Tyco Suzuki’s Josh Brookes never felt more comfortable on his bike than out in the wet conditions on a damp Brands Hatch circuit today and that confidence proved crucial as it led him to his third MCE British Superbike victory of the year.

The day started off well for the Northern Ireland based resident as he clocked a time in qualifying that placed him firmly on pole, for the first time this year. His bike seemed to adapt well to the mixed weather conditions and Brookes took advantage of this, especially in the first half on the race, which he eventually went on to win.

But things did prove tricky for the rider as he was less comfortable when parts of the track started to dry up. He did have a four second advantage on lap fourteen, but on the final lap Samsung Honda’s Alex Lowes closed the gap to 0.9 seconds, but Brookes had already done enough to secure the victory. But overall the rider is happy with his ride and the fact that he could come home with a win for his team.

“Initially at the start of the race when it was more wet I felt more comfortable and I could find a rhythm and ride fast, and the gap grew through most of the race. But with two laps to go Alex was behind me and with one lap to go it went down to a one second advantage,” said Brookes at the circuit.

“So I quickly had to figure out how quick I had to go not to be overtaken and it was not the end of the race that I was looking for, the more the track got dry the less comfortable I was.

“But I am really happy to give the number one place to the Tyco Suzuki team and my sponsors and it is a great way to finish the day. It’s a bit of an anti-climax as not being part of the championship hunt now is disappointing and I don’t take the same pleasure from a wet race win as I do with a dry one.”