Podium man Josh Brookes admits he had to play the odds in his last-lap, last-corner attempt to pass Leon Haslam for the second race win today.
McAMS Yamaha’s sole race finisher nearly had the race won after converting his outside move at Coram into an inside pass at the final corner, Murray’s, but missed out by less than a tenth of a second after he and Haslam tangled.
The Australian had to settle for third when Jake Dixon slipped up the inside of he and Haslam on the Senna Straight to nab second, but Brookes says he’s happy to be back where he feels he belongs.
And with he and the Yamaha squad back in the fight for rostrum finishes, he insists there’s much more to come.
“Even though I came third I still enjoyed being part of the battle,” he said. “Of course I love winning, but I love riding my bike as well and when I’m fighting around for places where I don’t feel like I belong, it’s quite frustrating.
“It was fair fight you know, going into the last corner. At no point did I think I had it won, it was always going to be a bit of a roll of the dice to see what happened.
“I came out of the last corner thinking I had a chance but wasn’t exactly sure. It seemed like quite a good race from behind the visor, so I get the impression it was good to watch.
“I went over the left because I thought Leon would be closing on that side, but he came past quicker than I anticipated.
“Obviously if we’re going the same speed and we bump into each other, not a lot would happen, but as he came past with a slingshot it almost took my handlebar out from under me. So we’re lucky we both stayed on our bikes and brought it home for a great finish.
“Now to be in the chase and in the fight for the podium is really good, and I’m happy enough with third.”