KENT'S British Superbike Champion Shane "Shakey" Byrne says it's a "dream come true" to join Italian MotoGP team Aprilia.

Byrne, 26, from Minster on Sheppey, has turned down several top Superbike offers.

He said: "Aprilia easily beat all other offers because my dream was to race in MotoGP. It's like Formula 1. You know you've arrived.

"It's going to be very daunting, but at the same time awe-inspiring because I will be riding against my heroes. What convinced me more than the good set up was the fact that riders such as Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi started from Aprilia."

He stressed: "I cannot wait to get going and start testing. I'll have to learn the environment and the tracks and in the meantime help Aprilia develop the bike. It's not going to be easy, but I will dedicate myself to it totally."

Byrne visited Aprilia factory headquarters in Noale, Northern Italy, to put pen to paper on a deal, which will see him make his debut in April on board the three-cylinder four-stroke RS3 Cube, replacing Colin Edwards.