Six-times British superbike champion suing tournament organiser for £1million after suffering career-ending injuries crashing into track tyre wall

Britain's most successful superbike racer is suing organisers for more than £1million in damages after his career was ended when he smashed into a track tyre wall.

Six-time British Superbike champion Shane Byrne suffered devastating spinal injuries in the crash on a circuit corner at Snetterton in Norfolk in May 2018.

Mr Byrne, 47, was on a test run of the circuit - for which he holds the track record - riding a Ducati superbike when he slammed into the corner barrier.

He was considered to be in his sporting prime at the time only for his career to be ended and he is now claiming seven-figure damages before Judge Bruce Blair at London's High Court.

Mr Byrne, of Sittingbourne in Kent, is suing British Superbike Championship organiser Motorsport Vision Racing, track owner Motorsport Vision and the sports's governing body, the Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board.

Shane Byrne, 47, has won the British Superbike Championship a record six times

Mr Byrne, pictured outside London's High Court, is suing for £1million in compensation after suffering career-ending injuries when crashing into a circuit tyre wall

The accident happened in May 2018 at the Snetterton racing circuit (pictured) in Norfolk

He says better protective measures should have been in place to minimise the risk of injury if veering off the track where riders hit speeds of up to 200mph.

All three organisations deny being at fault, blaming Mr Byrne for not taking enough care for his safety - while also saying the accident was not 'reasonably foreseeable'.

Opening the case, Mr Byrne's barrister Kiril Waite described the biker as a 'remarkable man' with unparalleled success in the sport despite only starting a racing career close to his 30th birthday.

His accident occurred during a 'test' run at Snetterton, Mr Waite told the court.

The lawyer said: 'He reached a speed of 120mph on the straight. On his approach, he reduced speed and it was at that stage that he lost control of the bike.

'The bike left the track at a speed of about 60mph with Mr Byrne on it. He travelled a distance of 55 to 60 metres before impact with the barrier. He dismounted shortly before impact with the barrier.'

Mr Waite said Mr Byrne - who hit the barrier at a slower speed than his bike - had written a book in which he described his memories of the accident.

One passage reads: 'Usually there would be air fencing on a corner like that but all I could see was the vast, dense blackness of the tyre wall. Those couple of seconds felt like minutes.'

Shane Byrne hit 120mph before the collision which left him with devastating spinal injuries

His triumphs include the 2011 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch in Kent which he is pictured celebrating in October that year

Byrne won two races when competing for Great Britain at the 2003 SBK World Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch (pictured)

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Mr Waite argued that the problem with the corner was the failure to install additional protective barriers - such as air fencing - in front of the tyre wall.

He argued that better protective measures would have made a 'material difference' to the outcome for Mr Byrne, who was nicknamed 'Shakey' during his racing career.

Mr Waite added: 'The defendants say Mr Byrne failed to control his bike and that Mr Byrne is the cause of his own misfortune.'

But he described the competitor as a man who 'knows his onions' when it comes to racing as well as the 'capabilities and limits' of his bike.

He highlighted a video showing Mr Byrne riding and told the court: 'There are not many people who can handle a bike like Mr Byrne and the footage demonstrates that very clearly.'

Mr Byrne had approached the accident corner on the same line as he had done on the previous lap, in which there was no accident, his barrister continued.

Mr Waite told the judge: 'Therefore, the speed and position cannot be criticised as being at fault for what happened.

Race and sport organisers and track owners should have made sure additional 'protective devices' were in place, knowing the risks involved in the fast-paced event, Mr Waite said.

Byrne, seen preparing to ride at the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch in October 2016, was nicknamed 'Shakey' during his racing career

British Superbike Championship organiser Motorsport Vision Racing, track owner Motorsport Vision and governing body the Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board deny being at fault

Shane Byrne (pictured) has been described in London's High Court by his lawyer as a man who 'knows his onions' when it comes to racing as well as the 'capabilities and limits' of his bike

But representing the three defendants, barrister Malcolm Duthie said it was Mr Byrne's lack of care for his safety that caused the accident.

He said the three organisations also 'refute entirely' any suggestion that collisions with air fencing result in riders walking away with 'only a few bruises'.

Mr Duthie called collisions with air fencing 'unpredictable' and said some of Mr Byrne's injuries might still have happened even if he had not hit the tyre wall.

Injuries other than his spinal injuries might easily have been sustained just from falling from the bike after losing control as he did, Mr Duthie added.

Mr Byrne worked for the London Underground before his racing successes and since his injuries has appeared as a commentator on Eurosport while also managing riders including 2022 British Superbike Championship winner Bradley Ray.

The hearing continues.