Double Brands Hatch winner Shane Byrne and Josh Brookes look to have made tentative steps towards burying the hatchet after the Australian moved to congratulate his rival following his second MCE British Superbike Championship win.

But Byrne admits he almost blew it when he feared Brookes would think he had blanked him in pit lane after race two.

The pair, known for their often public spats in recent years, could be building bridges after Brookes’ move, which came after he crashed his Anvil Hire TAG Racing Yamaha in race two.

Back in his pit box after the race, the Bringelly man came out to congratulate Byrne as he rode down pit lane, but as Byrne explained, it almost went badly wrong.

“At the end of the race there I came down through pit lane and I wanted to do a big stoppie, and I accelerated to do one,” he said.

“And out of the corner of my eye I caught Josh giving me a clap. Josh and I aren’t the best of friends, but I thought that was quite nice sportsmanship from him.

“But I was committed to doing the stoppie and I thought ‘He’s going to think I’ve deliberately blanked him’, and that was the last thing I wanted.

“I parked my bike in parc ferme and went back. I think he took it how I thought he would’ve taken it – he thought I just blatantly ignored him.

“I just said ‘Look I didn’t, I’m sorry I was just about to do this stoppie but thanks I appreciate that’, he seemed to take that okay.”

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