Glenn Allerton will be the only rider flying the Australian flag at Phillip Island on Friday when practice gets underway for the opening round of the World Superbike championship.

The 33-year-old Sydney speedster earned a late call-up to join the 25-man grid, replacing injured Frenchman Sylvain Barrier who broke his pelvis in a crash while testing on Monday.

Allerton competed as a wildcard in round one last year, finishing 14th and 12th in the two 22-lap races.

He will take to the track on a factory-backed BMW for two 45-minute sessions on Friday, alongside British rider Tom Sykes who begins his title defence on the factory Kawasaki.

The 2013 champion was fastest in the final pre-season test at Phillip Island earlier this week, but faces a tough task against the likes of Marco Melandri (Aprilia), Eugene Laverty (Suzuki) and last year’s British superbike champion Alex Lowes.

This weekend’s season-opener at the coastal Victorian circuit also welcomes the addition of two manufacturers in Italian marque MV Agusta – riden by ex-MotoGP star Claudio Corti – and Erik Buell Racing, the first American brand to contest the world superbike title since its inception in 1988.

Meanwhile, Australia’s 2013 MotoGP rider Bryan Staring will make his debut for Russian outfit Rivamoto in the world supersport category.

Staring signed with the team earlier this month and will race aboard their Honda on Sunday.

Australia will have two other riders making one-off appearances in the support class in British-based expat Billy McConnell (Triumph) and Victorian Ryan Taylor (Yamaha).

Superbike riders will hit the circuit at 11.45am (AEDT) and 3.30pm (AEDT) for their two practice sessions, with qualifying on Saturday and two 22-lap races on Sunday.