HM Plant Honda's Shane Byrne was forced out of the first British Suoperbike race at Croft on Sunday when the top-end of his Fireblade let go and subsequently burst into flames as he rolled to a stop at the Yorkshire track.

The former WSB man cruised to a halt and shook his head but re-couped in race two, running away with the victory and keeping his lead in the series' points table.

The first race was obviously disappointing for me and the team as I desperately wanted to win and do a good job for our sponsors HM Plant at their home round. It was a gamble on tyres and we opted for slicks, but it was the right choice and we were able to build up a lead," said Byrne.

"We were unlucky to have a mechanical failure whilst leading as we have done so many miles on the bikes and it was just a shame it happened in the race. The team then worked hard between the races to get me ready for

race two and I had a bit of a strategy to just see how the race unfolded.

"We tried hard, settled down and then I just pushed to edge the gap and then tried to keep it consistent and control the lead. It wasdisappointment to elation for me in one day but we were able to end the day on a high and it was a great victory for myself and the team."