Former Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters has been revealed as a wildcard rider at next month’s opening round of the Superbike World Championship with Yoshimura Suzuki at Phillip Island.

Waters, who won the ASBK title in 2009, will ride for the official Japanese team at the event, selected as the rider to spearhead the team’s first wildcard of the 2011 season.

Following a disappointing weekend at Monza in 2010, during which Daisaku Sakai had a large number of crashes, Yoshimura Suzuki will again be back in World Superbike at the start of this season.

Talented 23-year-old Waters’ future is yet to be confirmed, although all indications are that he’ll skip the opening round of the ASBK championship to be held on the same weekend at the Phillip Island Circuit.

It’s then expected that Waters will return to Team Suzuki for at least the second round of the ASBK series in Tasmania on the following weekend.

So far for Suzuki’s factory ASBK effort, only Troy Herfoss has been officially confirmed as a Superbike rider, while the future of veteran three-time champion Shawn Giles is unknown. Giles didn’t join the team in a test at Phillip Island in December.

With Suzuki’s AMA Superbike team confirming Tommy Hayden and Blake Young for next season recently, no indication has been made whether Waters will make his U.S. race debut this year – either full time or part time with Rockstar Makita Suzuki.

Suzuki’s AMA program is run by Yoshimura USA, with both Waters and Suzuki Australia developing close ties with the company on an international scale in recent seasons.

Waters was contacted by MotoOnline.com.au this morning, unable to comment on his current dealings for the new year until Suzuki distributes a press release.

Last night in Mildura at the Leigh Adams Testimonial event at Olympic Park Speedway, Waters and new Team Honda Racing signing Jamie Stauffer went head-to-head in a pair of feature races in which Waters won the first and Stauffer the second.

Adams was beaten out in the main event by Troy Bachelor in his final race before full time retirement, while Darcy Ward was third.