Shane Byrne savours his third British Superbike title at Brands on Sunday

by Luke Cawdell

The prospect of becoming the greatest British Superbike rider ever has left Shane Byrne with plenty to think about in the coming weeks.

Byrne claimed all three wins at Brands Hatch over the weekend to clinch a third domestic title by 28 points, but the Sittingbourne rider admitted that within minutes of clinching the crown his thoughts were turning to becoming the best.

Two more race victories in the championship would set a new record and another title would take him past fellow three-time winners Niall Mackenzie and Ryuichi Kiyonari.

But Byrne could opt for a move back into Moto GP – bike racing’s equivalent of Formula 1 – where his current Paul Bird team run a lesser-specification CRT bike which is still under development.

Byrne said: "I want to be the best and I can’t be the best if I have done what someone else has previously achieved. With two more BSB race wins, I would be the most successful rider in the championship ever."

Byrne started the weekend nine points ahead of the chasing pack, with five other riders in with a chance of the title, but three wins left them in his wake.

He said: "After the first two races I had one hand on the trophy, but not quite, and I was more nervous for that race than the other two. In the end it panned out well."