Shane Byrne gets Camel Honda MotoGP opportunity

pic: Carly Rathmell
By blue2bikes
September 19 2005

After enduring a bad year from the start - not knowing where he was going to be at the outset of the season, and not signing until the very last to ride the Proton KR machine, Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne has now been given the chance to show the world his great ability and style.

Shane gets his opportunity aboard the Camel Honda machine vacated by the injured Troy Bayliss, and ridden by Tohru Ukawa at Motegi. He will be riding the machine at Malaysia and Qatar whilst Troy is recovering from a broken wrist - sustained off circuit whilst riding a Motocross machine. Shakey becomes the first Briton ever to ride a factory backed machine in the MotoGP series for the last decade.

photo courtesy of DDS Photographic and Raceline Photography

Shakey wowed the crowd at the Donington Park MogoGP event this year, running in the top five before losing his Proton-KTM machine at the Melbourne Loop and was, to say the least, dissapointed. Having endured one of the most worst years of his racing career, he now gets the chance he has always wanted, with the usual stand-in Ukawa being unable to ride due to other factory commitments.

Shakey said, “It’s an unbelievable chance. I am absolutely made up, and I am under no illusions how tough it will be. Expectations will be very high for me to do well - it’s a great chance for me after such a tough year. I aim to give it my best shot.”