Josh Brookes collected a healthy haul of points at Croft to bring himself back into contention for a place in the top six championship shootout.
The Relentless Suzuki rider would have been forgiven for feeling the after-effects of his accident at Oulton Park which cost him a potential victory, but he was straight on the pace upon arriving in North Yorkshire, and qualified 12th.
Despite not feeling entirely comfortable on the slippery track in race one, the Australian stayed out of trouble to finish eight. In race two, he was on fire, regularly lapping faster than anybody else to take fourth.
Brookes was disappointed to miss out on his first podium for the Suzuki-backed outfit, but nevertheless was relieved to leave North Yorkshire with 21 points in the bag.
“Race one was hindered with the rain but I did the best I could with the Intermediate/Slick tyre-combination that we chose, but I wasn’t confident to push any harder in the conditions. We did have a bit of a power loss but I don’t think that made any difference.
“In race two I made a little mistake and lost a few places, but I felt very confident on the bike and got back up to fourth. I sat close to John Hopkins just in case he made a mistake, but I was happy to run it home in fourth rather than make a mistake; and in the end we picked up some good points.”
Brookes is excited ahead of the next round at Thruxton, a circuit which holds special memories for him, but the 28 year old has other engagements before going to Hampshire.
“Next up is Thruxton which is my favourite track. I had my first BSB podium and win there so I’m looking forward to that. Before then I’m off to the North West 200 to drink some Guinness and support Alastair Seeley and Guy Martin.”
