Broc Parkes

Broc Parkes (born 24 December 1981) is an Australian motorcycle racer, best known for his success in the Supersport World Championship. He currently races in the Endurance FIM World Championship aboard a Yamaha YZF-R1.

During 2015, Parkes raced in British Superbikes for half the season, then competed in the Endurance FIM World Championship aboard a YART Yamaha YZF-R1, before being drafted-in to MotoGP on the ART machine for the last race of the season at Valencia, held on 8 November at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain.

Early years Born in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, resulting in the nickname 'The Boy From the Bush', Parkes was originally inspired to race as a four-year-old, when he saw countryman Wayne Gardner winning a race. Gardner ultimately became his manager.

Parkes began racing on dirt tracks a year later, with great success. He also raced junior motorcycle speedway and finished second in the 1997 Australian Under-16 Championship in Adelaide. He then switched to circuit racing at the age of sixteen – the legal limit in Australia – going on to win the Australian 125cc title and Australian 250cc Production title in 1999, on Honda machinery.

Going International Parkes then spent a season in Japan with the Moriwaki squad's Honda equipment, finishing third in the All Japan X Formula series. Parkes then moved to Europe to join the NCR Ducati team for the 2001 World Superbike Championship. He experienced a mechanical failure while running strongly in one race, but he took 16th overall. In 2002 he finished up 11th.

Supersport World Championship For 2003, Parkes moved to the Supersport World Championship for the BKM Honda team, but the team was late getting race equipment, and did not complete the year due to financial problems. He moved to the crack Ten Kate team for 2004, finishing as championship runner-up behind teammate Karl Muggeridge. For 2005, he joined Yamaha's factory team, struggling for most of the year but ending with a victory to come fifth overall. In 2006, he challenged for the title before a crash at Assen left him critically injured – although he returned before the end of the season to come third overall. He finished a distant second to Kenan Sofuoglu in 2007, with back-to-back wins at Brands Hatch and Lausitzring despite a broken collarbone early in the season, and finished fourth in 2008 despite a series-high six poles and a season-opening victory in Losail.

Back to World Superbikes

For 2009, Parkes returns to World Superbike – on factory Kawasakis ran by Paul Bird Motorsport, teamed with former Grand Prix winner Makoto Tamada. His team often struggled for results, but he shone in a one-off appearance at the British Superbike Championship round at Brands Hatch. Parkes qualified second and finished second in all of the three races held there, only behind the dominant Leon Camier each time.

2010 was also a struggle for Parkes, who joined the new Echo CRS Honda team. He crashed heavily in pre-season and missed the first three rounds, and was usually a backmarker once he returned. Three races before the end of the season, Parkes announced that he separated ways with Echo CRS Honda, and he joined the Motocard Kawasaki team, as the replacement of the injured Joan Lascorz. He also raced a few races at the end of the season in World Supersports with the same team.

Parkes continued in Supersports the next two seasons riding a Kawasaki and a Honda, finishing top five both years. In 2013, Parkes returned to Australia and raced for the factory Yamaha team, winning the Australian FX-Superbike Championship.

Move to MotoGP

In December 2013, it was announced that Parkes would ride for Paul Bird Motorsport alongside Michael Laverty for the 2014 MotoGP season. He effectively replaced his countryman Damian Cudlin and continued a 31-year streak of Australia's representation in the premier class of motorcycle racing.

2015

For the early part of 2015, Parkes rode for Shaun Muir Racing's Milwaukee Yamaha team in the British Superbike Championship, until he became unable to continue due to the after-effects of arm-pump surgery. Parkes then competed in Endurance FIM World Championship races on a Yamaha Austria Racing Team machine, with his final race of the season, a one-off riding for ART at Valencia, held on 8 November at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain, when he retired after completing two-thirds of the race.

Career statistics

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

By season SeasonClassMotorcycleTeamRaceWinPodiumPoleFLapPtsPlcd 125cc Honda Scot Walker Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC MotoGP PBM Paul Bird Motorsport 18 0 0 0 0 9 23rd MotoGP ART E-Motion IodaRacing Team 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC MotoGP YamahaMonster Yamaha Tech3 1 0 0 0 0 0 31st Total 21 0 0 0 0 9

Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Pts 1999 125cc Honda MAL JPN SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GBR GER CZE IMO VAL AUS23 RSA BRA ARG NC 0 MotoGP PBM QAT15 AMERet ARG21 SPA17 FRA18 ITA17 CAT16 NED11 GER21 INP15 CZE19 GBR21 RSM18 ARA18 JPN20 AUSRet MAL14 VAL20 23rd 9 MotoGP ART QAT AME ARG SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER INP CZE GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS MAL VALRet NC 0 2017 MotoGP Yamaha QAT ARG AME SPA FRA ITA CAT NED GER CZE AUT GBR RSM ARA JPN AUS22 MAL VAL 31st 0

