Wild card rider Shane Byrne caused an upset at Brands Hatch on Sunday when he beat World Superbike championship leader Neil Hodgson to win both races.
Wild card rider Shane Byrne caused an upset at Brands Hatch on Sunday when he beat World Superbike championship leader Neil Hodgson to win both races.
Riding for Monstermob Ducati, Byrne beat Hodgson in the first 25-lap race. Fellow Brit Chris Walker was third. Frenchman Regis Laconi was fourth, followed by Sean Emmett and James Toseland in sixth place.
In race two Byrne was pressurised by John Reynolds, before winning by 0,5 seconds. James Toseland took third place. Ruben Xaus, who retired from race one, managed to edge past team-mate Hodgson for fourth place.
“This has to be one of the best days I can remember. I knew it would be hard but it was tougher than I expected, especially in race two but I’m absolutely made up. It was vitally important to do well and I’m glad the weather held out but this is going to stay with me for a long, long time” said Byrne.
Foggy Petronas Racing’s Brands Hatch campaign did not go well, with only James Haydon finishing race one (17th place) and both Troy Corser and Haydon retiring from the second race.
“That was not the Brands Hatch debut we had in mind! Things are not going well for us at the moment but I am convinced that we will be able to turn our fortunes around next season,” said team boss Carl Fogarty.
Hodgson had hoped to wrap up the title at Brands Hatch, but must wait five weeks until the next race at Assen on September 7. The Brit needed to score 28 more points than Xaus on Sunday to take the title, but he won 31 points and Xaus took 13 points. However, he did help Ducati wrap up the manufacturer’s title race.
“I was a bit nervous before the start of race 1 because I was feeling the pressure here at Brands,” said Hodgson. “When you’ve had such a bad weekend in qualifying you still have to go out and do it in the race and pass everyone when you are 11th on the grid.
“Race two was also really difficult because the pace was hotter and the other riders didn’t break down. I was catching up on the leaders, but then I hit a false neutral two times into the corner off the back straight and had to back down. We were at a bit of a disadvantage on this circuit, not having tested here and with very little dry weather track time. The wild-cards were always going to be a threat because they know the circuit so well. Now I’m looking forward to Assen to take that title.”
