BSB: Shakey on top as championship decider gets underway

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne took first blood in the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship finale by storming to the top of the timesheets on the opening day at Brands Hatch.

The Be Wiser Ducati rider spent his morning working on race set-up with the harder option Pirelli rear tyre before upping the pace this afternoon to top the times with a lap of 1’25.523.

Peter Hickman took a surprise second place for JG Speedfit Kawasaki, jumping to the sharp end in the closing moments of the second 45-minute session. 

Dan Linfoot placed third for Honda Racing to lead the trio battling for third place, with ePayMe Yamaha’s John Hopkins fourth fastest.

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Championship challenger Leon Haslam faced a tough opening day, with electronic issues limiting the amount of laps he could complete. A solution towards the end of the second session saw him jump second fastest before being pushed back to fifth in the closing moments.

James Ellison rounded out the top six ahead of Christian Iddon and the second ePayMe Yamaha of Broc Parkes, with the BMW’s of Michael Laverty and Richard Cooper rounding out the top ten.

Final Showdown contender Honda’s Jason O’Halloran faced a tough first day at the office as he grappled for grip with the CBR1000RR, his fastest time of the day was only good enough for 18^th place.