Josh Brookes has broken the stranglehold of British Superbike title rival Shane Byrne after a strong ride saw him claim victory in race two at Oulton Park.

Brookes would start the first race of the day from second but found himself bundled back to third in an early overtake from Lloyds British GbMoto’s James Ellison.

At the front Byrne was building a solid lead on the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki before a safety car condensed the field once more.

The Milwaukee Yamaha-mounted Brookes hit his stride late in the race, benefiting from an off-track excursion from Ellison before ranging up on Byrne.

Just 0.105 seconds separated the pair at the chequered flag, with the Aussie running out of time to find a way past. Ellison would hold onto third, with Yamaha’s Tommy Bridewell fourth and Kawasaki’s Stuart Easton fifth.

After breaking the lap record in race one, Brookes would take full advantage of his pole position for race two, leading from the outset and claiming the win despite the efforts of Byrne to find a way by.

The result marks Brookes’ first victory for the Yamaha squad and moves him to second on the standings, once place clear of Ellison who claimed third in race two. Easton and Bridewell again completed the top five.

Josh Waters put in a competitive showing for Tyco Suzuki, bagging two 13th places after running within the battle pack for a top 10 finish. Handy points move him to 18th on the standings following round two.

Billy McConnell built upon the Oulton Park win tally for the Aussies after a titanic scrap versus MarTrain Yamaha’s Alastair Seeley and his own Smiths Triumph teammate Graeme Gowland.

The pair were locked together on the final lap, with McConnell finding his way to the front to win by just 0.286 seconds from Seeley.

The result bolsters McConnell’s sprint race win on Sunday and moves him 13 points clear of second place in the title race.

Tsingtao WK Kawasaki rider Danny Buchan broke away from the pack early to record a second straight win in the Superstock 1000 race which ended three laps early due to a red flag.

It was a strong showing for the Aussies in class, with Jason O’Halloran claiming second aboard his factory Honda from PR Racing Kawasaki’s David Johnson who menaced in third.

Padgetts Honda stand-in Glen Richards made it three Australian riders in the top five in class.

FFX Yamaha’s Andy Reid proved a comfortable winner in the Superstock 600 class, finishing over four seconds clear of minor podium placers Joe Collier and James Lodge, both aboard Kawasaki machinery.

Australia’s Ben Currie rode a strong race for fifth aboard the Moto-Breakers ZX-6R, while Levi Day crossed the line in 13th aboard his own CPE Motorsport Kawasaki.

James Mutton was the final of the Aussie contingent on track, registering a 27th place finish.

2014 British Superbike Championship
Round two – Oulton Park

Superbike race one results:
1. Shane BYRNE
2. Josh BROOKES (AUS) +0.105
3. James ELLISON +6.183
4. Tommy BRIDEWELL +8.781
5. Stuart EASTON +13.285
6. Dan LINFOOT +19.139
7. Richard COOPER +19.226
8. James WESTMORELAND +23.030
9. Jon KIRKHAM +23.878
10. Jakub SMRZ +25.509
13. Josh WATERS (AUS) +33.985

Superbike race two results:
1. Josh BROOKES (AUS)
2. Shane BYRNE +0.118
3. James ELLISON +4.892
4. Stuart EASTON +11.841
5. Tommy BRIDEWELL +14.145
6. James WESTMORELAND +20.894
7. Dan LINFOOT +21.606
8. Chris WALKER +23.506
9. John HOPKINS +29.872
10. Jon KIRKHAM +30.862
13. 12 Josh WATERS (AUS) +31.729

Superbike championship points (after round two of 12):
1. Shane BYRNE 95
2. Josh BROOKES 65
3. James ELLISON 64
4. Stuart EASTON 44
5. Tommy BRIDEWELL 40
6. Chris WALKER 39
7. James WESTMORELAND 33
8. Dan LINFOOT 32
9. John HOPKINS 23
10. Ben WILSON 20
18. Josh WATERS (AUS) 7

Supersport feature race results:
1. Billy McCONNELL (AUS)
2. Alastair SEELEY +0.286
3. Graeme GOWLAND +0.427
4. Luke STAPLEFORD +9.017
5. Glenn IRWIN +15.592
6. Luke MOSSEY +17.517
7. Luke JONES +18.984
8. Jake DIXON +23.847
9. Samuel HORNSEY +26.851
10. Taylor MACKENZIE +31.198

Supersport championship points (after round two of 12):
1. Billy McCONNELL (AUS) 76
2. Glenn IRWIN 63
3. Alastair SEELEY 61
4. Luke JONES 52
5. Luke STAPLEFORD 50
6. Graeme GOWLAND 36
7. Jake DIXON 28
8. Alex OLSEN 24
9. Taylor MACKENZIE 24
10. Callan COOPER 23

Click here for detailed results