HM Plant Honda's Shane Byrne added to his championship lead in the second British Superbike race at Thruxton this afternoon, cruising to the win by more than ten seconds while Peter Hickman claimed his first ever podium in second and John Hopkins took third on the penultimate lap.
Byrne hit the front and had pulled a two second gap by lap three while Michael Rutter and Samsung Suzuki's Hopkins battled it out with race one winner Michael Laverty, MSS Kawasaki newboy Alex Lowes, Peter Hickman and the Sorrymate Honda of Dan Linfoot.
On lap four, Lowes went past Laverty and then Rutter to take third before passing Hickman for second place and then high-sided unhurt on the exit of Club, trying to chase down Byrne. Hickman scrapped with out with Rutter for a while but then went away and wasn't challenged again for his debut BSB podium.
Hopkins, meanwhile, had been shuffled backwards behind Linfoot and Laverty but the Irishman couldn't replicate his form from race one as the Yorkshireman went past at half-distance and he was then swallowed up by team-mate Tommy Hill and the Relentless Suzuki of Josh Brookes.
Linfoot looked like he was on for a fourth-placed finish until Rutter crashed unhurt at Village which promoted him to third but then Hopkins mugged him on the penultimate lap and then Hill slid underneath for fourth place into Club for the last time.
Brookes remained in sixth with Laverty seventh, Primo Kawasaki's Chris Walker took eighth and Martin Jessopp tenth. Barry Burrell made it two Evo class wins in a day with Glen Richards and Simon Andrews in second and third.
Championship points:
Shane Byrne 136
John Hopkins 121
Stuart Easton 89
Tommy Hill 70
Michael Laverty 69
