Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes is puzzled by a lack of race-day pace at the Knockhill MCE British Superbike round after being in the top three during practice and only being beaten to pole position for 0.004s on Saturday.

The Bringelly man could only muster a brace of fourth places while title rival Shane Byrne took a win and a second but he did benefit from James Ellison’s troubles and goes back into the championship runner-up spot.

“We haven’t really got an answer for why. I was fast all the way through practice and in qualifying and then in race one, there was no rear grip. I put that down to maybe a not-right tyre but it was the same in race two,” said Brookes, speaking to bikesportnews.com on his way to Suzuka.

"I tried everything to go faster and ride harder, but what was really frustrating for me was not that I came fourth, but that Shakey wasn’t his dominant self and I wasn’t able to capitalise. It is when he is having a bad day that I have got to have a good day. When he is having a poor weekend by his regular standards it was an opportunity for me to pounce and I fumbled.

“We’ve been through the data and can’t find anything specific. My crew chief Mick asked me if I wanted anything changing after qualifying but I left the bike as it was, so we are a bit stuck for answers. It’s one of those I will have to take on the chin and re-group for Brands Hatch.”