Milwaukee BMW’s Josh Brookes will have to battle it out in Superpole one after finishing the World Superbike free practice sessions outside the top ten. The reigning MCE British Superbike champion was sixteenth fastest overall in FP2, and his lap times at the track have been slightly ‘depressing’ for the rider.
His team-mate, Karel Abraham had his best free practice result of the season so far and was tenth overall, which means he goes directly through to Superpole two, and the chance to fight for a possible pole position.
At the circuit last year, Brookes went faster in FP1 on the Milwaukee Yamaha R1 in BSB, than he did in the same session today, on the S1000RR. But Brookes is not giving up and his team will keep trying to get the lap times that the rider and the bike are capable of.
“Being at the front in the British and then coming into the Worlds and not being able to replicate those lap times and seconds is quite depressing. You have got to keep up and keep trying and working at it. Last year my FP1 time in BSB with the first time on the R1 was faster than my FP1 here today - clearly there are still problems. Maybe it’s me I don’t know, I just don’t seem to be getting the speed and lap times that I need on the bike,” said Brookes, at the track.
“So everyone is working their best and trying their hardest to give me what I want and try and understand what the problems are, and it is very complex here with all the electronics and stuff the bike has got. It is difficult to know exactly what area of the bike is giving the most trouble and the best way to fix it.
“We can just keep trying and hopefully break into that range where we are trying to make that progress. I have personally no concern that I don’t think I will be fast enough in the world championship. This year I feel like a passenger and I kind of ride around and the bike is not doing anything wrong, and I can't ride at the level where I can really use my skills to prove the quality of the bike or my ability.
“I don’t believe I am reaching the potential of the bike, I feel I am not doing justice to the BMW because I know the bike has far more potential than what we are actually achieving with it and it is just trying to understand why we are not progressing further and getting closer to that range where we expect to be.”