Reigning MCE British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne took a pragmatic approach to his second-race crash at Brands Hatch today, saying has a whole season to pull back the podium credit gap that Leon Haslam has extended over the rest of the season, and that the spill was just racing.
Byrne had passed Haslam into Surtees but as he flicked right and held a tight line to stop the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider coming back past, the front of his Panigale washed out and Byrne ended in the gravel. He now tails Haslam by 73 championship points and 14 podium credits. The Kent man didn’t pick up any points at Donington Park after concussion from a warm-up crash ruled him out.
“Donington was far from ideal but on a positive note we have taken a massive step forward here because I have actually finished a race,” joked the Be Wiser Ducati man in pitlane.
“I am a little bit gutted not be on the podium in the first race. The team turned the bike around for race two, it was on rails and I don’t think that I have had such a comfortable, chilled-out race where you can kind of see the finish of the race before it has happened but it wasn’t me upside down at Clearways, that’s for sure.
“It is frustrating, I felt comfy. Leon was running wide and I managed to get up the inside of him after Graham Hill Bend and into the left. In the right, I fully expected a punt up the inside as Leon is a tenacious little so-and-so, and rather than take the punt, I went tight. I hit the first bump, that set the front off, then it went again and again, and eventually let go.
“This is racing, it’s how it is. Leon has stretched more podium credits on me, it’s not too much of a stress at the moment and the way the championship is we can can recover some podium credits as the season wears on, make sure we are in the Showdown and then it’s all to play for.”
