Shane Byrne rides new Ducati Panigale V4 S, Hypermotard V2 SP in Ducati return

Six-time BSB champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne made one of his first known appearances on two wheels since suffering a career-ending crash at Snetterton in 2018, at this month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. 

But before the event took place, Byrne, who admitted he hasn’t been riding much over the last eight years, wanted to sample some of the Ducati's latest models.

Ducati sent the BSB legend a Panigale V4 S Corse to ride, which left the former racer surprised at how much modern-day superbikes have developed. 

Speaking to Ducati about his impressions of the V4 S, Byrne said: 

“I haven't really ridden in like the eight years or so since my accident. And the first bike they sent me was a Panigale V4 S Corse! It’s hard to say how that made me feel getting on that after such a long time off. To get on something as just remarkably capable as the V4 S, it was like “Oh, my God. How much did the game change?” It was really, really interesting for me.” 

Byrne was then presented with a very different test from the V4 S, as Ducati sent him the new Hypermotard V2 SP. 

You might like to read our Ducati Hypermotard V2 SP review.

While Byrne had a preconceived idea of what the Hypermotard V2 SP might be like to ride, the actual riding experience turned out to be completely different from what he expected. Byrne added: 

“The thing that struck me the most was after the V4 S, Ducati UK loaned me the Hypermotard V2 SP. And the way that I rode that compared to the Panigale was completely different. For all I thought [about] what the Hypermotard was going to be like and how I’d ride it, I actually found myself going completely away from that and just plodding through little country lanes and riding it out on little single-track roads and stuff like that. And I loved it, happy as a sandboy.”

Although Byrne’s career will be fondly remembered for his incredible achievements in British Superbike, which includes a total of 356 starts, 85 wins, and the above-mentioned six titles, the now 49-year-old also made 20 starts in MotoGP, along with 54 in WorldSBK. 

One of Byrne’s biggest achievements came in 2003 when he won both WorldSBK races at Brands Hatch, in what was his first-ever appearance in the series. Byrne would go on to achieve a further three podiums in the Superbike World Championship, before his prolonged success in BSB started in 2008. 

A title contender again during the early stages of 2018, Byrne’s career came to a sudden halt when he crashed at the Snetterton circuit during a test, which left him with back and neck fractures, as well as internal injuries.

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