BSB: Broken sprocket halts Byrne's charge

At the season mid-point, it looked as though things were starting to go in favour of five-time British Superbike Champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, but since Thruxton the Be Wiser Ducati star has faced somewhat of an uphill challenge.

Struggling to find feeling with his Panigale R at both the Hampshire circuit and Cadwell this weekend, things have been tough for Byrne, but a breakthrough in morning warm-up saw him take a strong third-place in the opening race. 

He then looked set to repeat if not better his podium performance in race two until he was forced to retire from the race for the second time in as many rounds. After his tyre chunked up at Thruxton, a broken rear sprocket would see Byrne pull over and once again score nil points.

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“It’s not very often we have to retire with technical issues so it’s hard to be angry,” said Byrne. “But at the same time it’s frustrating to have two in two rounds. It’s nobody’s fault, neither were the fault of the team and we can’t do anything about it.

“I’m devastated for all of us as it’s been another tough weekend. The bike felt so much better in race two so I was really confident of pushing for the win. When Dixon crashed out, I thought it was my time to get to the front and pushed on and things were looking good until it felt like the bike jumped out of gear. While I could select a gear, I had no drive whatsoever and it turns out we had an issue with the rear sprocket spinning on the hub. It’s difficult to take, but maybe it’s better to happen now than later in the year.” 

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