bikerholic.com

Brilliant Double for Shane Byrne at Brands Hatch

The 2008 British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne scored a double victory in his final outing for the Airwaves Ducati team this weekend. Teammate Leon Camier followed a 5th in race one with a hard fought 3rd in race two, helping Ducati to secure the manufacturer’s title by 35 points.

After losing a place at the start of the first race, Shane took the lead on lap 2. Posting the fastest time of the race with a 46.194, he eventually took the chequered flag nearly 2 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Leon got away well from 6th and soon made his way up to 5th where he would remain.

At the start of race two Shane dropped to 5th and Leon 7th but both worked hard to regain places. After making his way up to 2nd on lap 15, Shane successfully closed the 1.854 second gap to the rider ahead, taking the lead on the very last lap. Crossing the line in 3rd, Leon secured his 8th podium finish of the season.

Shane was clearly delighted with his results saying, “I don’t know if there are any words to describe how I am feeling right now. This weekend marked my final ride for the Airwaves Ducati team, my final ride at my home circuit, and my final ride in BSB so to come away with a double win is absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t be happier!”

After the second race Leon commented, “I’m absolutely made up with my podium today. I managed to get past quite a few riders, made some good moves and I felt really strong. This is quite a difficult track to master as it can be hard to make up time, even after the smallest of mistakes, but the Airwaves Ducati package was perfect, I can’t thank the team enough.”

Team Manager Colin Wright added, “It has been an absolutely fabulous season. We couldn’t have asked for more from Shane, Leon and the rest of the Airwaves Ducati squad. I am very proud of what we have achieved and all I can do now is thank all of those that have helped contribute to championship number four. Roll on 2009!”

Race One Results:

1. Shane Byrne – Airwaves Ducati
2. Cal Crutchlow – HM Plant Honda
3. James Ellison – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda
4. Leon Haslam – HM Plant Honda
5. Leon Camier – Airwaves Ducati

Race Two Results:

1. Shane Byrne – Airwaves Ducati
2. Leon Haslam – HM Plant Honda
3. Leon Camier – Airwaves Ducati
4. Cal Crutchlow – HM Plant Honda
5. James Ellison - Hydrex Bike Animal Honda

Related posts:

1. British Superbikes Brands Hatch - HM Plant Honda All four HM Plant...
2. The Winning 2008 Ducati British Superbikes For Sale By GSE Racing Airwaves BSB Ducati 1098Rs...
3. Ducati Take A Break From British Superbike Championship Ducati out of 2009...