Brookes leans on experience through ‘challenging’ BSB campaign
Josh Brookes says he’s had to use all his previous Bennetts British Superbike championship experience to secure his eighth Showdown appearance in ‘one of the most challenging’ campaigns he’s faced.
The McAMS Yamaha rider secured his top six spot in race one of the Silverstone decider with fourth place before following it up with second place in race two to secure his final podium points ahead of the three-round finale.
Josh Brookes says he’s had to use all his previous Bennetts British Superbike championship experience to secure his eighth Showdown appearance in ‘one of the most challenging’ campaigns he’s faced.
The McAMS Yamaha rider secured his top six spot in race one of the Silverstone decider with fourth place before following it up with second place in race two to secure his final podium points ahead of the three-round finale.
While Brookes has battled set-up issues with his McAMS Yamaha throughout the season, the Australian rider saw a mechancial breakdown hamper his progress at Silverstone having missed the majority of FP2 with an engine problem.
The 2015 BSB champion concedes he has endured an inconsistent season with five podiums from 19 BSB races with the rare high of his dominant double at Brands Hatch in July. Brookes heads into the Showdown in joint-third place with Bradley Ray but 49 points off leader Leon Haslam.
As a result, the 2015 champion feels his experience of making the Showdown in every BSB campaign he’s contested was vital to reach the top six this season.
“I’ve got to go into these next few rounds making no mistakes, no DNFs and the most obvious target being to win some races,” Brookes said. “This season has been one of most challenging and probably due to all the other challenging seasons I’ve faced before that means I am able to deal with the challenges that have come to me.
“It certainly hasn’t been an easy season and every position, whether it is a podium or a fifth place, I have fought hard for them and it certainly hasn’t been easy. I know what it takes and I’ve been there before many times and won a championship before so I know what is involved. We’ve just got to put that knowledge into practice.”
Brookes has taken the record for most BSB Showdown appearances with 2018 marking his eighth top six appearance. The Australian has reached the Showdown in every campaign since its introduction in 2010 apart from the 2016 season when he competed in World Superbikes.
