Byrne: These wins are for Petra
Shane Byrne dedicated his brace of victories at Knockhill to his wife Petra as the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider stretched his lead at the top of the MCE British Superbike Championship.
Byrne was in dominant form as he defeated Josh Brookes in both races to open a lead of 30 points at the top of the standings after the first four rounds of the series.
His wife was taken ill prior to the weekend and team boss Paul Bird provided a stand-by helicopter in case Byrne needed to leave the Fife circuit to attend her bedside.
Byrne, who achieved the 11th BSB double of his career and his 47th victory, said: "It's the first time in eight years Petra hasn't been with me at a race meeting but I went into the first race happier than I have been for the last few days after she rang me up with some words of encouragement.
"In the first race, I made a mistake when I first tried to overtake Josh but second time around I was able to make a good, clean pass and open up a gap.
"The second race pretty much went to plan and although it's never easy I felt comfortable leading from the front.
"The wins today are definitely for Petra."
