports Park in mid-June where he clocked the fourth fastest time, the young Victorian has received the call up to fill in for Young, who suffered a broken L-1 vertebra at the Barber test.

Waters will compete at Mid-Ohio on 16-18 July before contesting the Laguna Seca round alongside the MotoGP World Championship event on 23-25 July, once again accompanied by Team Suzuki manager Phil Tainton.

“Firstly I would like to wish Blake a speedy recovery” Waters said. “When I got the call up I was blown away that the team thought of me to fill in. I know it’s not going to be easy as the next two tracks are quite hard, but I know I have the best team behind me. I also want to thank my team manager Phil Tainton for again coming with me!”

Perry Morison, general manager, Motorcycles, Suzuki Australia was equally excited about the call up for the Suzuki Superbike young gun.

“We’re really happy that the American Suzuki factory Superbike team has requested that Josh come across for these two races” he said. “This request reaffirms what we already knew, that Josh is a highly professional young athlete and a very talented rider who can adapt to new bikes and tracks quickly.

“He is a great ambassador for Suzuki Australia and I am sure Australian motorsport fans will be thrilled to see Josh’s progress at the next level. At the same time we have to remain fully focussed on defending our Australian ASBK Championship when he gets back from the U.S.”

The Rockstar Makita Suzuki factory AMA superbike team has won 10 of the past 11 championships, including seven consecutive Superbike titles since 2003.

The team is run by Yoshimura R&D and managed by Australian Peter Doyle, who was instrumental in the career of Australia’s Mat Mladin as he claimed seven AMA titles.

According to Yoshimura, Waters was chosen to take the spot aboard the Rockstar Makita Suzuki GSX-R1000 due to his impressive racing resume and natural racing talent.

The 23-year-old won the 2009 Australian Superbike Championship in his rookie year aboard the GSX-R1000 with five wins and podium finishes at every round, and he is currently defending that title. Waters is the first person to win the Australian title as a rookie since Mat Mladin managed that feat in 1992.

Young is expected to make a full recovery without surgery and is slated to return to racing for Virginia’s VIR round in August.