Shane Byrne continued his impressive form on Bank Holiday Monday as he took victory in race one of the day at Cadwell Park.
The win, which came in-front of the biggest crowd of the season, confirmed the four-time champion’s spot in the season-ending Showdown.
Byrne spent most of the race battling with his closest championship rival Leon Haslam. Shakey grabbed the lead on lap four when Haslam ran wide but he was relegated to third a couple of laps later when a missed gear allowed Haslam and Jason O’Halloran past.
With three laps to go, the Be Wiser Ducati rider regained second place before finding the narrowest of gaps to pass Haslam at the Gooseneck on the final lap.
This was enough to see him take his seventh win of the season and with it, career win number 75.
Speaking about the win, Byrne said: “I knew I had to get by Leon before the bottom of the Mountain on the final lap of the first race but he was strong into Park Corner which stopped me from having a go there.
“I’d seen him run wide into Chris Curve so I went in smooth and maintained my momentum to just get through before the Gooseneck. I managed to block any attempts and I have to say a big thanks to the Be Wiser Ducati team as they gave me a great bike.”
The second race later in the day saw the safety car deployed after a first lap crash before racing resumed on lap four with Shakey in the lead.
He dropped to third but a titanic battle ensued with Byrne shadowing Haslam and O’Halloran. This time however he couldn’t find a way past so had to settle for third place and another vital Podium Point for the Showdown.
Byrne added: “I tried really hard in the second race but the bike seemed to be moving around more than in the first and when I checked the tyre afterwards, it was considerably more worn than the two riders in front of me.
“I’m not sure why as we didn’t change the bike so we’ll need to look into it. I really like Cadwell Park so I’ve got to be happy coming away with a first and a third and clinching my place in the Showdown.”
The results in Lincolnshire mean that Byrne has a 21-point lead over Haslam as the series heads to Oulton Park.
