The second of the Showdown rounds for the 2012 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship takes place at Silverstone this weekend with Rapid Solicitors Racing Team rider Shane 'Shakey' Byrne very well placed just two points off the championship lead.

Last weekend at Assen, the double British Superbike Champion took the first race win and was a very close second in race two despite battling with the painful shoulder injury to hold second place in the standings behind Josh Brookes.

But with a further week's rest and recovery time, Byrne is hoping to challenge once more, especially at a track he enjoys and where the Isle of Sheppey rider comprehensively won both Silverstone 200 support races at the British MotoGP earlier this year.

Team mate Stuart Easton showed he was back to his best at Assen by running with the leading bunch until dropping back in the later stages and he too is looking forward to returning to Silverstone and helping Byrne towards the title. The Scotsman from Hawick has now recovered from his mid-season injuries and is expecting a strong showing at the 3.66-mile Arena GP track.

Meanwhile, Ulsterman Keith Farmer is aiming to defend his lead in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship where he holds a nine point advantage over Australian rival Jason O'Halloran. The 'Clogher Bullet' could theoretically win the title depending on O'Halloran's results whereby if the Honda rider fails to finish, a third place would be enough to secure Farmer his second successive National Superstock title.

Whilst it's a busy weekend as normal at Silverstone for Paul Bird's BSB team, the PBM UK MotoGP team are also in action, this time at Aragon in Spain for round 14 of the MotoGP World Championship whereby Cumbria's James Ellison is looking to increase his points tally following a promising showing last time out at Brno aboard the CRT-specification Aprilia ART.

James sadly lost his father last week and the whole of the Paul Bird Motorsport team wishes to convey their condolences to the Ellison family.

Paul Bird:

"After last weekend's performance at Assen, just imagine what Shakey can do as he gets fitter and as the Showdown progresses, that's what should happen. We also know our bikes are very good at Silverstone as we were the only Showdown team to use the MotoGP support race to get a good base set-up. As well as Shakey, both Stuart and Keith know they have a very important job to do this weekend and I'm expecting both to deliver the goods. As for James, he rode very well last time at Brno, probably the best he's ridden all season, and hopefully he can continue that momentum into Aragon prior to the three flyaway races, and get a good result in memory of his dad."

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