Shane Byrne’s start was definitely shining at Silverstone as he cemented his status as one of the greatest riders in the MCE British Superbike Championship of all time.

Bruised and battered from a crash in free practice on Saturday morning, Shakey took the fight to Alex Lowes in the two showdown races.

After being helped onto his bike the 36-year old brought his Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki home in second place in race one and took victory in race two on the line, in one of the best finishes to a race seen in many a year.

Kent Sports News caught up with the BSB legend after Silverstone to get his thoughts on the racing and how he was feeling after the weekend.

He said: “I would be happy to get those results when 100% fit, but to get those results when you are bit bashed about, I don’t even know where they come from to be honest.

“I know I am feeling it a bit today. It was a bit of a strange one it wasn’t a mistake from me, and sometimes when you make a mistake you brace yourself a bit better and you prepare yourself for the landing.

“It all happened really really fast and I took a bit of a knock that I wasn’t expecting because of that I am feeling a bit sore now.”

The doctors and physio’s did a good job on Shane to ensure that he could go out and ride and ensure that he could do so to his full potential.

He added: “Not so much in terms of painkillers but certainly physio we have been busy with. Today I am going to have a day off completely and just rest and tomorrow I will get down to my phsio and start it all over again.”

We then moved on to get Shakey’s thoughts on the two races that were fantastic adverts for the sport and for the showdown itself.

“Race one was good but I tried for a big move on the last corner and we were side by side going through there. At whatever speed it is going through there, maybe 130mph or something ridiculous, it may be 140mph to be fair, as it ain’t half fast.

“I knew that if my bike slid a little bit which it can doing going through there I would have collected Alex and that would have been a bit of a problem. We can’t afford to go down on the last corner of a race.

“It was a great battle and just to finish second I was really happy as obviously I was sore and we had a good fun race.

“That surprised me a little bit, in the session that I crashed I was a little bit quicker than everybody before I crashed. I knew we was going to be strong but the trouble is I was a little bit wooden on the bike in the two races, and I wasn’t as mobile as I can be normally and because of that to get two fastest laps and a second a first it was a pretty special weekend.”

The second race of the weekend had one of the tightest finishes that we have certainly seen watching the British Superbikes and it made for fantastic viewing.

Shane said: “I don’t think it is ever going to get much closer than that in terms of first and second positions being together. It was a good race and to be honest with you Alex and I were both on the absolute limit there was nothing left.

“He made some mistakes I made some mistakes and then I honestly thought on the run to the line that he had covered me and that he had it done. He just sort of peeled in a tiny bit late and I thought you know what we can do this, and I know it sounds a bit corny but I literally had it pinned through there in fifth gear. Which isn’t normal and I thought if it slides it will slide and if I don’t then it will hopefully work and the reality was that it worked.

“I wasn’t sure but the fact that I had done what I did and even got alongside him, even if it hadn’t worked out it would have been second and it would still have been a big move. The finish line is really close after the corner and we never really know but I had a pretty good feeling that I had pipped him.”

The championship is going down to the wire and Shakey was full of praise for Alex Lowes and the challenge that he has given him this season.

He added: “He is one of the most exciting guys I have ever raced against because he is young and brave and he is very talented. He is great fun to race against and I know the mixture of me being more experienced and him being full of youthful exuberance is interesting. You see him do things on the bike and you think how did you get away with that and then you see him do things on the bike and you think well yeah that is because. He is a good kid and we get on well off the track as well and that’s nice.”

The final three races of the season will take place at Shakey’s home track and the pressure will be on as he hasn’t been beating around Brands Hatch in a long time. After a couple of weeks rest he will be back out going for his fourth BSB title.

“That is the plan it is obviously going to be difficult it is never easy and if it was easy you would get championships on the back of Frosties boxes. I have got to go there and first and foremost I need to rest today and then I have got to hit the physio hard for the rest of the week and do some training. That is pretty difficult when you are struggling to stand up without the crutches it is hard to do anything.

“One of my trainers got me a new indoor trainer for my bicycle so I can at least get a few sessions done on that, because even on Saturday night it wasn’t too sore riding that so it is just weight baring that is a problem.

“Hopefully we can get this muscle or nerve or whatever it is that is stuck at the moment fixed and away we go.”

Speaking about going forward with the BSB for 2014 he said: “I don’t really know what to say about that to be honest because I haven’t actually done anything about it.

“It is a little bit strange that there is a press release out, but my boss asked me if I wanted to ride next year and I said that if he was in BSB then I wouldn’t want to ride anywhere else. The next thing I knew there was a press release out that I had signed. Whilst technically I haven’t signed I am sure we will be doing something with them next year.”

Pictures supplied by Davies / PSP Images