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Shane Byrne beats the best at Brands Hatch

Pic: Carly Rathmell
By Dan Moakes
August 1 2003
After Mat Mladin’s performance at Laguna Seca, the World Superbike regulars arrived in the UK to face a whole host of local wildcards. As with the Silverstone meeting, these guys were seen as genuinely competitive and, with the four WSB Brits, ensured a sell out crowd at Brands Hatch

Joining Neil Hodgson, James Toseland, Chris Walker and James Haydon on the grid were five of the top nine from the British series, and more besides. Runaway points leader Shane Byrne (MonsterMob Ducati) had competition from John Reynolds and Yukio Kagayama (both Rizla Suzuki), Michael Rutter, Leon Haslam and Nick Medd (Renegade Ducati), Sean Emmett (ETI Racing Ducati) and Dean Ellison (Firepower Ducati). The signs were excellent from the spectators’ point of view.

The qualifying session was disrupted by wet weather, and so grid positions were a little mixed up in relation to established form. Reynolds’ GSX-R1000 was top of the time sheets, although team-mate Kagayama was seventeenth, and Suzuki regular Gregorio Lavilla was leading row four in thirteenth. Top man from the regulars was Walker, second for HM Plant Ducati, while Toseland’s sister machine was eighth. Third went to Byrne, with Régis Laconi’s NCR Ducati fourth.

The other row two runners were Rutter (fifth), Rubén Xaus (sixth for Fila Ducati) and Emmett. Haslam headed up three Ducatis on the third row, the others being Frankie Chili (tenth) and championship leader Hodgson (eleventh). Troy Corser was twelfth on the Foggy triple. Behind Lavilla came Ellison, Marco Borciani (Ducati) and Ivan Clementi on the first Kawasaki ZX-7RR.

Reynolds came away in front at the start of race one, with Laconi, Walker, Byrne, Xaus and Hodgson close behind. At the Druids hairpin, Walker moved inside Laconi for second. Rutter led the second group of runners, with Emmett, Toseland and Corser on his tail. On the second lap an inspired Byrne started to make his way forward, first passing Laconi and then attacking Walker on the back straight. He went past on the inside of Paddock Hill Bend, going into the next lap, but ran a bit wide at Druids so that Walker recovered the place. However, ‘Shakey’ then got onto the inside as they went up into the back straight, and started pulling away.

Setting the fastest lap, Byrne then began to catch Reynolds, and it became a two-way leading group. The Ducati man’s form soon saw him past ‘JR’, and then he set another new fastest lap. John was able to stay with Shane, though, and they seemed a step ahead of the field. However, Reynolds then looked to have a small ‘moment’, losing ground to Byrne in the process. In no time at all the Suzuki was pulling up with an obvious problem, and John had to cruise back to the pits. It transpired his clutch had been the offending article.

All of which left Byrne out front on his own, still lapping quicker than the rest. His lead went beyond six seconds, at which point he was able to bring it home comfortably, pulling a huge wheelie over the line. Given that he had effectively cruised in the final stages, Shane’s 5.7s winning margin was a significant achievement. He also came away with the fastest lap.

Like Byrne, Xaus was also in attacking mode early on, finding a narrow gap inside Laconi at Hawthorn, and then setting about Walker for third. ‘The Stalker’ managed to defend his position for a time, but Rubén was after a fourth win from five, and got by on the inside at Paddock. However, the Spaniard was as spectacular as ever, particularly sliding the rear of his 999 at Druids. At one point this allowed Walker back through, and Chris was able to successfully defend P2 from the determined Xaus.

Meanwhile, Laconi had come under pressure from Hodgson, who finally passed on the back straight. With Emmett the first man to set fastest lap, as he cleared the second group, he also moved in on the Frenchman. When Régis made a mistake at Paddock, Sean was able to pass at Druids, going fifth. He then pulled Laconi onto the tail of Walker, Xaus and Hodgson.

Hodgson was threatening his team-mate at this stage, but then Xaus’ machine started to smoke. It looked like an oil leak, and very soon the team were calling him into the pits. He duly slowed, disappointed, and this left a four-way tussle over what was now second place, following Reynolds’ exit. Behind Walker and Hodgson, Laconi had repassed Emmett, and gradually a gap began to grow to the ETI man.

Walker and Hodgson duelled over second, bringing back memories of the 2000 BSB title chase, with Laconi tucked in close behind. Neil went through at Paddock, on the inside, and started pulling away. However, Chris redoubled his efforts and, with Hodgson’s Michelin tyres seemingly past it, the pair left Laconi trailing. Walker mounted an attack around the back of the circuit, but to no avail. On the last lap, he was really pushing his orange machine along, but Hodson just held on. It was an all-British podium celebration.

