Shane Byrne returns to Kent this weekend as he begins his pursuit of the British Superbike crown which he last won in 2003.

Byrne has swapped bikes for this season’s championship and is gunning for glory in front of what he still considers his home crowd at Brands Hatch.

Byrne, who will ride for Airwaves Ducati after racing for Honda Stobart last year, was scheduled to fly in from his home in Spain today (Thursday) ahead of the opening round in Kent.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said the 31-year-old. “It’s been a long winter and probably one of the longest periods I’ve been off a bike.

“I’ve got a fantastic team. I’ve been training hard and the team has got the same aims as me, which is to win the championship and win as many races as we can.”

Byrne still considers Sittingbourne his home town and will have plenty of local support cheering him on during the two races on Sunday.

He said: “Home is always home and it’s where I’ve been brought up and grown up and it’s the place I know best.

“It’s my home track and I get quite good support there from the local people.

“My friends and family will be there to cheer for me and it’s real nice to have a local round.”

Another Kent racer, Maidstone’s Scott Smart, will be back competing once more on a new Kawasaki, but admits his preparations could have been better.

Official testing at Snetterton was ruined by snow and his only testing was an hour and a half on a circuit near Derby.

“Snetterton was a bit grim,” he said.

“We’re not going to be concerned about results as we’ll just be trying to get the bike right and catch up with those teams who have been testing.”

Making his debut in the championship will be 26-year-old Steve Mercer, also from Maidstone, who will be competing alongside 13 other privateers in the cup category.

“My aim is to win the privateers’ championship and there’s no reason why I can’t,” he said.

Admission on the gate for Sunday’s race day is £28. Saturday’s qualifying is £12 and practice on Friday is £10. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Camping is sold out.