Josh Waters and Adrian Monti switch to DesmoSport Ducati
We are only 38 days away from the opening round of ASBK’s new summer championship at Phillip Island on October 23–25, yet the build-up to one of the biggest changes in the series’ history has been remarkably quiet.
Behind the scenes, however, a significant change has occurred in the Ducati ranks, with a deal that came together in about a week.
Josh Waters and Adrian Monti have separated from McMartin Racing and will join rival outfit DesmoSport Ducati for the 2026–2027 summer campaign. Team boss Ben Henry has confirmed that Australia’s only five-time Superbike Champion will be the focus of his operation for the coming season.
Waters asked to bring Monti along with him, preserving the rider-and-crew-chief partnership that helped deliver his fourth and fifth Australian Superbike titles. Their first test with DesmoSport is planned for Phillip Island on September 24–25.
For a championship that could use a little more noise ahead of its October-to-March summer season, this is a substantial story to get things moving.
A deal that came together in a week
Henry told MCNews.com.au that the opportunity grew out of casual contact with Waters, whom he has known since the rider’s early years racing in Western Australia.
With another potential arrangement unresolved and the opening round approaching, Henry decided to ask Waters directly about riding for DesmoSport.
“It unfolded in a short period of time, like a week.”
Even Henry had not expected to land the most successful title winner in Australian Superbike history.
“I never dreamt of him riding my motorbike. Never ever.”
Henry remained convinced that his team could win despite its recent results, and welcomed the confidence Waters and Monti have shown in the operation.
Waters closes a successful McMartin chapter
Waters’ association with McMartin Racing began at the Australian MotoGP support races in 2022, where he won all three races on his first outing with the team. Further appearances followed before a full-time campaign in 2023.
The combination clicked quickly. When we spoke to Waters after the 2023 Phillip Island opener, he had just claimed pole, qualifying and race lap records, and all three race wins.
Second in the 2023 championship was followed by titles in 2024 and 2025. Having won his first three Australian Superbike crowns with Suzuki, Waters became the first rider to reach four, then extended that record to five.
Our feature interview following his fifth championship explored what that return to the top meant after some difficult years. Waters credited the people who kept believing in him and a team prepared to push him beyond his comfort zone. He also described fitting racing, training and sponsorship around a full-time job and family life. The desire to keep winning remained very much intact.
Voight takes the crown, Waters remains a contender
McMartin Racing expanded to a full-time two-rider effort for the short 2026 championship, pairing Waters with Harrison Voight. The young Queenslander ended Waters’ bid for three consecutive titles while keeping the number one plate in the McMartin garage.
Voight secured the championship at Queensland Raceway on June 28. Voight, whose crew chief was Jamie Stauffer, then sat out the wet final race.
DesmoSport therefore gains the championship runner-up, with five successful title campaigns behind him and the opportunity to pursue a sixth in different team colours.
Monti’s move adds technical weight
Monti’s involvement followed Waters making clear that he wanted his existing crew chief working on the bike. Henry and Monti then discussed how to make that arrangement work.
Henry will continue building and preparing the motorcycles on the Gold Coast, with Monti specifying the settings he wants taken to the circuit.
“He’ll just tell me how he wants the bike and the setting he wants, and I’ll basically turn up to the track with that in it and pretty much off we go.”
Our 2023 Tech Talk with Adrian Monti detailed his work translating rider feedback into improvements in grip, steering, braking stability and electronics. That interview also illustrated how individual the job can be. Waters and Maxwell had used broadly similar geometry and chassis settings, while their electronics settings were very different.
Craig McMartin’s bike preparation, organisation and leadership helped build an operation that won championships with Maxwell, Waters and now Voight. Losing Waters and Monti together represents a considerable change for a team coming off a championship one-two.
A major signing for Ben Henry
Western Australian Ben Henry founded DesmoSport Ducati with Troy Bayliss in 2016, and the team won the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship with Mike Jones on the 1299 Panigale.
When we sat down with Henry ahead of the 2025 season, he spoke candidly about the effort involved in developing the V4 R, the interaction between chassis changes and electronics, and his determination to make DesmoSport a more consistent winning proposition.
Waters will be the focus as Simpson recovers
Henry’s original plan had been to run Olly Simpson, who will miss the opening round following an off-bike training incident.
Waters will now take over the two motorcycles and part of the personnel originally allocated to Simpson. Henry still intends to help Simpson return when he is ready, working with his family and crew chief Charlie Allen to put a programme together.
