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Three third place finishes over the course of the weekend provided encouragement for ‘Brooky’ and further cemented his second place in the overall rankings after crashing out at Mallory Park last time out.

Dave commented: “I’m very pleased with the results. We chucked in a test between the rounds and I completed one full session out of 5 as I was plagued with teething problems from the crash at Mallory Park. This meant I didn't have any practice to blow the cobwebs off so I had an enormous amount of pressure to get on the pace, rectify the electronic problems and set the bike up all on the official test day but I qualified in fifth, 0.5s off of pole.

“I managed to build and improve throughout the weekend and got three solid 3rds out of all the races so I have to be happy with that! My fitness wasn't 100% so, given another 4 weeks of recovery and training im sure I’ll be fighting fit for Anglesey at the end of August,” added Dave.

Martin Quarmby, Technical Director with Brooky’s sponsors Arkoni, commented: “Dave did exceptionally well under the circumstances, having to keep up with the course lap record holder Lee Williams and other opposition. A remarkable achievement after such a heavy crash at Mallory Park. The rest of Brooky’s team also did a great job. Well done to them all!”

For more details please visit arkoni.co.uk / www.brooky73racer.com

As the test day went on we noticed that some of the other riders were on a different compound rear tyre and at a distinct advantage through Gerrards where there is a lot of time made up. This was what we felt would make the difference between a podium and a win. We tried it for the last session and it didn’t end well. As it was a harder compound I hadn’t left it long enough to scrub in before pulling the pin, the result was a gigantic high side crash bang wallop on a fast part of the circuit!

I went over the bars. My bike ran me over. I then glanced at the Armco barrier and was followed in by another rider’s bike. I was knocked out for around 15 minutes and, although there was an initial worry of head and back injuries, a CT scan confirmed thar to not be the case and I got away with a broken rib, bruised lung and crushed arm where it was run over. 

Unfortunately because of the concussion I was put on a 10 day riding ban by the ACU which meant I couldn’t salvage any points over the weekend which was a shame, although I have to say I was and still am not in a position to ride in anger. 

I've been spending the last few evenings going to and from Doncaster receiving Laser therapy by ex TT rider Robbie Silvester which has definitely speeded things up and will commence oxygen therapy in Leeds over the next few weeks to do my absolute best to be fighting fit for the next round. 

I'm obviously gutted about the crash and apologise to my sponsors for the mistake but we are chasing wins and on the limit. These things do happen and it’s a risky sport at times. For every mistake I make others can too and it’s a long season so the plan is to get back and on the pace straight away and keep digging!

On the flip side I’m still in clear second place in the season’s standings despite the leader Lee Williams stretching his lead.

“This weekend was a combination of bad luck and clutch problems and we've taken a hit in the points as a consequence but we'll regroup and move on.

“I qualified well in third position with direction on setup allowing me to find the extra lap time. I found it in Race 1 but the clutch problems that plagued us at Brands Hatch reappeared so I got a bad start in Race 1 and it made life difficult for the entire race having to come back from dropping a row or two and too far behind the leaders. 

“In race 2 I was convinced I’d make up for it but another poor start meant that I had too much to do on lap 1 and the red mist got the better of me. I took too much of a risk, too early on cold tyres and highsided at Barn.  Fortunately I wasn’t injured! If it was any consolation Championship leader Lee Williams also crashed. That was my get out of jail card used up!

“Just prior to Race 3 the heavens opened and and we chucked some wets in without being able to adjust to a wet setup and 4th was the best I could do after, you guessed it, another terrible start!

“Onwards and upwards!”

“I am pleased with how Donington went. We got to the bottom of the clutch issue and the bike is now launching off the line perfectly. We made a big step forward with chassis stability and throttle connection and in general moved the development of the BMW forward.

“I led 2 races for a significant chunk of the overall distance and came away with a solid result and a points haul that puts me a single point behind Lee Williams in 2nd in the GP1 championship.

“I hope to use everything we have learnt at Donington to hit the ground running at Snetterton at the end of April.”

After finishing sixth overall last year, despite having half of his season curtailed by injury, ‘Brooky’ has already started 2017 in encouraging style with a strong performance at Brands Hatch for Team Arkoni Racing.

“I’m aiming to be champion this year. Simple as,” explained Brooky “and I feel I have it in me after a number of podium finishes over the past three years.

“I’ve replaced my Kawasaki ZX10R with a BMW S1000RR which offers a number of advantages in terms of race performance and it certainly did the business at Brands Hatch despite a couple of teething problems.

“The sponsorship from Arkoni has been invaluable over the past three years. Getting financial support from private companies is essential in order to compete at this level and it’s fantastic to be backed by one of the region’s fastest growing manufacturers,”

“I would also like to thank Farrar Joinery, Mobile Smart Repairs Bradford, Moto Works and OC Graphics for their ongoing support,” added ‘Brooky’.

Mark Prentice, MD and founder of Arkoni, commented: “Sponsoring Brooky is a great fit for Arkoni with many of our staff taking a close interest in his fortunes. We are both very much on the up and fully intend to stay in the fast lane!

“Brooky’s performances have improved significantly over the past three years and he’s in with a shout of top spot this season,” added Mark.

Founded in 1991, Arkoni supplies the construction industry with fire-rated glazing systems, a wide selection of standard and bespoke steel glazing and architectural metalwork.

Arkoni currently employs 60 at its workshops on Armytage Road in Brighouse and recorded a £6.5 million turnover in 2015-16.

For more information visit www.brooky73.co.uk

Brooky is hoping for a great season on the track with even more podium finishes after injury curtailed his 2016 season.