Tyco Suzuki's BSB rider Josh Brookes has been clocking up the air miles during June and July with trips home to Australia and also to Japan for some Suzuka 8-Hour testing prior to this weekend's sixth round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch in Kent.
Despite his globe-trotting exploits, Brookes remains focused, determined and upbeat and is looking to take his first BSB victory of the season this weekend, before heading back to Japan to represent Yoshimura Suzuki at the Suzuka 8-Hour in little over seven days' time.
Reflecting on his busy period of racing and planning, Brookes explained his desire for success this coming weekend at one of his favourite circuits on the BSB calendar: the Brands Hatch GP track.
"I'm looking forward to Brands, as it's one the circuits I do tend to enjoy riding more than some of the others. I really do enjoy riding the GP circuit, especially places like Surtees at the back of the pits and up-over the rise and down into Hawthorns and Westfield. I pretty-much love riding that whole back section of the circuit that you don't normally get to ride when we race the Indy circuit. It's certainly a cool track and I'm looking forward to it.
"I want to start beating Shakey as it's driving me nuts not being able to be more competitive. Along with the team I'm always trying to find ways to improve and I'm hoping we can do that this weekend at Brands.
"Shakey has created this aura that he's unbeatable around Brands, so if I can beat him this weekend, hopefully it can break his strategy and pattern running into the next few races. Of course it's easier said than done, but that's my motivation. I want to get to Brands this weekend and start turning things around.
"I think coming back from Suzuka, where I was testing with the Yoshimura team prior to next week's 8-Hour, might help that, as I have learned some stuff about myself and also about adapting on a motorbike, by riding on a different machine; and on different tyres.
"It's maybe five or six years now that I've been on Pirelli and adapted to them. You don't get complacent, but you get into a rut and stop experimenting and the learning process slows down because you get so familiar with the product. "Jumping over to ride the roads and the TT on Metzeler tyres, and going to Suzuka on different tyres again; as much as it is so different to short-circuit racing in the British Superbike Championship, there are elements that I can use from those experiences - especially Japan - that make me eager to see if I can put them into practice and possibly benefit my BSB campaign.
"It may mean a tenth-of-a-second, it may mean two-tenths; or it may mean nothing at all, but I want to get on track and see if I can implement them. On top of that, our bike is improving as we have seen at Snetterton. Stewart Johnstone and the team have made good improvements with the bike. It's a marginal gain, as you are not going to find massive horsepower, as like all the top teams, we are almost working at the limits of the motorbike at this level, so any improvements are going to be small, but the GSX-R1000 Superbike is working well.
"It certainly was noticeable at Snetterton, and Brands is another big circuit where power could come into play. The opening round of the year was at Brands. I don't enjoy the Indy circuit, but it will be interesting to see going to the GP circuit and with the development we have made, how much things have changed.
"With Brands being the final round of the year, this is a bit of a dress rehearsal for October; as it did come down to the last race there last year. Even though we are only at the middle part of the season, things do tend to hinge on this track, so it's another crucial part of the jigsaw."
