Source: Supplied.

Josh Brookes proved he won’t buckle under the pressure of the MCE British Superbike Championship Showdown in the opening round at Assen, claiming a double win for the Milwaukee Yamaha team in two intense races.

In the opening race Brookes continued his impressive run of form on board the YZF-R1, hitting the front of the pack in the opening race to edge out James Ellison on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki to take the victory.

Michael Laverty scored his first podium finish of the season for Tyco BMW, as reigning champion Shane Byrne on the PBM Kawasaki could only cross the line in fourth place as he held off the attack from American John Hopkins.

The second race took a dramatic turn with the conditions changing constantly before the start and as the track began to dry the majority of the grid had opted for the slick tyre choice, while Dan Linfoot gambled on the wet option.

Linfoot led the opening four laps before dropping back down the pack as an incredible scrap broke out for the victory. Brookes took the lead briefly, but then had a huge moment and dropped down the order. That handed the advantage to rookie Luke Mossey on the Quattro Plant Kawasaki, but then Ellison pushed ahead.

Ellison was then under pressure as Brookes closed in, taking the lead with three laps to go and then holding off the late challenges of his fellow Title Fighter. Mossey matched his best result of the season in third place ahead of Richard Cooper on the Buildbase BMW.

Bennetts Suzuki rider Josh Waters put in two consistent finishes with 15th in race one and 14th in the second, while Smiths Racing BMW’s Billy McConnell went 11-DNF and Gearlink Kawasaki’s Jed Metcher scored DNF-18 results.

2015 British Superbike Championship
Round 10 – Assen, Netherlands

Superbike race one results:
1. Josh Brookes (AUS)
2. James Ellison +6.757s
3. Michael Laverty +8.425s
4. Shane Byrne +8.811s
5. John Hopkins +10.071s
6. Richard Cooper +13.145s
7. Christian Iddon +16.901s
8. Tommy Bridewell +18.118s
9. Peter Hickman +21.541s
10. Danny Buchan +22.533s
11. Billy McConnell (AUS) +22.656s
15. Josh Waters (AUS) +30.050s

Superbike race two results:
1. Josh Brookes (AUS)
2. James Ellison +0.615s
3. Luke Mossey +3.636s
4. Richard Cooper +4.365s
5. Shane Byrne +4.548s
6. Christian Iddon +6.052s
7. Jack Kennedy +13.939s
8. Chris Walker +18.814s
9. Michael Laverty +20.968s
10. Jakub Smrz +21.096s
14. Josh Waters (AUS) +26.296s
18. Jed Metcher (AUS) +43.488s

Superbike championship standings:
1. Josh Brookes (AUS) 603
2. Shane Byrne 575
3. James Ellison 562
4. Michael Laverty 523
5. Tommy Bridewell 515
6. Dan Linfoot 509
7. Richard Cooper 142
8. Stuart Easton 139
9. Luke Mossey 134
10. Peter Hickman 113
11. Jason O’Halloran (AUS) 103
13. Billy McConnell (AUS) 94
20. Broc Parkes (AUS) 38
23. Josh Waters (AUS) 27
31. Jed Metcher (AUS) 1

Click here for detailed results