Source: Supplied.

Australian Josh Brookes expressed his frustration following a hard-fought Suzuka 8 Hours last weekend, which saw the experienced racer and his Yoshimura Suzuki Motul Racing team charge their way from 67th to seventh at the completion of the prestigious event.

Brookes’ teammate Takuya Tsuda suffered a costly crash in the opening stages as he tried to recover from a poor start, which positioned the team at the rear of the field right from the beginning after a pit stop for repairs.

Despite the setback, the team were able to work the way into the top 10, but for Brookes, it was disappointing to not repeat the squad’s podium result from 2016, although he holds no blame against the local Japanese rider for the mistake.

“I think it is a bit sad that we had a fall but there was a lot of pressure with this race,” Brookes explained. “And I understand, you know, it’s easy to make mistakes with so much responsibility. So, I am not angry or upset with Takuya, but upset for the situation.

“Anyway, we went from the back all the way to seventh, so this is a good education for all the spectators and Suzuki fans to see the potential of the team and bike is still strong.

“I am sure we did not get the race and the position we wanted, but if you look at the position we came back to, it is really strong. So for this, I am happy.”

The New South Wales-native will now return to his regular role in the British Superbike Championship with the Anvil Hire Yamaha outfit, where he’s currently positioned fifth in the standings.