BSB: Double for Byrne as Brookes crashes out

Published: 23 July 2017

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Shane Byrne dominated the second MCE British Superbike race at Brands Hatch after rival Josh Brookes dramatically crashed out of the race after setting a new lap record.

Starting on the front row, Byrne was able to make a decent start and took the lead in the early stages.

Unfortuantely for Josh Brookes, the same couldn’t be said for him, crossing the line fourth at the end of the first lap. Held up behind Dan Linfoot, Byrne had already stretched out over a second’s lead by the time the Aussie passed the Honda. Linfoot would go on to crash out of third.

However, a strong charge from Brookes, that saw him shatter the longest-standing lap record on the BSB calendar not once but twice, reduced Byrne’s lead to just 0.4 seconds before he’d then dramatically crash out as the race hit the half way point.

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This left Byrne with enough space at the front to cruise to a dominant win, while James Ellison and Christian Iddon were left to battle it out for the remaining podium spots.

A small mistake from Iddon would see Ellison secure his second runner-up spot of the year, with Peter Hickman once again missing out on the rostrum in fourth.

Unable to run the pace he had in race one, Leon Haslam crossed the line fifth ahead of team-mate Luke Mossey. Jason O’Halloran rounded out the top six.

Rookie Bradley Ray took a stunning eighth place for Buildbase Suzuki while Michael Laverty continued to show signs of improvement for the McAMS Yamaha team in ninth. Jake Dixon completed the top ten.

Byrne’s second double in as many weekends sees him take a 29 point lead in the championship standings ahead of Thruxton, while in the more crucial podium points tally he now leads by 10.

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By Oli Rushby

Former sports reporter covering British Superbikes, World Superbikes and road racing