Talented
Australian
Broc Parkes
enters his
third season
with the
German-based
Yamaha
squad,
focussed on
winning the
title after
a promising
2006
campaign.
The
25-year-old
from Hunter
Valley in
the New
South Wales
region of
Australia is
a protégé of
former world
champion
Wayne
Gardner, who
has guided
Broc's
career from
an early
age. The
'Boy from
the Bush'
has been
hooked on
bike racing
from an
early age,
starting out
on a
dirt-tracker
at the age
of six and
going on to
win an
incredible
45
Australian
national
titles as a
youngster
(as well as
90 state
titles in
dirt track
and three
junior
speedway
championships).
Broc's
winning run
continued
when he
moved into
road racing
at the age
of 16. In
1998, his
first year
on the
tarmac, Broc
won every
championship
he entered.
The
Australian
national
title came
in 1999,
when he also
made a
wild-card
appearance
at the
Australian
125cc Grand
Prix.
For 2000
Broc moved
to Japan and
raced in the
X-Formula
championship
for large
capacity
four-strokes,
winning
twice and
finishing
third in the
championship.
That was
followed by
two years as
a privateer
in the
Superbike
World
Championship,
where an
under funded
team meant
he could
only show
glimpses of
his
undoubted
ability.
In 2003
Broc
switched to
world
supersport,
only for his
team to
withdraw
mid-season
due to a
lack of
funds. His
performances
had however
allowed him
to show his
talent and
he linked up
with a top
team in the
form for
2004. Parkes
showed great
speed and
maturity
throughout
the 2004
season,
ending the
year second
only to his
dominant
team-mate
Karl
Muggeridge
in the final
standings.
Broc made
an initially
difficult
switch to
Yamaha in
2005 as he
struggled to
adapt to the
previous
model R6 but
Parkes and
his Yamaha
Motor
Germany
squad kept
their faith
and worked
hard to make
the
combination
work. Second
place at the
team's home
race was the
breakthrough
and a win at
the
season-ending
Magny Cours
race the
ultimate
reward.
With the
latest R6 at
his disposal
Broc looked
like
challenging
for the 2006
title. With
win at
Brands Hatch
he confirmed
his
aspirations,
moving to
within 12
points of
the series
lead with a
third of the
season
remaining.
But a crash
while
leading at
Assen saw
him
hospitalised
with
critical
injuries,
although
remarkably
the tough
little
Aussie was
back on the
bike for the
last two
races of the
year –
scoring a
third place
at Magny
Cours to
retain
fourth in
the final
championship
table.
Back to
full
fitness,
Broc should
be one of
the leading
contenders
to win the
2007
Supersport
World
Championship.
