British Superbike Championship rider Shane Byrne secured his first win of the season at his home circuit.

The Sittingbourne racer won the second event at Brands Hatch during round three of the championship on Sunday.

The win was a welcome boost for the 39-year-old four-time champion, who had finished ninth during the opening race.

Byrne is now hoping the win, the 69th of his career, is just the start as he looks to secure a record-breaking fifth title.

He said: “It’s great to get the first win of the season and I’m sure it’s the start of some really good times for us.

“The bike’s proving hard to get off the line at the moment and the first race was dreadful while the second one was average and that gave me a better chance.

“In race two, I was able to get with the leading group and, with two laps to go, I managed to get by Richard Cooper by running up the inside at Clearways where I was able to get the power down more effectively.”

It was Byrne’s seventh win on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit and Ducati’s first British Superbike Championship win since 2010. Byrne sits second on the leaderboard, three points behind Leon Haslam.