Shakey's race debut at Croft.

Shane 'Shakey' Byrne will race for the first time at Croft in North Yorkshire on his Rizla Suzuki this weekend at the tenth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

Shakey has plenty of experience at the 2.12-mile flat and twisty circuit though, as it is Rizla Suzuki's nominated test track for 2006 and where much development of the GSX-R1000 has taken place.

james haydon rizla suzuki bsb 2006 on the grid race 2 snetterton sunday 16/06/06
james haydon rizla suzuki bsb 2006 on the grid race 2 snetterton sunday 16…
© Paul Sturman

Shane 'Shakey' Byrne will race for the first time at Croft in North Yorkshire on his Rizla Suzuki this weekend at the tenth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

Shakey has plenty of experience at the 2.12-mile flat and twisty circuit though, as it is Rizla Suzuki's nominated test track for 2006 and where much development of the GSX-R1000 has taken place.

"I have never raced a Superbike at Croft before - the circuit was added to the BSB calendar after I left the series for MotoGP," explained Shakey. "But that doesn't bother me one bit. Rizla Suzuki has tested at Croft throughout the season and I think I could find my way round blindfolded!

"I'm hoping Rizla Suzuki's familiarity with Croft will help give us an edge on the competition. Winning races is what it is all about for me and that's what I want to do at Croft."

Joining Shakey at Croft will be Steve Plater, making his second appearance on the blue Rizla Suzuki. Plater stood in for the injured James Haydon at the last round at Oulton Park in Cheshire and is on substitute duties again while the Rizla Suzuki regular continues to heal from injuries sustained during a race crash in mid-June.

Plater said: "I'm really happy to be racing for Rizla Suzuki again. Oulton Park was a real challenge for me as I was coming back from injury, riding a new bike and getting to know a new team all at once.

"The team has really made me feel at home and I'm hoping to improve on the two 11th places I scored last time out. I'm looking forward to the racing and can't wait to get out in practice on Friday morning."

James Haydon was at Brands Hatch World Superbikes, where he was doing some TV work while he recovers from his injuries. He was still limping slightly but hopes to return to the track in time for Cadwell Park at the end of August.

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