British Superbike champion Shane Byrne admits he is nowhere near his best going into his home meeting at Brands Hatch.

Byrne is still feeling the effects of breaking his hand during testing in Spain a month ago and revealed he is also nursing a ruptured bicep.

The Sittingbourne rider surprised himself by leading his PBM Kawasaki to first and second in the opening round at Donington and he’s ready to defy his body on the short Indy circuit at Brands on Sunday.

Byrne, 37, said: “I went testing at Donington not knowing if I’d even be able to hold on to the bike and a week later I had a win and a second.

“It was a bit of a double whammy for me because I ruptured my bicep before the race so I felt pretty dreadful. I had no strength to muscle the bike about and I was rusty from being out with my hand.

“The recovery time if I have an operation on the bicep is six-to-eight weeks but my surgeon’s told me if it gets no worse we should be able to delay it until the end of the season.

“The fact I came away with a first and second from the first round bodes well. I’m only going to get fitter and stronger and the bike’s only going to get better."