Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes couldn’t get his second MCE British Superbike win of the year, even though he came close to out-pacing Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne. The Bringelly rider finished second in race one, and crashed in race two, after pushing too hard going into the Montreal Hairpin – leaving him feeling very ‘frustrated’.
Brookes is adamant that he needs to improve, and his crew are working hard on getting the bike comfortable for the Aussie rider. Byrne has been on his bike for years, but this is the first season that Brookes has been on the Yamaha and he is still not at the stage where he is feeling comfortable on his bike – which he hopes will be resolved soon.
“I am just feeling frustrated coming second all the time. In the race I thought - stuff it I would rather crash than come second again, but then I kept pushing and pushing and the next thing I was on the ground with no wind in my lungs and gasping for breath, and I felt that maybe I should have come second," said Brookes, speaking to bikesportnews.com from the Milwaukee Yamaha garage.
“I can only hope that I can improve, you have got to think that Shakey has been on the bike for three or four years and is very comfortable on it, but he is close to being at his limit and if he cant improve up to that point then he’s not going to improve much anymore. But me being new to the Yamaha there is still room for improvement and getting quicker – and that is what I am focusing on.
“I feel that I am over riding the bike all the time. I feel that I’m not riding cool, clam and relaxed and I am really pushing the bike all the time to achieve what I want it to do, but I just have to get better and keep improving. I am not injured, I just winded myself, but I am fine in most respects.”
