Source: BSB.

Defending champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne has set himself up perfectly for his home round of Brands Hatch by scoring a Scottish double at Knockhill, holding off the challenges from his closest rivals in two intense races.

Byrne took the lead in the opening race with a decisive move over his teammate Stuart Easton at the Hairpin on the opening lap and despite the Scot trying everything in his power to fight back, it wasn’t enough and he had to settle for a podium finish.

Michael Laverty had claimed second place on the Tyco BMW after a late surge to pass Australian Josh Brookes on the Milwaukee Yamaha at the Hairpin, but following a review by Race Direction he was later issued a one second penalty for overtaking in a yellow flag zone which dropped him back to fourth. The issued penalty moved Easton to second ahead of Brookes.

The second race started with Laverty hitting the front of the field on the Tyco BMW from Easton and Byrne with Brookes in fourth place. Laverty was defending hard until Byrne made a move to take the lead on the 13th lap and then the pack were dicing for positions when the race was red flagged for a sharp rain shower.

The 11-lap restarted sprint race to the finish was held in dry conditions and Byrne hit the front, holding off the attack from Easton and Brookes as a rejuvenated Ryuichi Kiyonari claimed fourth place for Buildbase BMW after a race one crash.

Jason O’Halloran completed the top five for Honda Racing but it was disappointment for James Ellison at Knockhill as he crashed out of the opening race and then was forced to retire with a technical problem in the second race.

Of the remaining Aussies, Billy McConnell (Smiths BMW) went 12-21, Broc Parkes (Milwaukee Yamaha) 14-14, Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki) DNF-15 after suffering a bike problem in race one and Jed Metcher (PR Racing Kawasaki) 15-16.

In Supersport Glenn Irwin and Kyle Ryde traded wins, while Levi Day scored 3-4 finishes in the Evo classification. Benjamin Currie was just outside the podium in Superstock 600, finishing fourth this weekend.

2015 British Superbike Championship
Round five – Knockhill, Scotland

Superbike race one results:
1. Shane Byrne
2. Stuart Easton
3. Josh Brookes (AUS)
4. Michael Laverty
5. Jason O’Halloran (AUS)
6. Danny Buchan
7. Tommy Bridewell
8. Luke Mossey
9. James Westmoreland
10. Peter Hickman
12. Billy McConnell (AUS)
14. Broc Parkes (AUS)
15. Jed Metcher (AUS)

Superbike race two results:
1. Shane Byrne
2. Stuart Easton
3. Josh Brookes (AUS)
4. Ryuichi Kiyonari
5. Jason O’Halloran (AUS)
6. Michael Laverty
7. Danny Buchan
8. James Westmoreland
9. Peter Hickman
10. Christian Iddon
14. Broc Parkes (AUS)
15. Josh Waters (AUS)
16. Jed Metcher (AUS)
21. Billy McConnell (AUS)

Superbike championship standings:
1. Shane Byrne 201
2. Josh Brookes (AUS) 166
3. Stuart Easton 139
4. James Ellison 118
5. Jason O’Halloran (AUS) 96
6. Tommy Bridewell 86
7. Michael Laverty 76
8. Dan Linfoot 54
9. Ryuichi Kiyonari 52
10. Howie Mainwaring 45
15. Billy McConnell (AUS) 37
17. Broc Parkes (AUS) 27
21. Josh Waters (AUS) 21
27. Jed Metcher (AUS) 1

Click here for detailed results