Reigning MCE British Superbike champion Shane Byrne was more than happy with his second-place finish in race two of the day at Brands Hatch after recovering from a huge crash in race one.
Byrne was closing down Josh Brookes in race one and had just set the fastest lap of the race before crashing out at high speed whilst going through Hawthorn Bend.
The PBM Kawasaki rider was taken to the medical centre but was given the all clear for race two, but his team had a race against the clock to repair his heavily damaged bike.
Speaking about the crash, Byrne explained: “The first race crash was unlucky and all the data showed was that I’d used slightly more rear brake which was enough to unload the front tyre. I went down hard and the boys did a great job in repairing the bike so it was down to me to pay them back in the second race.”
Byrne made a great start in race two and was able to keep Brookes behind him up until lap eight when the Australian made a move down the inside at the Hairpin.
After losing the lead Byrne was unable to match the pace of the Milwaukee Yamaha and had to be wary of the threat posed by third-place rider, Richard Cooper.
He managed to do just that and salvaged a second-place finish on what had turned out to be a rough day for the whole PBM Kawasaki team.
After the race, Byrne admitted: “I’d be lying if I said I felt brand new but I have it my best shot although I made a few mistakes during the race allowing Josh to get away, I’ll take second given where we were earlier in the day.
“Massive thanks to the whole PBM team for rebuilding the bike and I’m sorry I couldn’t give them the win.”
Sunday’s results mean that Byrne’s lead in the championship has been cut from 35-points to just five, with Brookes now well in contention after his double at Brands Hatch.
