Josh Brookes is hopeful that John Hopkins' stunning performance in the Superbike World Championship will bode well for him at Brands Hatch this weekend. Hopkins runs the same Suzuki GSX-R1000 as Brookes in the British Championship and after Hopkins' pole position at Silverstone, the Australian is encouraged ahead of this weekend's vital meeting.
“I want to be getting more podiums this weekend, but ideally I’d like a race win, or two or even three! With Hopper going really strong on the world scene we’ve got to try and beat him now and the rest will look after itself. As much as I was jealous to see him out there, it shows we have a good motorbike in the Suzuki GSX-R1000 and it actually gave me encouragement, showing we are racing in a very strong championship in BSB.”
Brookes currently holds the sixth and final place in the championship showdown with two rounds until the contenders are decided. Team Manager Philip Neill is under no illusions as to how important this weekend is.
“We are all looking forward to Brands and the triple header. The next two meetings will be pivotal in the BSB Championship with another three races at Cadwell Park to decide to Shoot-Out places at the end of August. It will be very interesting next weekend as we practice on Friday on the short track then race on the full track on Saturday, obviously after the qualifying sessions. It’s going to be a very busy day for everyone. The Championship cannot be won this coming weekend but it can certainly be lost, so we intend going in with a game plan to strengthen our position in the top six.”
