Superbike champion Shane Byrne wins High Court claim over 'catastrophic' injuries
A six-time British Superbike champion has won a High Court claim over "catastrophic" injuries he suffered while competing.
Shane Byrne, 47, collided with a barrier after coming off his Ducati Panigale bike at a racetrack in Norfolk on 17 May 2018, leaving him with several fractures and internal injuries.
He sued three sports bodies for damages, including Motorsport Vision Racing - which runs the championship - Motorsport Vision and the Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board.
The six-time champion - who has not competed since - claimed the barrier during the race was insufficient and was responsible for his injuries, while the bodies claimed Mr Byrne was at fault for the incident.
But in a High Court judgment on Friday, Judge Peter Blair KC said the bodies were liable for Mr Byrne's injuries, saying they were "materially caused" by the collision with the barrier.
The judge said in a 31-page ruling that the cause of Mr Byrne coming off his bike was "a foreseeable type of racing incident" and that it was "negligent" not to have type-A barriers on the corner of the crash.
Type-A barriers are air-filled barriers which act as shock absorbers. The ones used during the race were type-D, consisting of tyres bolted together. They were the minimum level of protection required.
"I am satisfied that the incident was not caused by rider error. Mr Byrne was not the author of his own misfortune and he was not contributorily negligent," Judge Blair added.
"I have reached the view that if the claimant's impact had been into type-A material, he would not have sustained any of the serious injuries he did sustain on the day.
"Nothing presented in the evidence on behalf of the defendants dissuaded me from that conclusion."
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The incident occurred on a test day for the British Superbike Championship at turn three of the three-mile Snetterton circuit, known as Palmer Corner, while Byrne was on his second lap.
Barrister Kiril Waite, representing Byrne, said the rider jumped from the bike, which was coming off the track at around 60mph, and went across a grass run-off area.
Both the vehicle and Mr Byrne hit a safety barrier while travelling at between 15 and 25mph, causing him "catastrophic" injuries.
The court also heard that type-A barriers were installed at the corner soon after the crash.
The amount of damages to be paid to Mr Byrne will be determined at a later date.
