Josh Brookes is heading to Snetterton full of confidence after a successful test with the Suzuki GSX-R1000 on Monday at Kirkistown.
The Australian has endured a frustrating start to the year and has seldom been in contention for race victories with the exception of a strong display at Oulton Park which ended with an accident. But after completing over 100 laps at the Northern Ireland track earlier this week, Brookes is excited at the prospects for this weekend.
“Any type of testing is worthwhile but what we did yesterday has given me a confidence boost. The bike has been working really well up to now, but I’ve been struggling to find that half-a-second to be on race-winning pace. What we did, in two areas of the bike, will hopefully help me find that extra little bit. It’s wonderful what you learn when you test two bikes back-to-back; something that you cannot do on a race weekend. I already knew I’d have a good feeling going to Snetterton after my double there last year, but my confidence is now boosted even further with the improvements in these two key areas on my GSX-R1000 Superbike.”
Relentless Suzuki by TAS team manager Philip Neill was hugely encouraged by the progress made at the test, and hopes to see the hard work bear fruit this weekend.
“You can race as much as you like and go to track days, but it’s hard to beat a full day testing at a track all to yourself where you can come in and out whenever you like. So Monday’s test with Josh as Kirkistown was beneficial and very positive indeed. We were able to refine some smaller but very important details, which is nearly impossible at a race weekend, so hopefully we will see the benefits and begin to move forward starting at Snetterton.”
