Shane Byrne recovered from a difficult opener at Snetterton on Sunday to head the field in race two and retain his lead in the British Superbike Championship.

Byrne qualified his Rapid Kawasaki second for the first race but was never comfortable with its handling. He was passed by Samsung Honda’s Alex Lowes and pipped to runners-up spot by Tyco Suzuki’s Josh Brookes as Lowes took his second win of the season.

Byrne, who arrived in Norfolk with six wins from eight races, resumed normal service with victory in race two.

Changes to his bike’s set-up paid off as he passed pole sitter Brookes on the first lap and held off the charging Australian, forcing him wide late on and allowing Lowes to take the second place on the podium. Brookes, meanwhile, finished third.

Byrne has a 32-point lead over Lowes, with Brookes a further three points adrift. The championship resumes at Brands Hatch in two weeks.