Former Bennetts British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes has signed a one-year deal to join Paul Bird’s Be Wiser Ducati team for 2019 in a move that will being fresh challenges for the Australian.

Brookes has spent the last two years on his favoured Yamaha R1 after a year-long sojurn in WorldSBK but has taken the plunge and changed to the team he has battled with the most in BSB.

“The team have set the benchmark in BSB for as long as I have been racing in it and I’ve always been a thorn in their side,” said Brookes, speaking to bikesportnews.com.

“While Shakey was there, it didn’t seem like an environment where two top riders would sit side by side. In the seasons where I was looking for a ride or looking for what could be available, it seemed like those were the years when Shakey and Paul had already done a deal, so it never really materialised.

“There had never really been a good time to talk but this year, things changed and I had a chat with Paul. I was fed up with where I was, I’ve always had a lot of faith in the Yamaha and where it should go and that wasn’t being achieved.

“The situation I was in came to a natural end and the opportunity with Paul came with good timing, so it seemed right to give it a go.”