Kent’s very own Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and his PBM Team get their title defence underway this weekend when the opening round of the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship takes place at Donington Park.
The Be Wiser Ducati squad sealed both the rider’s and the team’s fifth crown last year aboard the brand-new, factory-backed Ducati Panigale R with Byrne taking nine wins and seven podiums, to add to his championship successes in 2003, 2008, 2012 and 2014.

With further development work to the machine ongoing, and a couple of solid pre-season tests, Byrne is raring to go in his sixth successive season with Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team which will see him team up with crew chief Giovanni Crupi once more.

Following an impressive rookie season in the British Superbike class in 2016, Ulsterman Glenn Irwin is also back for a second term on the Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R and looking to add to his pair of podium finishes from last year.

Byrne has a great record at Donington Park having won the last three races there and placed second in the five before that, so he’s hoping for maximum points. Irwin, meanwhile, enjoyed two solid points scoring rides at last September’s meeting and is a former winner in both the British Supersport and National Superstock 600 classes around the East Midlands track which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary since reopening.

Speaking ahead of the weekend, Byrne said: “Well, finally round one is here. It’s been a long winter to be honest, having won last year, I’ve been itching to go racing again ever since. Pre-season testing was good but not ideal as some of the parts we wanted to test weren’t available. But hopefully those parts will be with us shortly and will certainly be worth the wait. The plan at Donington is to push as hard as I can throughout the weekend to get my title defence off to the best possible start.”

Image courtesy of www.psp-images.co.uk