TT 2024: 'I knew I had it in me' says Josh Brookes after runner-up finish and 134mph lap in Senior showpiece

Brookes made his Isle of Man comeback in 2023 after a five-year hiatus and earned his maiden podium at the event in the Supertwin class before signing off with an eye-catching fifth in the Senior and his then best TT lap of 132.529mph.

However, the two-time British Superbike champion made a major step forward this year, with Brookes setting his fastest lap around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course at 134.056mph on the second lap of the showpiece race, which was reduced from six laps to four after weather delays throughout race week.

The FHO Racing BMW rider profited from the demise of two pre-race favourites after Michael Dunlop retired on the opening lap while team-mate and race leader Peter Hickman crashed out unhurt on the second lap at Ginger Hall, but Brookes produced an impressive ride to claim second place ahead of former Senior TT winner Dean Harrison on the Honda Racing UK Fireblade.

It was a proud moment for Brookes, who made up for the disappointment of a first-lap retirement in the Superbike race a week earlier when the chain came off his M1000RR machine at the 11th Milestone.

“I knew this class was going to be my best chance, that’s why I was really down after the Superbike breakdown,” said the Bringelly man.

“I’ve been waiting all week for this next chance and I never expected to be on the podium with everybody else going so fast, so to come in second is honestly like winning it.

“I never expected to be here and I did my best lap time by a long way. I knew I had that in me but it wasn’t until we got a clear track and an opportunity to do it that I could show it.

“I don’t like to talk about things before they happen, so I hold my confidence quite close to myself and honestly, I’m just so pleased for everyone – Monster Energy, the FHO BMW team; they’ve put in so much hard work this week,” added Brookes.

“I didn’t know if there would be an opportunity to repay the work that they’ve put in because they put in longer hours than us bike riders do and they don’t get any of the credit they deserve, so I really thank them all for this.”

Brookes was aware that Dunlop was out of the race but did not realise that Hickman was the rider who came off at Ginger Hall.

He explained: “I saw Michael pulling to the side so I knew he was out. I saw the marks on the ground at Ginger Hall but I didn’t realise it was Pete, so I’m thrilled that he’s fine because there’s nowhere that I know here that you could come down safely, so I’m glad that he’s okay.

“I saw the marks on the track and I was a bit confused as to where they’d come from but the marshals must have cleaned it up really quickly and kept the race going, which is great.”

The 41-year-old was able to soak up the adulation from the thousands of fans lined around the course in the evening sunshine on the last lap and said it ‘felt like a buzz’ to be part of the prestigious Senior TT celebrations.

“It took a few people going out [to finish second] but I did my best laps by a long way and it all came together,” he said.

“I’ve been keeping myself away from the fans, trying to keep my head in a good place to try and do my best results, and I haven’t been able to spend as much time with the fans as I’d like to, but I felt like there’s been a massive Aussie presence here.

“I’ve spent the last 17 years in the UK so I feel like I belong here as well, but it’s great to have the Australian fans here cheering us on and it really means a lot.

“I already can’t wait for next year and it’s such a buzz. That last lap coming home with all the crowd waving the programmes and cheering me on, it was weird because I’ve seen that before but normally for someone that was coming past me and not for me directly, so it really felt like a buzz to be part of all that happens here.”

Brookes had an eventful two weeks at the TT, surviving a 160mph bird strike at Bray Hill and a lucky escape when he ran wide onto the kerb in Kirk Michael in qualifying.

His results included sixth and 10th in the Supersport races, 11th and eighth in the Supertwin races and 11th in the Superstock race.