Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne from Sittingbourne speaks to FUCHS SILKOLENE, one of the main partners of the five-time British Superbike champion.

Well, here we are on the cusp of another British Superbike Showdown.

Finishing in the top six and qualifying for the Showdown is the No.1 priority for all of us at the start of the season – and then it’s all about putting that to one side and trying to come out on top.

First things first though. I need to make sure of my place in the Showdown by getting the job done at Silverstone this weekend.

It is a triple header so there are lots of points up for grabs and, quite incredibly, no one is mathematically assured of their Showdown place yet.

Any of the current top six could drop out and that just shows how tight it has been this season and how many good competitors there are.

It’s not a situation we’ve seen before and it should make for a thrilling spectacle for the fans.

I am currently top and do have a bit of a cushion. To be honest, it would take a mini-disaster for me not to qualify from here but I won’t be taking anything for granted.

I’ve been in this game long enough to know anything can happen at 200mph.

For some people in my position there might be a temptation to play it a bit safe and ensure that they get enough points to scrape over the line but that has never been my style.

I will be pushing hard for race wins and as many podium points as possible.

As a team, we have taken a bit of a rest since Cadwell Park three weeks ago as, after this weekend, the racing comes thick and fast.

I have had some time on holiday with the kids and the guys behind the scenes have been taking a breather as well. It’s important to have those periods of recuperation.

My Ducati has got a new engine for this weekend, which can give you a little bit
of a performance boost.

Unfortunately, we can’t change the engine for every race because it’d simply be too expensive, so we freshen things up around every 1,500k. This is the perfect time to do it.

Cadwell Park was another frustrating round for me in a season which has been full of highs and lows.

I was flying in race one but nearly came off the bike and ended up in the
grass. That pushed me down the pack and in the end I did well to pick up a third place.

The second race I felt brilliant and was certain that I was heading for victory until we suffered with a mechanical problem. It was a freak problem with the rear sprockets becoming detached. I think it was down to the jump at Cadwell which can be punishing for the bike but it’s not something which has happened before.

It was disappointing but that is in the past now and I am focused entirely on taking a major step towards title No.6.