Shane Byrne, the most successful rider in the history of the British Superbike Championship, has taken the organisers of the series to court over a crash that resulted in career-ending injuries in 2018.
Mr. Byrne’s crash happened at the Snetterton circuit in 2018, during an in-season test ahead of the race event that was due to take place there in June 2018. In the crash, Mr. Byrne sustained substantial spinal injuries that ultimately ended his professional racing career.
Mr. Byrne, 47, from Sittingbourne, Kent, is now suing the BSB series organiser Motorsport Vision Racing Ltd (MSVR), Snetterton circuit owner Motorsport Vision Ltd (MSV), and the governing body for BSB, the Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board Ltd (MCRCB), for damages in excess of £1 million.
The basis for the case Mr. Byrne is bringing against the three aforementioned bodies is that the safety of the circuit was not at a high enough level.
The barriers on the outside of the corner where Mr. Byrne crashed were unprotected tyre barriers, but his barrister, Kiril Waite, says that the tyre barriers should have been covered with air fencing. Mr. Waite argued, according to the Daily Express, that the implementation of such barriers would have made a “material difference” in the outcome of Mr. Byrne’s crash.
On the other hand, Malcolm Duthie, barrister for the three defendants, blamed Mr. Byrne for his crash. The Daily Express reports that Mr. Duthie said that Mr. Byrne’s lack of care for his own safety was the cause of the crash.
The trial continues.
