Brookes beats Hopkins to the top as Shakey misses out at Thruxton

Courtesy of MCE BSB Briitsh Superbike

 

ResultsFree practice one: 1: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha) 1m:15.659s 2: Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki) +0.134s 3: Danny Buchan (Be Wiser Kawasaki) +0.264s 4: Richard Cooper (Anvil Hire TAG Kawasaki) +0.368s 5: James Westmoreland (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.372s 6: John Hopkins (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati) +0.465s Free practice two: 1: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha) 1m:15.364s 2: John Hopkins (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati) +0.161s 3: Richard Cooper (Anvil Hire TAG Kawasaki) +0.167s 4: James Westmoreland (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.217s 5: Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +0.351s 6: Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki) +0.375s Combined free practice times: 1: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha) 1m 15.364s 2: John Hopkins (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati) +0.161s 3: Richard Cooper (Anvil Hire TAG Kawasaki) +0.167s 4: James Westmoreland (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.217s 5: Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Tec-Care Kawasaki) +0.351s 6: Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki) +0.375s   Report Josh Brookes proved that he is on the ascendancy in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship as he set the pace in the opening free practices at Thruxton in another pair of incredibly close sessions where the top seventeen riders were separated by just 0.931s. The Milwaukee Yamaha rider had the edge over his rivals in both sessions as he looks to build on his winning double of the previous round at Brands Hatch which moved him to within five points of the series-leading, four-time champion Shane “Shakey” Byrne. Brookes had been closed down in the afternoon session by American contender John Hopkins as the former MotoGP ace slashed the advantage, firing the Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati to within 0.161s of his Australian rival. Meanwhile Byrne was twelfth in the second session, but despite holding eighth place on the combined times, the four-time champion was unfazed and believes he has more pace over race distance. Richard Cooper maintained his form from Brands Hatch by posting the third fastest time ahead of James Westmoreland on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki, rookie Luke Mossey and Christian Iddon completed the top six in a top ten featuring five different manufacturers. Adam Jenkinson joined the Milwaukee Yamaha team from the second session, deputising for Broc Parkes who was suffering further arm-pump problems, set the fifteenth fastest time. For more information visit http://www.britishsuperbike.com  Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha)“It didn’t start out immediately that ok – we like to have the bike close to the same as the previous track, but Thruxton is so unique that you have to come with a whole different attitude. We started on a set-up that didn’t work that well, but we were able to improve all day and a fresh tyre left me at the top of the sheets. “In the afternoon, that meant we were able to play around with SC1 and SC2 tyres. I wasn’t terrible on the SC1 – I think I was 0.6 faster than Shakey on it – but it’s a decision we can make after to tomorrow for the race.” John Hopkins (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati)“The bike felt amazing today. Obviously I’ve never ridden a Ducati around here so there are a few things to get used to like different gear patterns compared to previous bikes. We have some minor technical glitches that kept us in the garage for some of that session so it was good to get back out towards the end and sort everything out. “I was in a good rhythm – the bike honestly feels so good – stability, grip, torque, it’s got everything – and the good thing is we’ve actually got some improvements we can make to the lap time and overall consistency. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and hoping the weather stays good! We’re going to keep working and are definitely chasing the podium. “I came into this weekend aiming at a top three finish, and while we’ve got to take each session as it comes, the way it ended today with second overall is a big confidence boost because we know we have even more in the box.”