Back To Britain
For 2006 he returned to the British Superbike championship with Rizla Suzuki squad. His first podium came in race 7, despite a severe stomach bug that weekend.He missed races 11 and 12 after a 187 mph crash caused by a brake failure, although he was not seriously hurt. At Knockhill he qualified 2nd, and followed a 2nd place finish in race 1 with the team's first win of the season in race 2. This was despite the team's bikes having been stolen and dumped in a barn alongside horse manure a week previously. At the final round of the season he was running 3rd when he highsided, being knocked out in the process. Although he again escaped serious injury, he was unable to contest the final race of the year, which meant he slipped from 4th to 6th in the championship standings.
For 2007, Byrne was re-united with his former Monstermob boss Paul Bird who was now running the Stobart Vent-Axia team, a privateer team using the 1000cc Honda Fireblade. The Honda was competitive from the start, giving Byrne more opportunities to fight at the front. He finished fifth overall, with a win, a pole position, and nine further podiums.
For the 2008 British Superbike championships, Byrne competed for the Airwaves Ducati squad on a Ducati 1098 alongside Leon Camier. The combination was immediately dominant. He won three of the opening four races - in the second race at Oulton Park he went wide on lap one, dropping to 13th place, but fought back. Almost immediately after he passed Cal Crutchlow for third place, Leon Haslam hit Tom Sykes, giving Byrne the lead. This race was stopped four laps early, after several riders including Crutchlow and Karl Harris fell. In race 2 at Snetterton he was held up by a crashing Harris on lap 1, dropping to 13th before fighting back to win. He finished each of the first 14 races on the podium, often coming through the field after poor starts.
Byrne returned to the British Superbike Championship in 2011, this time with Lincolnshire based HM Plant Honda alongside Japanese rider and three time BSB Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari.
In 2012, Byrne makes a welcome return to Paul Bird Motorsport, along with Stuart Easton.
Read more about this topic: Shane Byrne (motorcycle Racer)
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