Brands Hatch GP BSB 2016: Byrne for the double-win
The second round of Brands Hatch GP BSB 2016 saw the riders advance from the Indy up to the GP track. With more races under their tyres they’re better prepared for the additional twists and turns of the extended Kent circuit.
No surprises – Shakey took the first win of Brands Hatch GP BSB weekend
The race began with Shakey running into Paddock Hill bend from second in the grid. Mossey sat in first. He finished a mere 0.111 seconds ahead in the Datatag Superpole session the day before. A few mistakes from Shakey dropped him further back to ninth position in the race. As the ride continued Byrne pushed forward and began fighting O’Halloran. O’Halloran determined to beat his previous position in sixth at Thruxton raced for fourth. As the race rode on Byrne carried on in his quest to the front and reached fourth position at Hawthorns. Unfortunately, soon after, Fillip Backlund crashed at Clearways (fortunately unharmed). The Nissan GT-R Safety Car made an appearance on track.
Following the accident, Mossey defended his position in third, and defended hard. Bridewell set his sights on the lead. Haslam overtook Mossey, looking for a way into the top. Bridewell, Haslam and Mossey were a real trio of troopers as the race went on – all fighting for the edge. By the end the two Bs – Bridewell and Byrne were top of the pack. They were so eager for the win that in the last lap Bridewell raced himself off the track. Byrne followed by Haslam followed by Moosey took up the three podium steps. 
Irwin didn’t manage a repeat of Thruxton. He crashed out a few laps from the finish in sixth place. Buchan was another rider with a similar fortune. His crash came at Druids, the same for Smiths Racing BMW rider Jakub Smrz.
Was Shakey on for a double whammy win?
Shakey’s always a crowd favourite, bookies favourite and BSB favourite. This was the first weekend of the 2016 BSB he managed to please everyone twice in one weekend with a double win. Race number two didn’t follow the general pattern of this years British Superbike racing. Instead of a different rider placing first each race, Shakey won both. Nope, Shakey bucked the trend and boosted his championship standings with a double-win. Twit twooo for Be Wiser Ducati.
From the beginning of this Brands Hatch GP BSB, Byrne’s streak didn’t look like a winning one. He set off into the first lap of race two and again fell back into ninth. He repeated the fight of the first race and climbed up higher. Bridewell became a strong contender. Then once again misfortune struck and a mechanical problem took him off the track.
Byrne continued moving on up to the front as he’d slowly picked his pace back up again – doing Ducati proud. Haslam and Irwin continued to race on ahead as they battled it out for first. O’Halloran rode into the mix for the top spot whilst another rider crashed out. Laverty’s Tyco BMW suffered a mechanical fault and the safety car came out once again.
The race restarted, firing up Byrne for the Brands Hatch GP BSB win and he came back out in fourth. Haslam sat in third with O’Halloran in second. As they powered around the final laps Byrne, Haslam and O’Halloran reached the finish line together. Byrne just scraped the first – topping the trio by 1.49 seconds. Irwin placed in fourth, just a smidge off the podium. Mossey, Linfoot and Ellison completed the top ten. Kiyonari came in at 19th, following a difficult half-season. Himself and his sponsors, Bennetts Suzuki, have parted ways on a mutual agreement.
When can you catch the next round of BSB 2016?
If you’re free for the bank holiday weekend riders will race at “mini Nürburgring,” more formally known as Cadwell Park, on 27/28/29 August. Grab some tickets, follow them online or check back here for our post-race report, and feel involved in this unique, exciting circuit.
