Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne marked his return to the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch by hitting the top spot in a frantic final ten minutes of the official test this afternoon.

The defending champion saved his best lap of the session until the end, pushing Luke Mossey from the top spot as the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider instantly showed his pace as the weekend got underway.

Mossey was eased back into third in the final five minutes when Christian Iddon moved ahead for Tyco BMW with Leon Haslam and the leading McAMS Yamaha of James Ellison completing the top five.

Honda Racing proved they had made steps forward by ending the opening session sixth fastest with Jason O’Halloran ahead of Glenn Irwin and John Hopkins on the Moto Rapido Ducati.

Dan Linfoot made it two Hondas inside the top ten, narrowly ahead of Tommy Bridewell who held off Josh Brookes to claim tenth place.

Rookie Bradley Ray was the highest placed Suzuki rider, holding 14th position, with Sylvain Guintoli 20th on the timesheets.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, Official Test:

Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 45.315s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +0.137s
Luke Mossey (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.253s
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.300s
James Ellison (McAMS Yamaha) +0.373s
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +0.443s
Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.506s
John Hopkins (Moto Rapido Ducati) +0.513s
Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +0.586s
Tommy Bridewell (Team WD-40 Kawasaki) +0.719s

Shane Byrne - Be Wiser Ducati

“I feel honestly incredibly grateful for the extra session we have had today because we are a little bit behind after what happened at the last round and we were even a bit before going into Donington too. To miss out on the two races was really big, so to have the time today has been beneficial.

“We have worked through some new parts and as a team we have worked hard to try and chip away and get a good feeling with the Be Wiser Ducati for this track.

“The top 20 were incredibly close today but the season starts this weekend for me at Brands Hatch after missing the races at Donington Park.”