Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes believes the 2015 Yamaha R1 will have fixed all the small things last year’s bike was missing and enable him to mount a challenge for the MCE British Superbike title from the word go.

Although Brookes and team-mate Broc Parkes won’t get to ride until early next month, the Bringelly rider thinks the new package will be a match for the competition.

Last season, Brookes had a higher corner entry speed but was unable to use it as the Kawasaki and BMW bikes slowed mid-turn to use their punch off the exit - an area the Yamaha was lacking - which led to him not being able to pass on straights.

“Last year we won some races and were fairly close but the bike needed some help to be competitive against who I was trying to beat. It didn’t need a lot, just some small, marginal gains,” said Brookes, speaking to bikesportnews.com at the team launch.

“I can only listen to people who have ridden the new bike but it sounds like it is going to be a real big improvement power-wise, weight-wise, handling and there are some specifics about the mechanical improvements of the bike that suggest that’s going to be what I was looking for.

“It looks like some of those changes will be significant, subtiantial gains so I can only use that as a reference. Until I put it on the grid against other riders I won’t know how I am going to fair but it looks like we are in a good seat.”