Former MCE British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes continues to make headway with setup on his Anvil TAG Yamaha and grabbed fourth place in yesterday’s second race at Brands Hatch while the team is still gathering data.
The Australian switched back to his favoured SC0 rear Pirelli after trying the harder-option SC1 in the opening encounter and was able to lap as fast as winner Luke Mossey once he cleared traffic.
“The bike didn’t have any problems throughout any of the sessions this weekend so there weren’t any difficulties. Sometimes, like at Donington, it was a lot easier, the bike worked really well without having to make any changes. Whereas here not so much, we had to work harder for it,” said Brookes.
“Race two was a more satisfying race than race one. Race one was very difficult to keep the lap times, improve and make up places. It was just too difficult I couldn’t bring anything more. I didn’t have the ability with the bike, or the skill to out perform anyone, the combination wasn’t working.
“However, in race two we turned things around, the bike was improved slightly between races and the result was better, the bike worked better, I felt more comfortable and I was able to achieve an improved result.
“I reflect on the weekend as what were able to do with the bike as opposed to what we didn’t do. If we hadn’t touched the bike with a spanner and just rode it all weekend as it was I would have been outside of the points. We had a bike at the start of the weekend which wasn’t fast enough to be where we finished and at the end of the weekend. We progressively got better and better and got closer to the front with every session.
“The team did all that they could to offer a better package and did improve every session. I rode it as best I could, giving the best feedback I could, so I think everything was positive. We didn’t have the ultimate preferred result but the weekend was positive for us.”
Brookes is only ten points further back in 2017 than he was at this time in his championship-winning year and with a bike that has no factory support whatsoever.
