Be Wiser Ducati’s Shane Byrne won the second MCE British Superbike Championship race at a soaking wet Knockhill in fine style from JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s James Ellison.

Byrne made amends for the race one accident that ended his race by using all his cunning around a merciless Knockhill circuit to haul back race one winner Leon Haslam’s lead in the standings to just 13 points.

Engulfed by rain showers, the four-time champion enjoyed battles with JG Speedfit’s Haslam and Honda’s Dan Linfoot before pulling away to victory near the end of the race.

Linfoot was the first away in Scotland, taking his Fireblade into first position from the off at Turn 1 as a relatively trouble free first lap also saw Smiths Racing’s Kuba Smrz depart the action having run into the back of Bennetts Suzuki’s Tommy Bridewell.

The race continued with Linfoot in the lead for the opening few laps, engaged in a contest with JG Speedfit Kawasaki duo Peter Hickman and Haslam for the lead, a battle the latter duly won as he began to edge away.

Although in the lead, Haslam was under pressure from Hickman, Linfoot and now Byrne – who had joined the front of the race – and when the championship leader ran wide at Turn 1 on lap 7 it gave Byrne the opportunity to muscle his way into second.

His Be Wiser Ducati team-mate Glenn Irwin had less luck on lap 9, as the Ulsterman saw Ellison bump him off track at the hairpin, leaving the Ducati man furious and out of the race.

Haslam and Byrne were still fully occupied with one another at the front of proceedings, with the Kawasaki rider going in front at the favourable Turn 1 on lap 12 and again a few laps later after the Ducati man had taken the lead at the hairpin.

A few bruising falls for EpayMe Yamaha’s John Hopkins and Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Filip Backlund had happened by then too, the latter’s an enormous high-side going into Duffus Dip.

At the head of affairs, Haslam continued to lead in the atrocious weather conditions but Byrne – posting fast lap after fast lap – continued to hustle and harry his opponent.

The pressure soon told, as Linfoot, still in contention, bustled his way past Byrne to take second on lap 24 at the hairpin, setting himself up for a pass on Haslam that took him into the lead at Turn 1 on the next lap.

A huge moment for Linfoot on the same lap allowed the challengers to close up on him again, and on lap 26 Byrne took the lead and held on for the remaining laps to take a record eleventh victory at the Fife circuit.

Honda’s Linfoot suffered another tricky moment at the hairpin on the final lap, as Ellison passed him on the line for second.

JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s Peter Hickman took a fine fourth, ahead of Honda’s Jason O’Halloran and Haslam, the race one winner slipping back through the field in the dying moments of the race.

Showdown hopeful Richard Cooper took seventh on the Buildbase BMW, ahead of Bennett Suzuki’s Tommy Bridewell and Smiths Racing BMW’s Howie Mainwaring Smart with Christian Iddon on the Tyco BMW rounding out the top ten.