Following their sole jaunt north of the border to Scotland, the Bennetts British Superbike Championship heads back to England for the latest round of the season at Cadwell Park.
A classic circuit by biking standards, Cadwell Park is one of the best loved venues on the calendar with its mix of challenging curves and fast straights, not to mention possibly the most feared and loved feature of all, the hallowed ‘Mountain’.
A chance for riders to do a little bit of showboating to the fans, not to mention the legion of photographers that will no doubt line up to get the best mid-air shot, it will be the highlight of a Bank Holiday weekend that promises to provide close racing.
Indeed, although there remains little doubt that Shane Byrne is still in charge of the overall standings, the series has closed up a bit of late, with Leon Haslam becoming the sixth different winner this season at
Knockhill.
Still, Byrne could have moved to within almost touching distance at Knockhill had he not hit an errant patch of oil at the end of the main straight, causing him to slide off at high speed and create a few sharp intakes of breath around the circuit when he clattered into the air wall.
Nonetheless, other than a few bruises, the only thing Byrne really hurt was his comprehensive title advantage, although with 110 points in the bag with only eight races remaining, it really is his to lose now.
If Byrne is almost certain of the title, attention will no doubt turn to the fight for second place instead where Cal Crutchlow’s once comfortable advantage has been eroded by the in-form Sykes.
Crutchlow had a dismal Knockhill weekend, retiring after a fall in the first race before being forced to fight up from the back of the grid when the wrong tyres were fitted to his HM Plant Honda. Sykes, on the other hand, scored his third consecutive win in Scotland and then added a fourth place to that to move within eight points of his friend and rival.
