Former MCE British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes goes into this weekend’s Oulton Park round feeling in good shape after a positive test at the Cheshire circuit but says he needs to work on the rear suspension setup.

The Australian ended last week’s test in fourth place but said his Anvil TAG Yamaha felt better at the start of the test than it did at the start of the Brands Hatch race weekend. Brookes isn’t a huge fan of Oulton but holds the lap record at 1’34.483, which goes to prove something.

“We had an OK test last week, a few things didn’t go to plan but considering the problems we had, to end the day fourth quickest is a positive position to be in. The bike felt better on the first laps of the test than the first laps at Brands Hatch, so I think the bike is in a better range, and that’s a better situation to be in, and the team have made some good improvements in the right direction,” said Brookes.
 
“Oulton Park is a circuit that lends itself to wheeling so you try not to focus on those points, because it doesn’t matter what bike you ride they’re all going to do a similar thing, so there is no point in focussing on a character of the circuit.
 
“I think the rear end of the bike is a focus area for us, we made a step in the right direction at the test that improved the bike. The front end of the machine is strong, but we still have work to do with the rear.
 
“I don’t really like Oulton Park, I’ve not really had fond memories there and I find it difficult to ride and it’s quite frustrating as a rider because the bike is so crucial at that event, but the capturing feature is the lay of the land, how the track wraps itself around the trees and it has a good character in that respect, but you don’t have to like a circuit to go quick there.”