With eight races over four rounds left to run, Byrne needed only to finish fourth every time out to secure his second BSB title. If he did the double at Cadwell, a couple of subsequent rostrums would be enough. Shane had won at this narrow circuit in 2003, a venue well-liked by riders and fans alike for its spectacular gradient changes and fast, open sections, plus intimate twists in the woodland beyond the famous Mountain uphill leap.

Cadwell saw the introduction of a Formula One-style qualifying system to decide the grid positions, which would see three bikes on each row, unlike the four everywhere else. Byrne still had a stiff back after his Knockhill spills, but was the fastest Ducati rider nevertheless, in third position. He had not been outside the top three all season. His young rivals from Suzuki and Honda were one-two, with Rizla rider Tom Sykes on pole and HM Plant rider Cal Crutchlow next to him. Sykes had also taken pole at Mallory Park.

Three-time Cadwell BSB winner Leon Haslam was fourth on the other HM Plant Honda, joined on row two by Leon Camier on the second Airwaves Ducati and sixth man Michael Rutter (NW200 Ducati), who’d won here in 1997 and 2004. Team Yamaha rider Karl Harris was seventh, and in eighth for his best BSB grid slot so far was Japanese rider Atsushi Watanabe (Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000). Simon Andrews completed row three for Jentin/Lloyds Yamaha.

Michael Laverty (Relentless TAS Suzuki), privateer Gary Mason (Quay Garage Honda), Billy McConnell (MSS Discovery Kawasaki), Tristan Palmer (TENA for Men Honda), Scott Smart (Hawk Kawasaki) and Stuart Easton (MSS) filled positions ten to fifteen, and therefore rows four and five. 27-year-old Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison should have started from P16, but had been riding with an injured wrist after some dirt bike training. He decided to pull out.

Race one saw Sykes retain the lead at the start, with Haslam up to third in front of team-mate Crutchlow. Rutter also got ahead of Byrne, who headed Andrews, Camier, Harris, Michael Laverty, Mason, Watanabe, Palmer, Smart, McConnell, John Laverty (NW200 Ducati), Guy Martin (Hydrex Honda), David Johnson (MAXXIS Honda) and Easton. Sykes set fastest lap as the first three started to ease away from the rest, but only Haslam could stay with him as Crutchlow also began to drop behind.

Having been third in his previous outing, after a mostly troubled season, misfortune called again for Harris early in this race. The Mountain at Cadwell follows an uphill left-right chicane, and Karl crashed in this chicane when he lost the front of his Yamaha R1. Unfortunately, the incident caused an injury to one of his little fingers. Sykes led, with Haslam tagging on, and with Crutchlow soon out on his own in third. Ducatis made up the next group as Rutter and Byrne had Camier not far behind. Leon had of course broken a leg at the Mountain in 2007 in a crash that ended his season.

Sykes and Haslam kept up the pace, and by half-distance there was a four-way group racing for third, as Rutter, Byrne and Camier had closed on Crutchlow. The Honda rider certainly seemed to have better acceleration with his CBR1000RR, but the Ducatis were going pretty well too. Byrne was the one to watch out for, and he tracked Rutter along the snaking Park Straight, which leads into the heavy braking right-hand Park bend. This allowed him to go to the inside for the corner, going round tighter as he made the pass.

There was action at the front in the same section of track, with the race almost two-thirds run. Sykes removed a visor tear-off along the Park Straight, and this gave Haslam his opportunity. Leon went to the inside for the corner, making the pass and holding the Honda from drifting too wide at the exit. Byrne was soon past Crutchlow too, and pulling away, with Camier getting ahead of Rutter. Cal and Leon now raced for fourth, and the Ducati rider also made his pass on the inside at Park. Shane would soon establish himself in a clear third.

Towards the finish, Sykes lost some ground on leader Haslam. This came at the Hairpin corner, the penultimate right-hander in the wooded section. The Suzuki rider had to wrestle to prevent the front folding, and he came out of the corner having lost about a second. This gap would reduce again, with Haslam easing the pace a touch in the closing laps, but they finished in that order. Byrne took third, realising that catching the two leaders was not going to be possible after he’d battled his way out of the contest behind them earlier on.

