Source: Supplied.

World-class Australian Josh Brookes will be a surprise 11th-hour inclusion in Phillip Island’s Yamaha Finance round of the 2017 Motul Superbike World Championship, piecing together a wildcard ride with ER Motorsports on 24-26 February.

The surprise move will see Brookes reunited with the Yamaha YZF-R1 that he won the 2015 British Superbike Championship aboard after the Victorian-based ER Motorsports squad acquired it from Tommy Hill Motorsports in the UK.

“I’ve had a lot more involvement in this than I’ve ever had to in racing before,” Brookes told CycleOnline.com.au. “A lot of the organisation to do with personnel, the bike-spec, getting parts, fuel, purchasing the bike and freight, I’ve had to be very hands-on.

“I’m motivated and excited by the project. If I was asked the question ‘what’s the favourite bike you’ve ever raced?’, that bike from 2015 would be the favourite one to date. To go back to that bike, I’m looking forward to it, and I’m left with the same question that I think most people have…

“Last year, of course, was not a great example because it was clearly not a good display of riding, bike or team, so you’re left with the question of ‘what if you went from BSB champion to WorldSBK on the same bike, where would you finish?’. I’m as interested to find that out as everybody else is and I think it’s a genuinely good question. This is my opportunity to see – it could be great or it could be disappointing, but I’m intrigued to find out.

“I can only use my own experience to gauge it, but I was top 10 last year in an environment that I wasn’t pleased about. The confidence I have on that R1 should be able to steer me up the grid further than the top 10 that I was able to get on the BMW, so hopefully having the track experience could also inspire better results. With the crowd behind me, being at home, it’s kind of like that one last try, just to finish the story. There’s a lot of motivation there.”

The R1, which is still in transit from the UK to Australia, will require modifications to the electronics package that will bring it in line with WorldSBK regulations, but will otherwise be vastly the same as what Brookes dominated the BSB series on in 2015 – winning 13 of the final 16 races in the championship.

This year won’t be the first time in his career that Brookes has attempted to upset the world championship regulars at Phillip Island, previously winning the World Supersport round back in 2004 in a result that firmly placed him on the international radar. He departed home-shores fulltime at the end of 2005 after clinching the Australian Superbike and Supersport championship double.

“If I’d said to anyone that I thought I was going to win that race before it actually started, people would have put me in the nut house – they would have thought I was crazy!” Brookes continued. “I mean, anything can happen and sometimes dreams come true, but I’ve ridden for so many different teams in different championships around the world and I’ve experienced that sometimes you don’t need all the fancy stuff. Sometimes you just need that basic support crew of people as motivated as you are and you can do some great things.

“What this is, is a bunch of Aussie blokes going to an Australian race-track to race their motorbike. It’s not any more built up and there’s no-one making money out of it. In fact, everyone involved, it’s costing them money, and we have got some really loyal sponsors on-board to alleviate some of the load. Everyone’s pitching in and it’s just a very low-key, grassroots group that’s trying to take on the world. It really shows who’s passionate about bikes and racing – I think that’s the key.”

Source: Supplied.

ER Motorsports has been formed by former national-level racer Deon Coote, who 33-year-old Brookes has had a friendship with for over a decade, and the project will be primarily backed by Coote’s Elite Roads business. Long-time Brookes supporter Milspec Services is behind them, as is Brookes’ own Mudbuster brand that he distributes locally.

Coote commented: “I’m an ex-racer myself and racing is in your blood – you just can’t get it out. A situation arose where I had an opportunity to put back into the sport I love and as I can’t race myself, this is the next best thing.

“I have high expectations going into this project, I’ve known Josh for more than 10 years and I believe with the calibre of rider he is, the bike he’s proven on, plus racing at our home track, it’s a great combination for success.”

Brookes spent the entire 2016 season in WorldSBK riding for his BSB title-winning Shaun Muir Racing team on a BMW, finishing 14th in the standings after a difficult campaign. He went 10-9 at Phillip Island to open the series.

The Bringelly-bred hard-charger has confirmed a packed schedule ahead of his 2017 campaign, recently signing with Anvil Hire Yamaha to return to BSB fulltime and also set to line-up at the Isle of Man TT once again with the factory Norton outfit.

To purchase for the Yamaha Finance round of the 2017 Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) visit www.worldsbk.com.au or call the Superbike hotline on 1300 728 007 for tickets and general event information.