Reigning champion Shane 'Shakey' Byrne and the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team got their MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship title defence underway in fine style at Brands Hatch this weekend with the Kent rider taking a victory and a third place respectively in the two 30-lap races to leave the opening round with the series lead.

Having claimed pole position, Byrne was again in sparkling form and confirmed his intentions in the opening race aboard the Minxflix.com-backed Kawasaki ZX-10R as he shadowed Josh Brookes in the early stages before making his move at half race distance. From there, he was able to gradually edge away from Alex Lowes and eventually took the chequered flag by just over a second to clinch his 42nd career British Superbike race victory for the Penrith-based PBM team.

In the second encounter later in the day, the race followed a similar pattern although this time, the 36-year-old triple BSB champion from Sittingbourne chased the pace-setting James Ellison. Byrne was looking for his seventh successive Brands Hatch victory and with three laps to go, made a move but Ellison covered it and Byrne subsequently ran wide onto the grass before rejoining and crossing the line in third place.

For 25-year-old Ulster team-mate Keith Farmer, it was a promising weekend in what was only his second race outing on a Superbike. Having qualified in a brilliant fifth place, the reigning National Superstock 1000cc Champion ran as high as third in the opening race before dropping back to sixth at the chequered flag. In race two, the rider from Clogher in County Tyrone made a poor start but held on to finish tenth at the chequered flag to reflect a solid performance which saw him eighth in the title race after the opening round.


Shane Byrne:

"It's nice to get the first two races and pre-season nerves out of the way and to come away with a first and a third is a good start and I'm happy with how the day's gone. The first race couldn't have gone any better to be fair and once I decided to make my move I was able to open up a bit of a cushion over Alex. I was biding my time in the second race as well and thought James had presented me with an opportunity but he tipped in earlier than I anticipated and it was very close! Luckily we had a gap to the rest of the field and I was able to rejoin in third so with a win and a third, and a one point championship lead, its all been good."

Keith Farmer:

"The aim for this weekend was to put in a solid performance and to come away with a couple of top ten results and that's exactly what I've done. We showed some good pace in qualifying and ran with the leaders in race one but I struggled a little with arm pump in the latter stages. Race two saw me not get a good start so it was always going to be a battle but to hold a top eight placing in the championship after round one is brilliant. Hopefully we can continue the learning curve next weekend at Thruxton and a big well done to the team and Shakey for a superb performance."

Paul Bird, Team Owner:

"Shakey leading the championship and Keith inside the top eight after the opening round is certainly job done this weekend. We've had good pace all weekend and we know from last year we have an exceptional package with the Kawasaki with Shakey on board. He costs a bit more than some in the paddock but he's worth it and but for a bit of bad luck, he'd have had a double victory. Keith is a real talent and when you consider this was only his second ever time racing a Superbike, he has done magnificently well and brought it home as instructed in both races. We'll go to Thruxton next weekend in confident mood and look to build on our success in round two."

PBM, Britain's most expansive and diverse motorsport team are also competing in the MotoGP World Championship with Ulsterman Michael Laverty and Colombian Yonny Hernandez. Both riders are contesting the Claiming Rules Teams (CRT) series where Hernandez will compete on the team's updated-specification Minxflix.com Aprilia ART and Laverty will be aboard the revolutionary brand new PBM-chassised Minxflix.com Aprilia for his debut season which started in Qatar this weekend also.

MCE British Superbike Championship Race 1 - 29 laps
1 Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
2 Alex Lowes (Honda)
3 Josh Brookes (Suzuki)
4 Jon Kirkham (BMW)
5 Tommy Bridewell (Honda)
6 Keith Farmer (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)

MCE British Superbike Championship Race 2 - 30 laps
1 James Ellison (Yamaha)
2 Alex Lowes (Honda)
3 Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
4 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda)
5 Josh Brookes (Suzuki)
6 Jon Kirkham (BMW)
10 Keith Farmer (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)

Championship Standings (after one round)
1 Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 41pts
2 Lowes 40
3 Brookes 27
4 Ellison 25
5 Kirkham 23
6 Kiyonari 21
8 Farmer (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 16



Picture courtesy of Jon Jessop/Double Red
.