Source: Supplied.

Australia’s Josh Brookes will officially transfer to the World Superbike Championship in 2016, remaining with the Shaun Muir-owned Milwaukee team, but campaigning BMW’s S 1000 RR in the new challenge.

Brookes, 32, won this year’s British Superbike Championship with Milwaukee Yamaha, however with that manufacturer opting to pair up with Crescent Racing, Milwaukee has confirmed it will race with BMW support.

“I’m excited to be back in WorldSBK and to go there with the same team I won the BSB title with is perfect,” Brookes said. “I haven’t raced a BMW before, but the bike and factory are proven and I am certain it will be competitive.

“Having the support of BMW Motorrad Motorsport is crucial to our efforts and having their experts on-site with us will be a big help. We will test early in January before heading to Phillip Island and I am looking forward to riding in front of my home fans.”

Prior to this, Brookes had stints in the FIM Supersport World Championship between 2004 and 2008, during which he won two races and scored a total of seven podium finishes. He’s also started 35 races between 2006 and 2012 in WorldSBK.

The WorldSBK comeback of Brookes will take place from 26-28 February at Phillip Island in Australia, the move also marking the return of having an Australian in the series fulltime from next season. He will partner Karel Abraham in the new-look team.

The move brings a new challenge for the whole team, as explained by team principal Shaun Muir: “As a team, the support and enthusiasm shown by BMW Motorrad Motorsport was hugely confidence-building.

“They know exactly what we need to be competitive and the level of backing has made our decision to join them much easier. I am incredibly impressed with the amount of technical support we will have and it bodes well for a great debut season in WorldSBK.”

The Milwaukee outfit is the second team to announce its participation on the 2016 WorldSBK grid with BMW S 1000 RR bikes. Last month Althea Racing confirmed that it be racing the German machines with Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger.