Five-time British Superbike champion Shane Byrne returned to motorcycle riding for the first time in eight years after a career-ending crash during a testing session at Snetterton in 2018.
Byrne sustained significant neck injuries in the 2018 incident while defending his title.
He took to the track again after Ducati invited him to join their centenary celebrations at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Return to Riding
Since retiring from professional racing, the former champion transitioned into television broadcasting, working as a commentator for TNT Sports on their WorldSBK and BSB coverage while also mentoring rider Bradley Ray.
Ahead of the event, Ducati UK arranged a series of road bikes for Byrne to ride, marking his official return to motorcycling after his long hiatus.
"I got asked about doing the Ducati Centenary anniversary at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and I can't even begin to tell you how good it was to be back on the Panigale there," said Byrne.
The manufacturer initially provided him with a high-performance sportbike to test before his public appearance.
"But in the lead up I spoke to Sara Falzolgher at Ducati UK, and she said it was no problem to lend me some motorcycles to ride," said Byrne.
Returning to a modern sportbike allowed the veteran rider to experience recent technological advancements firsthand.
"I haven't really ridden in like the eight years or so since my accident. And the first bike they sent me was a Panigale V4 S Corse!"
said Byrne.
He noted the contrast between modern machinery and the bikes he competed on prior to his injury.
"It's hard to say how that made me feel getting on that after such a long time off.
To get on something as just remarkably capable as the V4 S, it was like 'Oh, my God.
How much did the game change?'" said Byrne.
Following his track run, Byrne spent additional time testing different Ducati models on public roads. "It was really, really interesting for me," said Byrne.
Byrne experienced a varied riding style when switching from track-focused bikes to secondary road models.
"The thing that struck me the most was after the V4 S, Ducati UK loaned me the Hypermotard V2 SP.
And the way that I rode that compared to the Panigale was completely different," said Byrne.
He adapted his approach to suit countryside terrain rather than aggressive track riding.
"For all I thought what the Hypermotard was going to be like and how I'd ride it, I actually found myself going completely away from that and just plodding through little country lanes and riding it out on little single-track roads and stuff like that.
And I loved it, happy as a sandboy," said Byrne.
Later, Byrne received a adventure-touring model that allowed him to go riding alongside his daughter. "But last week, they delivered me a Multistrada V4 RS.
Straight away, I said to my daughter, because it's school holidays 'We're going for a ride'," said Byrne.
He expressed high praise for the versatility and overall performance of the tourer. "This was the model that I was really looking forward to," said Byrne.
The multi-time champion concluded his evaluation by highlighting the machine's all-around capabilities.
"I think if you had to choose one bike that did everything, it's like almost mission impossible, but in terms of perfection, in terms of steering, in terms of performance, in terms of capability, to go a long way, to go a short way, to being in traffic, to do whatever, I think you're going to be pretty hard pushed to beat that Multistrada.
So far, so very, very good!" said Byrne.
