Josh Brookes and the Milwaukee Yamaha team head to Brands Hatch this weekend in search of their first MCE British Superbike victory of the season.
Brookes has finished on the podium an impressive nine times so far in 2015 but knows that he has to make it onto the top step of the podium sooner, rather than later if he is to keep up with Shane Byrne in the standings.
The reigning champion currently has a 35-point lead over the Australian in the championship after comfortably winning the last four races.
A determined Brookes said: “I looked at the points after Knockhill and the urgency to win has become more noticeable – we need to do whatever it is we need to in order to make a change that brings a better result. We know we have been making steps forward, but we need to keep pushing for more improvements.
“I checked in with the team last week and we have been looking at how we can improve and have been looking at a plan for Brands Hatch. For example making the bike wheelie less as this was one of the issues we had at Knockhill due to the nature of the track, and changing the weight distribution.”
Brookes finished third in both races on the Indy circuit earlier in the season and although podium credits are useful for the championship, the 32-year-old is well aware of the need for victories.
He said: “I believe we can be stronger at Brands Hatch and we need to be fighting for the wins now, podiums are good for the championship but we definitely need more than that before the Showdown.”
The GP circuit at Brands Hatch is certainly one of Brookes’ favourites with five BSB race wins to his name at the track, including a triple-victory in the final round of the 2013 season.
Action at this year’s race meeting gets underway on Friday morning with free practice one, where Brookes will be hoping to find the right set-up ahead of Saturday’s Datatag Extreme Qualifying session.
