Byrne flattered by WSB link
Added on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Byrne has dominated the BSB championship this season.
Shane Byrne has confirmed that he has not received an approach to ride for the Ducati World Superbike team in 2009 but has admitted that he is flattered by the speculation.
The runaway British Superbike Championship leader is one of a number of names tipped to replace the soon-to-retire Troy Bayliss in 2009, with Max Biaggi and Ducati test rider Niccolò Canepa also linked to the ride next year.
But whilst Byrne’s performances in the BSB championship this season on the Airwaves Ducati were thought to have made him the front runner for the post, the Lambeth-born rider claims that he has not had any contact from the Ducati Xerox WSB team.
“My immediate future lies with Airwaves Ducati and I am trying to win the championship with them,” he told Crash.net. “Rumours with Xerox Ducati won’t do my profile any harm at all, so it is flattering that I am in line for that ride, but I haven’t had any contact from anyone with Xerox.”
But Byrne, who rejoined the Airwaves Ducati team at the start of the season after a stint with the Honda-backed Vent-Axia team, admitted that he was eager to test himself in World Superbikes where he won two races as a wildcard at Brands Hatch in 2003.
“I am an ambitious guy and I’m 31 years-old, so I have a few good years left to give,” said the former MotoGP rider. “The last time I did some World Superbike races, I won both of them and while I’m not saying that I could go into the world championship and dominate it, I think we could so a good job.”
Byrne also hinted however that he could yet remain with Airwaves Ducati and still compete in the WSB championship.
GSE Racing, who back the Airwaves Ducati team, has been at loggerheads with BSB organisers over weight handicaps placed on the Ducati 1098 , actually withdrawing themselves from an earlier round at Donington until race officials backed down on a 10kg penalty and Byrne hinted that the team’s future in the British championship is still uncertain.
“It will be interesting to see what Airwaves Ducati want to do for next year, because I have realised this year how important it is to have a great team behind you and this is a great team,” Byrne added. “I will concentrate on winning the championship for them first and then take a view to next year.”
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