Former MotoGP and BSB Rider Shane Byrne Wins Court Case
Shane Byrne has won a UK High Court case for damages suffered in a Snetterton crash in 2018
The most successful British Superbike rider with six titles and 85 race wins, Shane Byrne’s attempts to add to those record numbers ended when he crashed during a test at Snetterton.
Byrne suffered a multitude of injuries including two bruised lungs and fractures to all of his ribs, four vertebrae in his back, his collarbone and neck in two places. The 47-year-old, who was racing a Ducati Panigale 1299 for Paul Bird Motorsport at the time, has not raced since the accident.
Byrne fell from his bike at around 60mph before coming into contact with the barriers on the outside of turn three, however, instead of being type-A barriers they were type-D which are not as safe and that’s where the damage occurred, and more to the point, this was why Byrne won the case as type-D barriers should not have been in place.
The type-D barriers consisted of tyre walls as opposed to the air fences which most circuits tend to use nowadays, especially, in championships such as MotoGP where Byrne also raced on 20 occasions. The racer-turned-pundit, contested MotoGP races for Honda, Proton-KTM and Aprilia.
Type-A barriers were fitted at Snetterton following Byrne’s crash, but the damage to the six-time champion had already been done, as he instead sued MSV (Motor Sport Vision), Motor Sport Vision Racing (MSVR), and the Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board (MCRCB).
As part of the ruling, Judge Peter Blair KC declared in Byrne’s favour, however, saying that he “was not the author of his own misfortune and he was not contributorily negligent.” Judge Blair added that it was “negligent not to have concluded that type ‘A’ additional protective devices were required on the outside barrier at Turn 3.”
Judge Blair concluded that Byrne “did not sustain any serious injuries as result of jumping clear of his motorcycle and tumbling towards the barrier. The impact with the barrier, however, materially caused the infliction of his injuries. I find each of the defendants liable for the injuries sustained by the claimant.”
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
