Source: Yamaha Racing.

Australia’s Josh Brookes is hopeful that a rapid improvement while developing the 2015 YZF-R1 with Milwaukee Yamaha will enable him to capitalise in the early stages of this year’s British Superbike Championship.

Brookes was solid at the opening round with an opening race podium in third, before he was able to salvage sixth in race two when caught up with Ryuichi Kiyonari’s incident.

“I think we should be pretty good at Brands Hatch because we have ridden Alcarras in Spain when the bike was new and then we went to Cartagena, then we went to Donington Park for the test and then the race,” Brookes said.

“Throughout that period we have made a lot of changes to the bike, but it has reacted consistently over the different tracks we have gone to so I think we should be able to go to Brands Hatch and not have to turn everything upside down with the setting.

“It will still be tough at Brands Hatch, all of the teams will get stronger and we will have a lot of competition on the track, so we have to improve at a faster rate than them and hopefully because we are on a new bike I think it will improve. Putting it all into the big picture we feel confident for Brands Hatch, but we still have to take it day by day.”

Teammate Broc Parkes will also be eager to fast-track not only the bike, but himself as well in learning BSB, and he’s had strong results at Brands Hatch as a wildcard in 2009.

“After Donington Park I really want to make up for it at Brands Hatch this weekend,” Parkes said. “Normally it is a good track for me, although I have never raced on the Indy layout.

“I have had good results in the past in the world championship and when I was a wildcard before, so I am hoping we can go there and use what we have learnt from the first round and hopefully be stronger again. It has all been positive so far, it is just that it didn’t quite work out at Donington.”

Parkes is yet to score points after a disastrous day at Donington Park’s round one, suffering a handlebar fault in race one and crashing out of the second.