Byrne And Bird Gun For Title Glory
Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and PBM team boss Paul Bird head into this weekend with different agendas but the same important goal, and that’s to try to win their respective championships.
Triple MCE BSB champion Byrne, from Sittingbourne in Kent, will be at Brands Hatch for the thrilling finale of the 2014 MCE British Superbike Championship, whereby he leads arch rival Ryuichi Kiyonari by 12 points with three races remaining.
Byrne last took the title in 2012 and having finished a close runner-up last year, will hope his dominance this season will see him crowned champion for a history-making fourth time.
Bird meanwhile, from Langwathby in Cumbria, heads to North Wales on Saturday for the Cambrian Rally which forms the final round of the REIS BTRDA Rally Series and if he beats title-rival Steve Perez, he will land the prestigious crown.
The former ANCRO National Rally Champion has taken maximum points on three rounds so far and knows a fourth win on the event he has won previously will clinch the title.
Byrne has a magnificent record at his local track having won on the Grand Prix circuit there 11 times in recent years and will be hoping to add to his tally on the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. He’ll be backed up by the resurgent Stuart Easton whereby the Scot has shown good form in recent rounds and will be looking to help his team-mate.
Easton, from Hawick, leads the MCE BSB Rider’s Cup meaning it could be a third celebration for the Penrith-based PBM team if all goes to plan.
Multiple TT winner Ian Hutchinson will be once again in action aboard the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship prior to preparing for the Macau Grand Prix next month where he will be joined by Easton.
The complex points scoring of the BTRDA series sees all sorts of permutations what with dropped scores meaning the best way that Bird, in the Rubis Petroleum, Cockspur Rum, Fuchs Titan Race, Mac Tools-backed and Dom Buckley Motorsport-prepared Ford Focus WRC07, and Welsh co-driver Aled Davies, can secure the title is to win.
Byrne knows a similar approach, whereby if he wins all three races, the championship will look after itself, so both men go into battle this weekend in confident mood.
Shane Byrne: “This is a really big weekend which we’ve worked all year to get to and it’s a situation I’ve found myself in many times before. Both me and the team know what we need to do and the plan is as it always has been, and that’s to go out and win races. There’s no point worrying about anyone else, I’ve trained harder than ever and I’m in the best shape possible, so all I’m doing is concentrating on winning all three races and if I do that, I’ll be British Champion.”
Paul Bird: “I’m enjoying a relaxing break prior to flying home to contest the Cambrian Rally and I feel in good shape. It’s a rally I’ve won before and I know the forests better than many I’ve driven in this year so hopefully we can pull off the result we need. The plan is to go hard from the start and let the others play catch up, which has proved successful on the events we have won this year. But what will be will be, I’ll give it my best shot and hope I end up as 2014 BTRDA Champion.”
Stuart Easton: “The last three rounds have been solid for me and I’m hoping to continue that form into Brands Hatch which is a circuit I enjoy. I’m looking to end the season consistently and I’d like to be challenging for the podium. If I can help Shakey take points off Kiyo, then that would be good for the team also. Securing the BSB Rider’s Cup is now the main aim for me so some strong results would aid my cause.”