Josh Brookes returned to winning ways in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park and after a turnaround in Cheshire, the VisionTrack Ducati rider now trails Glenn Irwin at the top of the standings by just ten points.
The 2015 champion qualified on the second row of the grid at Oulton Park, before ending round 10 in eighth place, his lowest race finishing position of the season. However on Sunday he was climbing the order again, ending the second race in fourth place, before proving he was back to full force with a victory in race three.
Brookes was a podium finisher when the championship last visited Donington Park earlier in the season on the National circuit, and twice scored a podium finish in 2019 on the full GP circuit. With just six rounds now remaining in the fight for the 2020 title, Brookes will be determined to maintain his winning momentum.
Speaking after the final race at Oulton Park, Brookes said: “I felt really good after that win. I had a good setup for the lap time in the second race as I started on pole position for the final one.
“Life was a bit easier for me in race three, starting from pole position. I used my lap time as a reference straight away, and to start with I thought I was in trouble as I couldn’t achieve the lap time that I thought was necessary to move forward.
“I just rode as hard as I could and from that moment I expected people to try and attack. When the attack came, I knew I had to attack straight back and as it turns out that was the right thing to do. Then fortunately, I could hold the lead position.
“As the race went on, the bike stayed the same and I was able to do the lap times at the end of the race similar to what I had been doing at the start, so the VisionTrack Ducati crew did a great job.
“I was really buzzing after that win. I have had loads of wins in BSB but that one felt particularly good – I really enjoyed that one!”
Brookes now gears up for the next three rounds of the championship, heading to Donington Park in a confident mood following the VisionTrack Ducati team’s progress in Cheshire.
“We showed we were back in the running for the title so I’m looking forward to getting back to Donington. We had a good showing on the GP circuit last year and there is more to setting the bike up than just for the Melbourne Loop, it affects the whole lap so it’s a lot more than people think.
“I’m confident that the Ducati will work well, at least I hope it will, and I’m feeling full of positive vibes after winning at Oulton Park so let’s continue where we left off.”