Exciting season lies ahead for road racer Brooks
Alun Brooks' racing season has been so good he has been voted one of the region's top sportsmen.
Having tipped his toe into the world of road racing for the first time, the Welshpool rider is hungry for more and has laid out some big plans for 2020.
But more that, Brooks is keen to add to his Southern 100 and Manx GP successes on the Isle of Man – having and set his sights set on the North West 200 and the main TT.
The father-of two has been one of the county's top competitors on the circuits for years, racking podiums in various club racing championships.
However, after taking the plunge and entering the wildly dangerous and exciting world of motorbike road racing, he has really started turning heads.
So much so he came runner-up in the Montgomeryshire Sportsman of the Year Award.
Brooks said: "I've been getting the bikes prepped and I've been in discussions with Heattech Racing, with plans to ride their Z650cc for 2020 road races.
"I've also been pit bike racing and practising with my young boys but as of yet I haven't got any testing planned."
Brooks will be running a CBR600RR in the supersport class, 1000cc Fireblade in the superbike and Z650 in the supertwin.
But perhaps most exciting of all are his newcomer entry for North West 200 in Northern Ireland, as well as a possible entry into the Isle of Man TT, which has yet to be confirmed.
"I hope to be racing the supersport and supertwin at the North West this year," he said.
"I've also put an entry in for the TT and I'm waiting on confirmation early March to see if I can get a supersport and supertwin ride there as well."
Brooks began his 2019 roads campaign with the Post TT races, which are raced around the Isle of Man's 4.25-mile Billown road circuit after the man TT fortnight.
After qualifying eighth in the 600cc and 11th in the 1000cc class, carnage was to follow as fellow racer Sam Mousley high-sided in front of him.
He managed jump the damaged bike and nursed it home to an eighth-placed finish, eventually deciding against racing again.
More drama was to follow at the Southern 100 in July, which is raced around the same track, after he crashed with Bishop Castle’s Barry Furber.
No-one was injured, but both were forced to nurse their 1000cc machines home for two DNFs.
Apologetic but undeterred, Brooks was back out and smashed the 100mph lap barrier on his Honda CBR600, having qualified for the supersport A-race, eventually finishing his debut in 22nd, while lapping at 101.397mph.
Brooks’ quickest times were not good enough to qualify outright for the invitation race but he was selected by the organisers to compete, finishing in 19th with another personal best lap of 103.438mph.
He also finished 19th in the 600cc challenge race, lapping at 103.258mph, heading into the Hunts Solo championship race, for the fastest 600cc and 1000cc riders.
Starting in 27th, Brooks felt strong for the entire nine-lapper and finished in an impressive 16th, lapping at 104.169mph on his Fireblade.
Brooks then entered the Junior Open and had been leading from the start until the final corner when an electrical fault caused his bike to lose power.
He then rounded off his positive campaign with 10th, sixth and third place finishes in the Formula 600 races, as well as a 10th and 9th in the Anglesey Grand.
It all bode well for his first foray into the Manx GP, racing as a newcomer around the same 37.73-mile circuit used for the TT.
And Brooks not only came away with a third-place finish in the Newcomers C race, he had also lapped at an average speed of more than 114mph by the end of the race fortnight.
He then ended his campaign on a real high at the Anglesey race track, finishing with two first places and a second in supertwin class on his Heattech 650 machine.
Looking ahead to 2020, alongside his exciting plans to race the North West and TT as a newcomer, he will be back at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough, in the supersport and supertwin classes.
Brooks will also race his Fireblade on short circuits with the Wirral 100 Club, at the Anglesey circuit, as well as entering all three classes as he returns to the Southern 100 and Post TT races.
Brooks said: "My goals are to enjoy the racing and be as competitive as possible – and not to run into the back of my fellow racer Barry Furber, when he brakes far too early for corners!
"Last year, I was a newcomer at most of the events I raced but now I'll have better track knowledge, so that’s a big help.
"Highlight of 2019 was racing the TT mountain course and getting in the podium for the newcomers race.
"I'm pretty sure I’m the only racer from our area that has been in the podium after racing the TT course.
"I'm looking forward to going back to Scarborough, as that was one of the trickiest short tracks by far I have had to learn in one day.
"And to top the 2019 season off, I was runner up in the Montgomeryshire Sportsman of the Year Awards.
"Big thanks go to Mike Kilvert, from Clive's Motorcycle Club, for my nomination.
"Thanks also go to my sponsors The Kazy Kettle, The Kings Head Meifod, Murton Jenkins, Nigel Humphries of Heattech racing and everyone else who chipped in."
