Reigning champion Josh Brookes went through a range of emotions at Silverstone at the weekend but the ultimate one was delight as two podiums on Sunday secured his place in this year’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship showdown.

Few would have thought that possible when he was finishing 14th, 16th and 18th at Thruxton and languishing in 12th in the table but it’s been a dramatic turnaround for the VisionTrack Ducati rider and a run of eight top six finishes, including his first podiums of the season at Silverstone, saw him confirm his top eight position late on Sunday afternoon

That maintained his impressive run of making it into the Showdown every year it’s been contested since 2010, the only exception being in 2016 when he was competing in the World Superbike Championship instead.

“It’s obviously been a very average season by my standards but I’m pleased with the two podiums and pleased to continue my run of making it to the Showdown every year I’ve contested BSB,” the Australian said afterwards.

“The improvements we’ve made of late are coming to fruition now and I’ve had the potential for a while without being able to convert my pace into results. This weekend I did.

“The wheel spin and lack of grip I’ve been encountering continues but I’ve almost learnt to live with it now although it does make the races hard work. We only have a small window where the bike works and just the slightest movement out of that window leads to big mistakes which is why I’m up and down a bit during the races.

“I’m not known for making mistakes or for getting bad starts but that’s what’s happening although as the race goes on, the other riders come back to me. I can see them spinning up in the second half of the race but because I’ve had that from the start, we’re on a more level playing field and I’m able to make up ground in the latter stages.”

Brookes was able to make considerably better starts in both of Sunday’s races which meant he didn’t have to make up ground. Indeed, he was unlucky not have won the opening encounter having led for practically the whole race, only losing out when the Yamaha pairing of Tarran Mackenzie and Jason O’Halloran overhauled him on the final lap.

“I was actually quite nervous ahead of the races, which was a good sign – with the poor results I’ve had this season, I’ve never had that but at Silverstone there was more pressure and expectation hence the nerves.

“I didn’t really enjoy Sunday’s first race though and didn’t really know what emotions to have afterwards. I was grateful to be on the podium after so long but just didn’t think it was good enough. It was a reflection of the year and it was hard to put on a smile for a third place but the second race was a lot better.

“It was the same result but I felt really good about that third as it was a proper dog fight and a good battle to be part of. I’m still taking it race by race but we can be proud of our efforts this weekend and I’m really pleased for the team and everyone connected with it that we were able to make the Showdown. A lot of people have stuck by me and I’m really grateful for their support.”