Round twelve saw another visit to Brands Hatch, Byrne’s home circuit and the scene of his 2003 World Superbike double as a wildcard, but this time for the short Indy circuit. The first round of 2008, on the Grand Prix circuit, was ultimately rescheduled as round three due to adverse weather conditions in April. The Indy track has no real straights, as all sections constantly curve, with a couple of slower bends and plenty of gradient change.

Qualifying saw Byrne emerge with his fifth pole position of the season, also his tenth in BSB competition. The challengers for second overall took four of the next five positions, with Haslam second despite having dislocated a shoulder in an incident during the weekend. Team-mate Cal Crutchlow was third, then came Sykes. Leon Camier on the other Airwaves Ducati was the outsider of the group, and in sixth place, but might get some support from Byrne if the positions allowed it.

Fifth place went to James Ellison for Hydrex Bike Animal Honda, and row two also included Relentless Suzuki by TAS rider Michael Laverty, seventh. Number 200 was in eighth, except that North West 200 Ducati rider Michael Rutter was running with number 300 this time out. The 36-year-old was celebrating his 300th BSB race, which meant 300 races in the modern British Superbike Championship, which started in 1995. Rutter had competed in every season from 1995 to date, with the exception of 1999. But his actual tally of British Superbike races also includes events in 1992-94.

Rob McElnea’s Team Yamaha bike would start from ninth, and this time that meant with Jon Kirkham. The 23-year-old had raced in BSB in 2002-07, and this year had been winning the R1 Cup and securing the runner-up slot in Superstock. At Brands he was a late replacement for Karl Harris, who had to leave for family reasons. Jon sat on the bike in time for qualifying and did well enough to be the first Yamaha man. The second was Simon Andrews, for Jentin/Lloyds, in tenth.

Billy McConnell was in P11 and the first Kawasaki man, for the MSS Discovery team, then it was Atsushi Watanabe (Rizla Suzuki), privateer John Laverty (Buildbase NW200 Ducati), Tristan Palmer (TENA for Men Honda), David Johnson (Team MAXXIS Honda) and privateer Gary Mason (Quay Garage Honda).

At Brands Hatch there was more talk about the prospects for the 2009 BSB season. As well as Haslam and Sykes, Byrne would also be heading to race in World Superbikes for the next season. Shane had appeared in 20 Grands Prix, but in WSB had appeared in only six races as a wildcard, even if he did win twice. With Crutchlow going to World Supersport, only one of this year’s top five would be staying around, although Camier was not necessarily going to be with Airwaves Yamaha. Elsewhere, Watanabe would not keep his ride, whilst James Ellison would be helping to develop the new ‘big-bang’ Yamaha R1.

But the Brands races had to happen first, and race one saw the lead at the start go to Crutchlow, heading Byrne, Haslam and Ellison. The first bend at Brands is the right-handed downhill dive at Paddock Hill Bend, and James went wide on the way out, but still he was in place to make a pass on Leon coming out of the next right-handed Druids hairpin. Sykes was fifth, and attacked Haslam at the next left Graham Hill Bend, but it was Camier who passed the Suzuki rider. Laverty and Rutter were next.

Ducati took over from Honda when Byrne went in front of Crutchlow on the outside approaching Druids. Ellison, Haslam, Camier, Sykes and Laverty followed, as Rutter, Easton and Palmer started to fall back. The first two started to open a gap back to Ellison and the rest, but in fact it was Byrne who soon got clear of Crutchlow, with Ellison and Haslam still just about in touch with the 22-year-old. Camier and Sykes ended up in a private battle for fifth.

Crutchlow got further clear in second place, helped when Ellison went wide at Druids. Haslam continued shadowing the Hydrex man, and in the late stages they had both got closer to Cal again, even as Byrne secured a comfortable victory. It was his first in twelve races. Crutchlow was second, with Ellison crossing the line in front of Haslam. Camier arrived in a secure fifth, with Sykes sixth. The Suzuki man explained how his race had been affected because a bit of a hold at the start had fried his clutch.

Seventh might have been Michael Laverty’s, and he had been well clear of Rutter, but with a couple of laps left he’d had to park it in the pits. Behind Rutter there had been a contest between Easton and Andrews, but only until the Kawasaki rider had a late crash on the outside at Graham Hill Bend. Kirkham therefore took his best BSB result in two years with ninth, from Palmer, Cup race winner Mason, McConnell, John Laverty, Watanabe, Jason O’Halloran and Guy Martin.

