WSS: Pitt 'has to win' at home.

Andrew Pitt believes he has to win his home round of the World Supersport Championship at Phillip Island after being forced to retire from the season opener in Qatar last weekend.

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda saw his campaign start in the worst possible way when he was involved in an accident in the early stages of the races after team-mate Jonathan Rea fell in front of him and left the Australian with nowhere to go.

Pitt had won at Phillip Island in the past, and with a solid pre-season test also under his belt, he heads into the weekend with one aim in mind.

"I have to win this race, it's starting to get harder when you're missing out on points in the first race so now we'll have to make every round count," he said. "We have the package to do it, if we can get the set up right straight away and qualify a bit further up front. I am pretty confident we can put in a good performance."

Team-mate Rea will also aim to kick-start his season in Australia, with the Northern Irishman hopeful that the testing carried out so far will ensure he can hit the ground running.

However, the former BSB race-winner won't be at his best after picking up a hand injury during the Qatar fall but he insisted that he was focused on picking up his first points of the year.

"I don't feel as good as I should," he reflected. "Our start of the season didn't get off too well. I started the series with a DNF, which wasn't a good way. But we have a already tested here in Australia and set up a good race setting, so we should be able to be on the pace straight away.

"I have a small hand injury from my crash in Qatar but it should be OK for the weekend and am looking forward to riding again and getting some points on the board. We still have some work to do as a team but I am confident and eager to go out there."