Milwaukee Yamaha’s newest recruit Broc Parkes had his first taste of the Oulton Park circuit during the official MCE British Superbike test yesterday and after finding it a bit of a “challenge” the likable Aussie is feeling “quite happy” with his lap times.

His team did not make any changes to the R1 and kept the setup the same from the last round at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, as the test session was all about getting Parkes that much needed track time. Now the rider from New South Wales is confident that he will be able to put down some serious times during the free practice sessions on Saturday – instead of spending the day trying to learn a brand new circuit.

“It is my first time here and it is always going to be a bit of a challenge and everyone has been telling me about this track and say its quite demanding – but I am happy to be where I am at the moment, and in general I like the track. It is one of those tracks where you need time out on the circuit and once you have the knowledge you can keep improving,” said Parkes, speaking to bikesportnews.com at the circuit.

“This test is awesome because if I had to come into the race weekend without it I think we would be on the back foot, so to have this opportunity is a big advantage, and it is a good thing. I haven’t changed anything on the bike as I just need to learn the track – but I think the bike is still better than me, but in general the Yamaha is good and when you have a good package you don’t have to change that much.”

The former MotoGP rider had been told by many people that the track can be a bit of a “nightmare” for some riders, but Parkes has taken it all in his stride and is looking forward to building on his best time from the test - a 1’36.851 on Saturday.

“The track is better than expected and I find the flowing track is better for me, but some people have said the track is a nightmare to learn – but I am quite happy.”