Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne overcame the disappointment of a race one retirement to bounce back with a superb podium finish in race two at round five of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship held at a hot and humid Snetterton circuit in Norfolk today. After starting from pole position, the 30 year old Zurich based Londoner was hopeful of a good performance at a circuit he traditionally does well at but his hopes were dashed early on in the opening race when an electrical problem caused the VK backed Honda Fireblade to slow.
However, Byrne bounced back in race two whereby he circulated with the leading riders for much of the race until a pace car intervention closed up the field. But in the remaining few laps Shakey pulled away with the eventual race winner Ryuichi Kiyonari and second place Jonathan Rea to finish up on the podium for the third time this season making it a Honda 1-2-3.
Meanwhile team mate Tom Sykes continued his impressive start to the season with a career best pair of fourth place finishes to back up his more experienced team mate.
The 21 year old from Huddersfield showed maturity beyond his years as he diced with the more experienced riders in the field to bring his bike home just off the podium in both races.
As a result Sykes lies in sixth place in the Championship with Shakey in seventh going into the next round at Mondello Park in Ireland in four weeks time.
Shane Byrne:
“I just tried as hard as I could and every lap was fast but just not quite fast enough. I could catch the other Hondas up at the chicane and at the end of the back straight, but they just pulled away from me and it was so frustrating. When the pace car came out I thought it was my chance to catch up but all of us were just as fast as each other. I’m looking forward to the break before Mondello, but the bike is agile which is what you need for Mondello so it should be good.”
Tom Sykes:
“I’ve had two fantastic results today. The team has been working really hard all season and we have a really strong package, and the bike is especially good along the long straights. I struggled for the first few laps after the pace car went in but the tyres just came back in and I just managed to squeeze past Haslam to grab fourth place. I’m hoping to get on the podium soon and hopefully we will be up there in the near future.”
Paul Bird:
“It’s been a good day and we’ve shown the true potential of both the riders and the bikes. We were just a bit unlucky with the rear wheel sensor on Shakey’s bike in the first race or I’m sure it would have been two podiums but that’s how it goes sometimes. I’m sure a win is just around the corner and yet again Tom just keeps banging top results in week in, week out.”
Race 1 Result:
1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 24m00.140s,
2, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.277s,
3, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +8.209s,
4, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) +12.981s,
5, Leon Camier (Honda) +14.185s,
6, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +14.379s,
7, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +18.471s,
8, Cal Crutchlow (Suzuki) +21.387s,
9, Chris Walker (Suzuki) +28.255s,
10, Tommy Bridewell (Suzuki) +28.552s.
Race 2 Result:
1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 26m56.071s,
2, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.625s,
3, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) +0.920s,
4, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) +4.240s,
5, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +4.312s,
6, Leon Camier (Honda) +5.650s,
7, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +6.076s,
8, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +10.530s,
9, Chris Walker (Suzuki) +10.720s,
10, Ollie Bridewell (Suzuki) +13.874s.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Positions after Round 5:
1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 190pts
2, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 179pts
3, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 149pts
4, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 131pts
5, Leon Camier (Honda) 117pts
6, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 106pts
7, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 87pts
8, Chris Walker (Suzuki) 76pts
9, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 70pts
10, Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) 50pts
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