Sittingbourne's Shane Byrne claims victory in race two Pic: Simon Hildrew

Shane Byrne insisted his damage limitation mission couldn’t have gone any better at the MCE Insurance British Superbike round eight after bagging two podium finishes at Brands Hatch.

With the BSB season-defining end of season Showdown looming large the Sittingbourne rider knew he needed to be on the pace at the Kent circuit but saw his weekend plagued by machinery issues.

Those struggles - and some inclement weather – left Byrne down in the dumps after ending the first of a three race weekend down in 16th on Saturday.

However the 34-year-old bounced back on Sunday to take the win – his first since round four in May – in race two before bagging some more podium credits with third place in the final race.

Despite leading the overall standings – and having his Showdown spot secured - Byrne trails Tommy Hill in the podium credits table by a single point however that slight blow to his weekend was the last thing the two-time champion was worried about.

Those podium credits will turn into points after round nine at Cadwell Park on the August Bank Holiday weekend and Byrne said: “The win in the second race was fantastic and it had to be dedicated to the team because we had some real struggles this weekend.

“We had the most difficult weekend we have had all season really and it meant we weren’t as prepared as I’d have liked to have been.

“In the third race we were having a bit of a problem with the bike and I thought it was much better to come back with a third place rather than not finishing so I just concentrated on doing that.

“All credit to Tommy Hill and John Hopkins though in that race because they went out and raced hard.

“But for me to pull out a win for the team is absolutely fantastic and hopefully the plan can be to go to Cadwell Park and to get a couple more.”

British Eurosport 2 will be broadcasting every round of the 2011 British Superbike Championship. The channel is available on Sky 411 & Virgin Media 525.Watch online via the Eurosport Player (www.eurosportplayer.co.uk)