Josh Brookes has joined the Dafabet Racing team for the 2023 Isle of Man TT Races in the Supertwin category.
Brookes will race Dafabet Racing’s Kawasaki Ninja 650 in this year’s two Supertwin TTs, a class which the Australian last raced in 2017, when he finished sixth.
Image credit: FHO Racing.
The move for Brookes comes after an injury for Gary Johnson, who has been forced to withdraw from the 2023 Isle of Man TT, and confirms Brookes’ participation in three classes this year, alongside his efforts in the Superbike and Superstock classes for FHO Racing, with whom he competes in the British Superbike Championship.
Josh Brookes said: “With coming back [to the TT] after a few years, the plan was for me to just focus on riding the one bike, but I got the call from the team and it’s hard to turn down an offer on such a competitive bike! I’m looking forward to trying it out and seeing how we get on, and I want to say thanks to Roy and Ben [Constable] for bringing me in and to Faye [Ho] for letting me take on another class.”
Dafabet Racing’s pedigree in the Supertwin class is undoubtable, having dominated the class between 2014 - when Dean Harrison won his first TT for the team - and 2016, with the ‘15 and ‘16 wins coming with Ivan Lintin.
Roy Constable, Team Co-owner, Dafabet Racing, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that we have got Josh on board for the TT. To have a rider of his undoubted calibre and experience on our Kawasaki Z650 is a massive achievement and shows the credibility our team still holds. I’d like to say thank you to Faye (FHO Racing) for allowing us to borrow Josh for these races and to the Isle of Man organisers and Kawasaki for getting us back on the grid. I’d also like to wish Gary all the best and hope he gets well soon.”
The 2023 Isle of Man TT Races begin today (29 March 2023) with the first practices, while racing will begin on Saturday 3 June. The two Supertwin TTs will take place on Tuesday 6 and Friday 9 June.
