BSB: Byrne: 'I must treat this like any other weekend'

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne has said he’s not treating this weekend’s MCE British Superbike Championhip decider different to any other weekend after cruising to the top of the timesheets on the opening day at Brands Hatch.

Byrne’s time of 1’25.523 saw him beat Peter Hickman and Dan Linfoot to the top spot while championship rival Leon Haslam was fifth fastest after suffering a number of electronic issues.

While free practice times mean little, Byrne was able to spend much more time working on race pace than Haslam with the first of three championship deciding battles set to take place tomorrow afternoon.

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It’s really important to treat this weekend like any other,” Byrne told MCN. “My wife said to me the other day that it wouldn’t matter if it was the first race, the middle of the season or the last race – my approach, my effort and my way of working isn’t going to change so I need to do what I do and be myself. If I try to do anything different I could trip myself up while what I usually do works!

“I’ve tried to stay calm and focused and not stress about anything other than me and concentrating on making sure the package I have underneath me is as good as it can be for tomorrow afternoon and Sunday.

“The forecast keeps changing but I’m not going to worry about that, I can’t control it. I’ll worry about what we’re doing here in the garage, making sure the boys are happy and then giving it our best shot tomorrow.”

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