After three years learning the ropes in the British Superbike Championship, Northern Ireland-based Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing is now ready to fight for the 2011 Championship title, with hard-charging Australian Josh Brookes. Brookes finished runner-up in last season’s BSB series, but since arriving at his new base in Northern Ireland in March, the former World Supersport race winner has familiarised himself with the ‘Irish’ way of life, not to mention his race-winning GSX-R1000 Superbike during numerous pre-season tests. And after spending many hours in the Sperrin Mountain Range surrounding the team’s rural base in Moneymore on his mountain bike, the 27-year-old is now ready to race. Josh Brookes: “I wouldn’t be telling any lies if I said, ‘it’s all been easy for me so far here in Northern Ireland.’ I get on really well with the guys in the team and being here has brought a lot of fun back into my racing. The good thing is, I want to be here; I want to work with the guys; and I like being in the workshop when the boys pull new parts out of a box to see their reaction – it’s like Christmas for adults! Their effort doesn’t go un-noticed by me: I understand and respect the hours they put in for the team. “It took me a while to get to grips with the Suzuki during the opening test, but when we got to the Brands test it all fell into place. I didn’t feel under pressure and everything felt very natural on the GSX-R. We were able to start to make the regular changes you would during a race weekend and everything about the team flowed and was well structured. “I have total respect for the guys I am working with and I can’t be more pleased with where I am. The only thing now is to go out there and get the results. It feels very long since I last raced, so it will be good to get the first round out of the way so the season feels like it has actually started.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “Josh has been a pleasure to work with since he arrived and we are all immensely impressed with his work ethic. As a team we have put a lot of hard work into the GSX-R1000 Superbike for this year, making small steps and improvements right across the board. Josh’s build-up is now complete. He is certainly enjoying his time in Northern Ireland and will no doubt add some numbers to his fan base. “We have all been anticipating the start of the season, as we do believe this is our best-ever chance to challenge for the Championship. The first three years in the Superbike class taught us a lot and we now feel the time is right to launch a major challenge for honours with Josh. We have put a respectable amount of miles under our belts in testing – now it’s time to race.”