Josh Brookes has thanked the Crescent Fixi Suzuki team despite a largely frustrating weekend in place of John Hopkins at the Superbike World Championship season opener at Phillip Island.

Brookes raced to 16th in race one and 15th in the second for a single point, struggling to find complete comfort aboard the GSX-R1000 throughout the race week.

“I feel better about today than the rest of the weekend,” Brookes said. “For race two, we went back to front-end ride height we used yesterday plus some softer springs. The changes made a huge difference to how the front end felt and the bike braked and turned better.

“We turned down the traction control for race two and although I was happier with the feel of the bike, it resulted in destroying the tyres more quickly. I’d like to thank Crescent Fixi Suzuki for giving me the chance to ride the bike.

“I have learnt a lot this weekend and my mind has been opened as to the potential of the Suzuki I’ll be riding in the British Superbike Championship.”

Team manager Jack Valentine thanks Brookes in return for his appearance with little time to prepare after Hopkins was injured.

“I’m pleased that Josh got into the points. He has worked hard throughout the tests and this weekend and we really appreciate his efforts standing in for Hopper,” Valentine said.

“Overall I am happier with the second race potential and generally we’ve gained a lot of good, useful information to take to the next round in Imola.

Team owner Paul Denning also thanked Brookes, but admitted the team missed Hopkins in its WSBK debut.

“Phillip Island is a brutal track if you don’t have a perfect set-up and we also missed John’s speed and experience with the Suzuki, so our backs were up against it right from the start,” Denning said.

“I’d like to thank Josh for joining the team at short notice and working as hard as he did in the tests and this weekend. I’d also like to thank Fujio, Yohei and all the guys at Yoshimura.

“We need their help to go forward and we’re all looking forward to the next-spec engines. This is a world championship and it’s tough at this level but we are determined to fight for good results!”