BSB 2016: Shakey Byrne takes home the trophy, but how did the weekend go down?
The BSB 2016 title is all to contend for. JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider Leon Haslam and Shane Shakey Byrne are both fighting hard. Shakey won the first race of the showdown on Haslam’s home ground, could Haslam win on Byrne’s?
Post-Assen, pre-Brands Hatch GP, Haslam, with two wins under his showdown belt, commented “I don’t think there is a one up for him or me on the Grand Prix circuit; everyone knows it is his home track but Donington was mine and he beat me there so now I want to do the same to him at his!”
Byrne felt just as passionate about the finale of the competition, “I am not turning up this weekend to finish second. We want to get to the front and stay there and if it comes to a straight fight between myself and Leon, I will be going for that win.”
Linfoot, another strong contender for a top spot, also shared his feelings, “I am looking forward to this weekend and feel really fired up for the final races of the season. I am really motivated to hold onto third place. I think there will be some fireworks between the three of us like there was at Assen.” With a position close to Linfoot, O’Halloran commented, “It is really close between myself Dan [Linfoot] and [James] in the standings so my aim really has to be to beat Dan in all three races as third place in the standings is still definitely my target. I had been there for a while before I got pushed out at Donington so I am looking forward to digging in this weekend to get it back.”
Let the practice rounds for the finale of the BSB 2016 Begin…
Haslam’s passion for the win shone through in his super-fast, final free practice race. The 17 points separating Shane Shakey Byrne from Haslam is revving his JG Speedfit Kawasaki engine, motivating him to push hard. Iddon managed to hop ahead of O’Halloran towards the end, finishing second, Haslam held him off.
Byrne was a little on the slow-and-steady-might-win-the-real-race as he came in sixth for Be Wiser Ducati. Linfoot was also lower down in tenth.
Following the practice and warm-up rounds an unexpected, non-showdown contender came into the mix and secured pole position – Tommy Bridewell. A soggy round of racing meant the ride was uncertain but Bridewell came out on top. Byrne finished later again in fifth and the bad weather was no friend to Haslam. The racer crashed out at Stirlings with a handlebar snap. This tough end means a tough start for Bridewell, he’ll start in 17th on the grid.
An unexpected Result for round one
Though not so unexpected after the result of the warm-up, Haslam didn’t finish the race. The race began with Iddon overtaking pole position Bridewell with O’Halloran tucked in behind. Parkes and Rispoli also left the race under unfavourable circumstances. Whether it was slippery track, or the excitement of the finale, another two riders were also taken out of contention. Backlund and Mainwaring-Smart were both declared out, with Howie suffering from a broken wrist.
O’Halloran snook in and took the advantage once the race resumed until the rain halted and once again restarted the race. Haslam crashed in the opening round, potentially sacrificing his chances of a 2016 BSB overall win. Although he was sore he wasn’t giving up on the final two rounds. Iddon held the lead until Hickman and Ellison came through and fought for the front. Ellison was no match for the downpours as he slid off at Grahams Hill Bend a little while later.
Shakey Byrne remained in the race through to the soggy-end and completed it in sixth. Though his position isn’t his best, with Haslam crashing out he still maintains a 27 point lead. Hickman used Ellison’s crash which slowed down the race to take advantage and speed ahead. This successfully landed him in first place. Glenn Irwin also rode past Linfoot finishing in third with Linfoot in fourth.
Round Two, the end is near
Before race two commenced, there was a final warm-up. Haslam took part and perhaps his two crashes had injected some caution into his technique has he came in 21st. A little higher up Ellison did himself proud in first, Bridewell did well again and Shakey in third. Kiyonari joined Bridewell in the non-showdown riders who’d made the top six.
AND, we have a winner!!
Haslam’s unfortunate luck of race one continued in race two as Ellison took the win and Shane Shakey Byrne, the 2016 championship title!
The race began with Haslam and Byrne lagging behind, outside of the top ten riders. They climbed closer but still didn’t reach the top three as Ellison, Iddon and Hopkins had already broken out into a trio ahead. The three almost continued clustered together ahead until Iddon came out with a technical problem. This space in third allowed Hickman in.
Haslam’s race finished with success, in comparison to his previous one as he did finish. However, it wasn’t enough to hold Byrne off from the title. He came in fifth which didn’t score him enough points to beat Byrne to the title! Congratulations Shakey!
How did the final race finish off the 2016 season?
Kiyonari brought a welcome head start to the third race, battling at the front with Ellison and Hopkins until the red flag was flown. James Rispoli’s Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha left an oil line at Hawthorn causing a halt in the race.
Ellison sat at the top of the pack with Hopkins, Kiyonari and Iddon all in close contention for the top sports, until Paddock Hill Bend when Haslam charged ahead. Shane Shakey Byrne fought for a podium, and he fought hard enough to win it, coming in third behind Hopkins in second. Haslam came in fourth whilst Ellison finished on a double-podium victory. Linfoot was back in sixth and Mossey in ninth.
So that concludes the 2016 BSB…
After all the highs and lows of the season, the beginning where a different rider took to the podium each week and the end where crowd favourites Haslam and Byrne fought for the title. Shakey Byrne won it and takes home his fifth BSB title. Haslam finished as a runner-up, and still what an achievement. We can’t wait for more action on the tracks next year and hope you’ll join us again to stay updated. Thanks for reading and have a great Christmas, New year’s and Valentine’s!
