Reigning MCE British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne begins the defence of his title at this weekend’s Assen round as he and series leader Josh Brookes are separated by just two points with 50 on the table in Holland.

Byrne experienced something of a slump before the previous outing at Oulton Park but put himself back in the game with a brace of wins and he says that nothing less than that will do.

“We had a difficult few rounds but whenever things go bad I work even harder to turn it around and make it better. Before Oulton Park I worked so hard and so did the team and then we reaped the rewards with two wins. The last round was just what I needed on a personal level and showed that despite people questioning me and wondering if we had lost the plot, we were there and had never actually been away,” said Byrne.

 “Looking at Assen I am just treating it as the next two races that we need to try and win. I know that at every event I am riding the best I can and that is the only way to be if you want to win a title. I know how hard both myself and the team have been working and to be honest I am feeling really relaxed and in the best possible place to start the Showdown. We go to every race wanting to win and this weekend is no different.”