Josh Brookes still has an outside chance of defending his British Superbike Championship title as he heads into the eighth round of the 2021 season as one of eight riders fighting over four available spots in the Title Showdown.
The Australian has endured a trying 2021 campaign on the VisionTrack Ducati, struggling for results on a machine that has taken team-mate Christian Iddon to two wins and a guaranteed Title Showdown spot.
Though well down on his remarkable record of 59 race wins at BSB level, a run of solid form in recent races - including six top six results in the last seven races - have moved Brookes up to tenth overall, thus onto the cusp of the expanded eight Title Showdown spots.
Just 13 points shy of eighth place man Lee Jackson, a strong weekend at Silverstone could see Brookes line up as one of the riders striving for the title, despite being 258 points down on current leader Jason O’Halloran.
As it stands, Brookes would start the final three events on an equalised 500 points, with O’Halloran on 563 points.
Who has reached the 2021 BSB Title Showdown?
However, Brookes is in competition with seven other riders for the four remaining Showdown spots.
Currently O’Halloran, Tarran Mackenzie, Tommy Bridewell and Iddon have booked their places in the Title Showdown.
Peter Hickman is almost certain to make it through too, but it is much closer behind him with Danny Buchan, Glenn Irwin and Jackson sitting pretty but precariously.
In ninth, Bradley Ray is only five points behind Jackson with three races and a maximum of 75 points up for grabs at Silverstone, but mathematically Ryan Vickers, Rory Skinner and Andrew Irwin are also in with a mathematical possibility of making the Showdown too.
5 - Peter Hickman (FHO BMW) - 224 points
6 - Danny Buchan (Synetiq BMW) - 174
7 - Glenn Irwin (Honda Racing) - 161
8 - Lee Jackson (FS3 Kawasaki) - 154
9 - Bradley Ray (OMG BMW) - 149
10 - Josh Brookes (VisionTrack Ducati) - 141
11 - Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) - 136
12 - Rory Skinner (FS3 Kawasaki) - 127
13 - Andrew Irwin (Synetiq BMW) - 104