Camier was fourth and Crutchlow fifth, with Cal citing a possible sub-standard rear tyre in this particular race. Sykes’ result meant he took over the series runner-up slot by a point from Crutchlow, with Haslam just ten behind Tom. Rutter was sixth in the race, and then came Andrews, Michael Laverty, Watanabe, leading privateer Mason, Palmer, McConnell, Smart, John Laverty, Martin and STP MV Agusta rider Chris Burns.

Race two again saw Sykes retain first position away from the line, this time tracked by Crutchlow and Haslam in the opposite order to earlier. Ducatis swarmed the next positions, Byrne from Camier and Rutter - but with Michael overtaking Leon at Park. Andrews was seventh again, from Michael Laverty, Watanabe, Harris, Easton, McConnell, Smart, Martin, John Laverty, Palmer, Johnson, Martin Jessopp (Riders Honda), Burns and Leon Morris (Brookspeed Ducati). Mason had been well up, but only as far as the turn-in for the first left Coppice bend. Gary was apparently hit by another bike and crashed off over the grass bank on the right.

Sykes led the HM Plant Hondas of Crutchlow and Haslam, with a slight gap opening up to fourth and the rest. However, the first undulating left-hander at the Hall Bends complex spelt trouble for Cal. With the bike leant over to corner, the lower fairing of the Honda seemed to touch the kerb. Crutchlow lost the front and went down, sliding off to the right with the gradient. He got up and rejoined the race, but was no longer one of the leaders. This left Sykes and Haslam out front again, with Leon right in touch with the leader.

Byrne was on his own in third, but he would later be joined by team-mate Camier, who’d passed Rutter on the inside into Coppice. Harris had made his way past Watanabe, Michael Laverty and Andrews into sixth, whilst Easton had dropped back from eleventh. But Haslam was the fastest man, and he got inside Sykes for Park to make his pass for the lead.

Haslam held a slight advantage over Sykes, whilst Byrne now had a challenge from Camier. The younger rider passed on the inside at Park, but he left enough room, as Park followed round into the downhill right-hand Chris Curve, for Shane to retake his place on the inside. Byrne stayed ahead of the second Ducati as they started to close up to the first two in the late stages. The last lap saw Haslam ease out a touch to complete the double. Byrne got right onto the tail of Sykes, but without having an opportunity to try a pass, and Camier was similarly close across the finish line.

The first four therefore finished in the same places as in race one, and Rutter and Andrews took the next two places - with Crutchlow’s incident this meant they each gained a position over their earlier results. The battle had been on for seventh, which had started to slip away from Harris as he seemed to be struggling with his hand injury. Watanabe got through to head this pack, moving clear as Michael Laverty, McConnell and Smart took turns to demote Harris. Billy crashed on the last lap so Watanabe was followed home by Smart, Laverty and Harris, then Palmer. Crutchlow took a lowly P13, from Easton, John Laverty and Johnson.

Leon Haslam had already been the current BSB rider with the most Cadwell Park wins, all three of them secured on Airwaves Ducati machinery. In his first season on the HM Plant Honda, Leon had added two more Cadwell wins, and in the process he made it onto the podium for the 50th time in BSB competition. Michael Rutter and Shane Byrne are the only riders in the series right now with more such appearances. Tom Sykes was best of the rest and disappointed in not taking a win, but his championship position had strengthened.

Byrne made it 17 podiums from 18 in 2008, and he still held a points advantage of 110. His total of points in BSB racing, having started in the series in 1999, went beyond 2000 at Cadwell. After a couple of disappointing meetings, Cal Crutchlow dropped from second to fourth in the standings, overtaken by both Sykes and Haslam. These three should contest second to the end of the year. Meanwhile, Leon Camier found the best possible answer at the circuit which had hurt him the year before, recording two fourths for his most competitive results since Snetterton in May.

Michael Rutter and Simon Andrews stayed consistent, with Andrews only once worse than seventh in the last four meetings, and once again he was the best of the Yamaha men. British championship rookie Atsushi Watanabe had a useful outing on the Suzuki as he once again arrived at a tricky circuit for the first time. Ninth in race one equalled his best from Oulton and Mallory, and seventh in race two was his best yet. Croft will be his next challenge, but might it also be the place where Byrne ties up his second title?

Standings after eighteen races: Byrne 364; Sykes 254; Haslam 249; Crutchlow 236; Camier 205; Rutter 195; J Ellison 177; Andrews 127; M Laverty 125; Palmer 84; Harris 75; McConnell 74.

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