Superbike World Championship

Races by year Year Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pos Pts R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 2001 Ducati SPARet SPA13 RSA12 RSA11 AUS5 AUSC JPN16 JPN17 ITADNS ITADNS GBR20 GBR14 GER14 GERRet SMRRet SMR7 USA13 USA14 EURDNS EURDNS GERRet GER18 NED22 NEDRet ITARet ITA8 16th 49 2002 Ducati SPA15 SPADNS AUSRet AUS13 RSA11 RSA14 JPNRet JPNRet ITARet ITA8 GBRRet GBR12 GER11 GERRet SMRRet SMR14 USA15 USA12 GBRRet GBR18 GER10 GER10 NED9 NED8 ITA9 ITA8 11th 77 2009 Kawasaki AUSRet AUS18 QAT14 QAT16 SPA10 SPA17 NED NED ITA10 ITA13 RSA15 RSA14 USARet USA11 SMR17 SMR17 GBR18 GBR14 CZE12 CZE16 GERRet GER13 ITA10 ITA15 FRARet FRA15 POR11 POR12 18th 51 2010 Honda AUS AUS POR POR SPA SPA NEDRet NED17 ITA20 ITA15 RSARet RSA18 USA17 USA15 SMRDSQ SMR17 CZE13 CZE12 GBRRet GBRRet GER GER ITA ITA FRA FRA 22nd 9 2013 Yamaha AUS AUS SPA SPA NED NED ITA ITA GBR GBR POR POR ITA ITA RUS RUS GBR GBR GER GER TUR TUR USA USA FRA FRA SPA18 SPA12 35th 4

Supersport World Championship

Races by year Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Pos Pts 2003 Honda SPA7 AUSRet JPN7 ITA15 GER5 GBRRet SMR3 GBR15 NED ITA FRARet 13th 47 2004 Honda SPARet AUS4 SMRRet ITA2 GER2 GBR3 GBR4 NED4 ITA2 FRA2 2nd 135 2005 Yamaha QAT6 AUS7 SPA6 ITA7 EUR5 SMR5 CZERet GBRRet NED7 GER2 ITA5 FRA1 6th 125 2006 Yamaha QATRet AUS3 SPA4 ITA7 EUR2 SMR3 CZE2 GBR1 NEDRet GER ITA6 FRA3 4th 145 2007 Yamaha QATRet AUS3 EURDNS SPA5 NEDRet ITARet GBRRet SMR2 CZE13 GBR1 GER1 ITA4 FRA2 2nd 133 2008 Yamaha QAT1 AUSRet SPA4 NED5 ITA3 GER3 SMR10 CZE4 GBR4 EUR10 ITA2 FRARet POR5 4th 150 2010 Kawasaki AUS POR SPA NED ITA RSA USA SMR CZE GBR GER3 ITA4 FRARet 15th 29 2011 Kawasaki AUS2 EUR5 NED3 ITA4 SMR1 SPARet CZERet GBR6 GER7 ITA3 FRA3 PORRet 4th 136 2012 Honda AUS3 ITA20 NED4 ITARet EUR4 SMR5 SPA4 CZE3 GBR3 RUS5 GER4 POR4 FRA27 5th 135

British Superbike Championship By year

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 2009 Kawasaki BHI BHI OUL OUL DON DON THR THR SNE SNE KNO KNO MAL MAL BHGP2 BHGP2 BHGP2 CAD CAD CRO CRO SIL SIL OUL OUL OUL 17th 60 2011 Kawasaki BHI BHI OUL OUL CRO CRO THR THR KNO KNO SNE SNE OUL OUL BHGP BHGP BHGP CAD CAD CAD DON DON SIL SIL BHGP BHGP BHGP 31st 7 (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R3 2015 Yamaha DON16 DONRet BHI8 BHI11 OULRet OUL22 SNE11 SNE11 KNO14 KNO14 BHGP11 BHGP10 THRDNS THRDNS CAD CAD OUL OUL OUL ASS ASS SIL SIL BHGP BHGP BHGP 21st 38 Yamaha SIL SIL OUL OUL BHI BHI KNO KNO SNE SNE THR THR BHGP BHGP CAD CAD OUL OUL OUL DON DON ASS ASS BHGP BHGP BHGP 19th 45

FIM Endurance World Championship By team Year Team Bike Rider 2013 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Broc Parkes Igor Jerman Sheridan Morais Josh Waters Katsuyuki Nakasuga Josh Hayes 5th 2014 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Broc Parkes Michael Laverty Igor Jerman Sheridan Morais Ricky Olson Wayne Maxwell Tommy Bridewell 6th 2015 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Broc Parkes Max Neukirchner Iván Silva Sheridan Morais 10th 2016 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Broc Parkes Max Neukirchner Iván Silva Marvin Fritz Kohta Nozane Takuya Fujita Sheridan Morais 6th 2016–17 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Broc Parkes Iván Silva Marvin Fritz Kohta Nozane 3rd 2017 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Josh Hayes Broc Parkes Iván Silva Kohta Nozane Sheridan Morais 3rd 2017–18 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Marvin Fritz Max Neukirchner Broc Parkes Takuya Fujita Kohta Nozane 16th 2019–20 Yamaha Austria Racing Team Yamaha YZF-R1 Marvin Fritz Niccolò Canepa Broc Parkes Karel Hanika Loris Baz 2nd