The Milwaukee Yamaha team have got the final round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship underway with Josh Brookes and Jakub Smrz ending the opening two free practice sessions in third and sixth respectively.

Brookes is gearing up for tomorrow’s opening race of the triple-header with a 47 point advantage in the overall standings and only needs to outscore his rival by three points to claim a maiden title. The packed day will see the team complete the final free practice session before heading into Datatag Qualifying and then the opening race of the weekend.

Brookes said:

“This morning it was wet, but the cold temperature made it hard to be confident. You had to do your best lap when you came out of the pits, yet you didn't want to risk too much, because in conditions like that the tyre will get cooler on its side.

“This afternoon was completely different, with the track drying out. We still had low temperatures, but because it hadn't rained all day, the track was starting to dry. The wet tyre was squirming around, but with the cold temperatures we couldn't use an intermediate or a slick.

“It was almost like motocross - on every lap that you came around, the track conditions had changed. Today the track was changing quicker than you could change the setup on the bike. You might go in for a tyre to suit a wet track, but the next time you went back it was patchy, and there was a clear drying line. We will keep working tomorrow and then we will be ready for race one.”




Smrz said:

“It was difficult conditions, but good for us, because this meeting’s usually very mixed, so it was good that we had the chance to try the bike in the wet. In FP1 I was feeling really good on the bike, small changes, but without any big risk. And FP2 was slightly different conditions with more dry and some places a little bit of a dry line, so again it was really good to try that and see how the bike is in those conditions, and again I was really happy.

“There are small things to adjust, but yeah, feeling really good and strong in these conditions, so we will see tomorrow. I think me and the Milwaukee Yamaha team did a great job today, so that’s the plan for the rest of the weekend!”