Laconi duly finished fourth, but Emmett, although fifth, was eventually hounded over the line by Toseland and Lavilla. The last two named, split by Chili, had gone by Rutter earlier on, and were closely matched all race long. By the finish, Chili had dropped to ninth, behind Rutter, and Kagayama came home tenth. Corser and Haslam had disappeared from the next group of runners, leaving Ellison, Juan Borja, Clementi, Steve Martin and Mauro Sanchini to complete the points scorers.

With a staggering eleven Ducatis in the top fifteen, including the first six, it was no surprise that the Italian marque had secured the manufacturers’ crown after this race. Indeed, ten of the top thirteen in the points table were racing with a Ducati motorcycle - this including nine of the first ten! Also significant was the retirement of Rubén Xaus, for it meant than Neil Hodgson needed a mere eight point margin over his team-mate in the next race, if he was to secure the championship in front of his home crowd.

Race two proved another good one for the wildcards, although Emmett’s initial lead was flattered by an obvious jump start. Nevertheless, the former GP rider proved his pace in the early laps. Reynolds was hoping for more from this race, following an engine change. The first four men away were Emmett, Byrne, Walker and Reynolds, with Chris quickly passing Shane for second. The next group comprised Laconi, Rutter, Toseland, Xaus, Hodgson, Lavilla and Kagayama. Walker and Byrne attacked Emmett, who was soon awarded a stop-go penalty, but in fact it was Byrne putting a move on Walker at Druids that really counted as the first lead change.

Walker then felt the attentions of Reynolds’ Suzuki, which went through at Hawthorn corner, at the end of the back straight. With Rutter having gone backwards, next Toseland, Xaus and Hodgson all went past Laconi in pursuit of the front runners. James then set a fastest lap, and it was he that next came up to challenge Walker. This became a lively tussle. Meanwhile, Reynolds had put a good move on Byrne to take second at Druids, and the pair of them moved clear of the place-swapping HM Plant duo.

Emmett carried on circulating, and even pulled out a lead over his compatriots, but eventually he was black-flagged. He pulled up short and toured back into the pitlane, where he parked the Ducati. No doubt he wondered what could have been. This left, for the second time, a lead battle between Reynolds and Byrne. Shane and the 998 were on the offensive, but John held him off as the next group of riders homed in on them again. Toseland had passed Walker twice, but it was the older man in front when they got in on the main act. Xaus, Hodgson and Lavilla came with them.

With ten laps gone, Byrne passed Reynolds on the inside at turn one, and started to build a gap. On the same lap, Toseland passed Walker on the inside at Hawthorn, and Xaus was able to replicate the move not long after. Reynolds and Toseland were able to go with Byrne, the Suzuki man setting a fastest lap, but Xaus, Walker, Hodgson and Lavilla were now locked together behind. Neil then went past Chris on the outside, to run behind his team-mate and rival.

It wasn’t over for Byrne. One by one, Reynolds, Toseland, Xaus and Hodgson chased down Shakey’s lead, and the race between the first two was on again. At the end of lap fifteen, Walker crashed out in a fashion that managed to wreck his Ducati. Then first Lavilla and, after that, Hodgson began to fall away from the first four. Xaus watchers perhaps had another scare when his bike seemed to be smoking again, but on closer examination it looked a tyre may just be rubbing on bodywork - just slightly when he went through the biggest course dip.

On lap nineteen the lead was around 0.3 seconds, and this seemed to be Byrne’s cue to speed up. This time only Reynolds could go with him and, in fact, the margin was down to 0.1s as they went onto the last lap. Although the Suzuki attacked at Paddock, Shane was able to cover the move. It stayed close, but Byrne went on to secure the first ever double victory for a British wildcard in WSB. Reynolds equalled Suzuki’s best result of the year - Lavilla having finished second three times previously.

The next few finishers were strung out by the flag, with Toseland leading Xaus, Hodgson and Lavilla home. The title would have to wait a little longer for Neil. The race for seventh was won by Chili. Laconi had slipped away from the leaders, coming into range of both Rutter and Chili. However, Michael had been another faller, but Frankie had bested the fading Frenchman. Kagayama had held onto the ‘best of the rest’ slot. The remaining points went to Haslam, Alex Gramigni, Ellison, Clementi, Borciani and Sanchini, whilst Corser had suffered an early retirement.

The riders’ title is undecided, but with a 140 point lead, Neil Hodgson now only needs ten points. It would be highly unexpected for him not to manage at least one more top six result...

Standings after eighteen races: Hodgson 386; Xaus 246; Toseland 227; Laconi 208; Lavilla 185; Walker 172; Chili 159; Martin 97; Borciani 95; Pedercini 91.


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