Henry did not specify a return date and made clear the team’s immediate priority.
“Josh will 100% be the focus for the year.”
Henry also hopes the relationship with Waters will develop well beyond the coming campaign.
Waters and Monti bring experience directly relevant to Henry’s ambition of making DesmoSport a consistent winning proposition. Henry brings considerable Ducati knowledge and was a more-than-handy rider himself, while the incoming pair bring an established working relationship from years at the front of ASBK.
Four combinations to consider before Phillip Island
The move does not yet settle which generation of Ducati V4 R Waters will race, or the electronics it will use.
Henry outlined four potential combinations: the previous V4 R with Marelli or MoTeC electronics, and the new model with either Ducati’s kit ECU based on the production system or MoTeC.
He also clarified that DesmoSport has run Marelli and MoTeC-equipped motorcycles alongside each other, so the team’s recent electronics work has encompassed both systems.
Henry said the new Ducati kit ECU was not yet readily available at the time of the interview, but he expected it to arrive before the opening round.
The preference is to race the new V4 R, but Henry intends to narrow the choices before testing. He believes trying to evaluate all four combinations across two days would create unnecessary work.
“Whatever’s fastest is what we will race.”
The previous model remains an option if it proves the most competitive package within the available preparation time.
Henry questions Ducati’s further rev reduction
The move comes as Ducati teams prepare for a further restriction on the V4 R. The published 2027 homologation list specifies a 15,000 rpm ceiling for both the 2021–2025 V4 R and the 2026-onwards model, down from the 15,500 rpm listed for 2026.
Henry believes the further reduction goes too far, particularly for a new motorcycle with a different electronics package.
“I’m gonna sound like a sook here, but it’s probably a bit much to start with, in my opinion.”
His argument is that the new combination should first be assessed in competition before its performance is restricted further. The published ceiling nevertheless applies to both generations, and Henry’s immediate priority is establishing which package Waters can ride fastest and most consistently.
The preparation deadline comes before race week
Henry plans to have Waters and Monti at Phillip Island for their first DesmoSport test on Thursday and Friday, September 24–25.
While the opening round is 38 days away, the series regulations identify a more immediate deadline. October 1 is the final permitted day for unofficial practice at Phillip Island, leaving only 17 days from September 14.
The provisional opening-round schedule lists one 30-minute practice session, a 20-minute Q1 and a 15-minute Q2 for the fastest 12 riders, followed by three 11-lap races that would put 76 points on offer for pole and three victories.
That makes arriving with a settled package particularly valuable. Henry’s aim is to choose the combination Waters can ride fastest and most consistently, then concentrate the team’s effort on making it work.
Plenty to talk about before Phillip Island
Phillip Island’s MotoGP support races launched Waters’ McMartin chapter in 2022; four years later, the same event will open his first championship campaign with DesmoSport.
The wider championship has an opportunity here, too. McMartin raised concerns about ASBK’s promotion and the information available to prospective sponsors in our January interview. The subdued build-up to this substantial calendar change makes those concerns particularly relevant.
Asked about the subdued lead-up to the summer championship, Henry said he hadn’t heard much either. He was equally clear that his own sponsorship discussions had been held back by the absence of a settled rider plan.
With Waters and Monti now coming aboard, he has something concrete to take to existing and prospective backers. Henry stressed that sponsorship involves far more than placing a sticker on a motorcycle, with a dedicated member of his team working on the different experiences, business activities and event opportunities each sponsor wants.
Series regulations explicitly provide for penalties when riders fail to fulfil mandatory media and promotional commitments. It is reasonable to expect the championship’s own promotion to match the commitment demanded of its competitors.
A summer calendar, a new champion and the most successful title winner in ASBK history changing teams with his crew chief provide plenty of material. With the opening round little more than five weeks away, it is time to get people talking.
2026–2027 ASBK summer calendar
The current ASBK calendar lists six rounds for the 2027 championship, beginning on the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix support program and concluding under lights at Sydney Motorsport Park.
| Rnd | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillip Island | 23–25 Oct 2026 |
| 2 | The Bend | 13–15 Nov 2026 |
| 3 | One Raceway | 4–6 Dec 2026 |
| 4 | Queensland Raceway | 15–17 Jan 2027 |
| 5 | Phillip Island | 19–21 Feb 2027 |
| 6 | Sydney Motorsport Park | 19–20 Mar 2027 |