Even with only fourth place, Haslam had beaten Sykes in race one and now just needed five points from race two, or eleventh place. To have even a chance to overtake Leon, Tom had to win this one. He started well, getting away in the lead, but only until Haslam moved ahead on the outside at Paddock. Crutchlow then got inside Sykes at Druids for second. Ellison, Byrne, Laverty, Camier, Kirkham, Rutter, Andrews, McConnell and Mason followed.

Haslam and Crutchlow began to pull out an advantage on the Hondas, leaving a race between the next four, led by Sykes. Ellison lost out in two separate moves from the Ducati men at Clearways, the right-handed bend into Clark Curve and back round to the start. Byrne managed to get on the inside for his pass, and Camier’s turn saw the Honda pushed wide. At this stage Laverty made it a double blank as again his Suzuki stopped in the pits.

Haslam was getting away from Crutchlow at the head of the field, but then third went to Byrne, braking inside Sykes for Paddock. Shane’s Brands form started to take him closer to Cal, leaving Tom to worry about Camier. The Ducati went past the Suzuki on the inside at Paddock, and Leon chased away into a clear fourth. Meanwhile, Byrne was with Crutchlow. At half-distance he was on the attack, going ahead on the inside at Druids and beginning to pull away.

The later stages saw Byrne closing on leader Haslam. Camier made it up to and past Crutchlow, whilst fifth man Sykes was suddenly touring and had to pull out of the race. He had already found Ellison and Rutter getting close to him. The chance of a top ten result for McConnell had already ended with mechanical problems. Seventh was now held by Andrews, from John Laverty, Mason, Kirkham, Palmer and Chris Burns on the MV Agusta.

Into the penultimate lap, Byrne went to the inside of Haslam at Clark, but the Honda rider managed to stay ahead at Paddock. But the last lap saw them arrive behind some backmarkers. Haslam was blocked by Leon Morris on the short Cooper Straight, and this allowed Byrne to get on the inside for the left at Surtees. Haslam clipped the grass and dropped behind as Shane went inside Morris at Clearways. This gave him the race win almost at the last moment, but Haslam was convincingly second in the season’s final standings.

Camier was third, from Crutchlow, and Sykes’ fate meant that Cal crept into third place overall at the last race. Ellison, Rutter and Andrews were followed home by the leading Cup competitors, with eighth being the best yet BSB result for John Laverty, who headed Mason. Then it was Kirkham, Burns, O’Halloran, Palmer, Watanabe, Martin and Peter Hickman. The last race proved to be the worst of the year for both Suzuki (first man home in P14) and Kawasaki (their only race of 2008 without a man in the points).

The 2008 season belonged to Shane Byrne and GSE Racing/Airwaves Ducati, and the 31-year-old finished it off in the best way with the double at his local track. He had taken ten wins in all, just two fewer than when he took the 2003 title. Three wins for Leon Camier meant that GSE had thirteen altogether, which made it their best BSB season, beating the score of eleven from the past two seasons. They have 65 in total. Meanwhile, the popular Leon Haslam would be leaving the series having been fourth, third and twice second, but without a title win. Tom Sykes had a disappointing finish to his year, whilst Cal Crutchlow ended with a bit of a revival.

British Superbikes had been international for a few years, with success by Japanese and Spanish riders, but 2008 was all about the English. Ulsterman Jonathan Rea had also moved on, so this year saw every single race victory going to an English rider - for the first time since 2000. Ten of eleven pole positions had been taken by the English in 2003, but this year it was a clean sweep. Unfortunately, Scotland’s impact on the series has not been at the level it once was for a few years now.

The 2008 season had been a year of change for BSB, but it still provided the usual level of competition. 2009 should be the same in both respects, and will be worth waiting for. Who is your money on?

Final standings after twenty-four races:
1 Shane Byrne (Ducati) 474
2 Leon Haslam (Honda) 357
3 Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 318
4 Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 316
5 Leon Camier (Ducati) 306
6 Michael Rutter (Ducati) 256
7 James Ellison (Honda) 230
8 Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 176
9 Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 141
10 Tristan Palmer (Honda) 111
11 Karl Harris (Yamaha) 102
12 Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) 91
Stuart Easton 81; Scott Smart and Atsushi Watanabe 69; Gary Mason 51*; John Laverty 49; Guy Martin 28; David Johnson, Jason O’Halloran and Chris Burns 21; Jon Kirkham 13; Tom Grant and Steve Mercer 10; Dean Ellison 9; James Haydon 6; Sean Emmett 5; Steve Plater, Marshall Neill and Martin Jessopp 4; Luke Quigley 3; Aaron Zanotti and Peter Hickman 2
*Mason was disqualified at Silverstone, because of an illegal camshaft, losing 17 points.

A full review of the British Superbike season will follow.

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