 Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne got his 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship bid back on course with a superb podium finish at a hot and sunny Thruxton circuit in Hampshire today.
Aboard the VK backed 1000cc Fireblade, the 30 year old just missed out on a podium in the opening 22 lap classic whereby he finished in fourth position but made amends with a brilliant third place finish in the second race which was played out in front of another record crowd.
Having qualified on the front row of the grid, Byrne was confident of a good showing in today’s two races and lived up to his expectations meaning he now moves into fifth in the Championship going into the next round at Silverstone in two weeks’ time.
Meanwhile team mate Tom Sykes continued to impress with another pair of
solid points scoring rides aboard the Paul Bird Motorsport machine
whereby he posted a fifth and seventh to maintain his Championship
challenge. Sykes battled against his more illustrious counterparts
throughout both races to round out the day in seventh position in the
Championship.
Shane Byrne: “That was a great result, all credit to the team as
they have worked flat out all weekend. I wanted to get into the lead
and try and pull away but those factory Hondas are quick and I had to
just try and hang in there, then the pace car came out and we caught
back up to Greg (Lavilla) but I wasn’t quite fast enough to put a move
on him but we’re back and on the podium, which is great.”
Tom Sykes: “In the first race I got a bad start otherwise I could
have maybe been on the podium. I got a good start in the second race
and was up to fourth but then I got messed up by a couple of riders
going into the complex which was unfortunate. I pulled my way back up
and then the pace car came out and after that I was struggling a bit.
I just need to find that last little bit but overall not a bad result
with more points on the board and some consistent results.”
Paul Bird: “Fantastic performances from both riders and I’m
chuffed to bits with Tom with two great strong results again and he
used his head proving to us that he was definitely the right choice for
the second ride. I’m really pleased with Shakey and we’re challenging
at the front and I’m sure it won’t be long before we have some race
wins. I’m really pleased for the riders, the team and the sponsors so
roll on Silverstone.”
The Championship moves on to Silverstone on the weekend of 27th-29th
April with the Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Team brimful of confidence
and looking to secure their first wins of the season.
Race 1 Result
1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 27m52.872s, 2, Leon Camier (Honda)
+3.526s, 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +6.833s, 4, Shane Byrne (Stobart
Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) +7.136s, 5, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia
Motorsport Honda) +12.799s, 6, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +16.093s, 7, Cal
Crutchlow (Suzuki) +18.564s, 8, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +19.559s, 9, Chris
Walker (Suzuki) +21.443s, 10, Karl Harris (Honda) +26.764s.
Race 2 Result
1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 29m01.593s, 2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda)
+0.113s, 3, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) +0.249s,
4, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.492s, 5, Leon Camier (Honda) +1.364s, 6,
Leon Haslam (Ducati) +8.820s, 7, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia
Motorsport Honda) +10.367s, 8, Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) +11.078s, 9,
Karl Harris (Honda) +13.484s, 10, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +15.609s.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Positions after Round 4
1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 100pts
2, Leon Camier (Honda) 67pts
3, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 49pts
=, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 49pts
5, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 45pts
6, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 43pts
7, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 40pts
8, Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) 28pts
9, Chris Walker (Suzuki) 26pts
10, Karl Harris (Honda) 25pts
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