Brookes takes race one after hard fought battle

Josh Brookes has taken the win in the first of the day’s MCE British Superbike races at Silverstone – but the win didn’t come as easily as expected for the Milwaukee Yamaha rider despite his qualifying dominance.

It was John Hopkins who got the holeshot, not pole man Brookes, holding off both James Ellison and the Australian in the opening stages of the race, before the duo behind him managed to make their move through and pull slightly clear.

It wasn’t to last though, as tyre woes for Ellison allowed Brookes to pull clear at the front, before both defending champion Shane Byrne and surprise man Peter Hickman both made it though on the Cumbrian for the final two places.

Hopkins, despite his own tyre problems, also made it through on Ellison, taking fourth and leaving the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider to just hold off Michael Laverty on the Tyco BMW.