Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is the key to notably improve efficiency of variable-speed wind power systems. A power variation rate checking (PVRC) and reference power curve (RPC) methods have been developed and implemented earlier. The former requires considerable computation along the whole operation while the latter highly depends on the system model and thus leading to weak robustness. This paper combines the power variation rate checking and reference characteristic power curve methods to eliminate their disadvantages. The proposed MPPT simply updates the reference power curve by tuning the curve coefficients. It is simpler and less computation compared to PVRC. Also, compared to RPC, this method is immune to the potential system variations and thus robust. To verify its performance, the proposed algorithm is simulated in Matlab/Simulink environment and the system operation under proposed MPPT is tested experimentally.