Shane Byrne in action

by Stephen Waite

swaite@thekmgroup.co.uk

Championship-winning motorcyclist Shane “Shakey” Byrne is still searching for a boy who was in tears after being caught up in a boot saga.

The Sittingbourne superbike champ hurled his footwear into the Brands Hatch crowd after securing the British title on Sunday, October 14.

The brief scramble between fans for the souvenir was caught on camera and a youngster near where the boot had landed was seen holding his face, visibly upset.

It resulted in an internet appeal to identify the lad, which pictured a man and claimed he had stolen the boot from him.

Last week, Byrne tweeted: “Right people, we need to find the kid that had the boot taken, let’s concentrate on that 4 now, myself and @OfficialBSB can turn this around!”

Byrne also said he had spoken to British Superbikes and agreed he would meet up with the boy and take him for a drive around Brands Hatch.

But the appeal resulted in a vicious online backlash against the man alleged to have snatched the trophy.

The man, who contacted the Kent Messenger in Gravesend, said his reputation had been damaged and he was terrified to go out due to threats to break his legs or kill him.

He denied he had hit the boy and said that any contact had been unintentional.

Byrne was quick to distance himself from the comments, saying: “There is no evidence to suggest the guy did what he is alleged to have done.

“I want to find the kid. He has had a negative experience and that is not what any of us want.”

But while Byrne is intent on tracking down the youngster, he was also planning to put his feet up while considering whether to return to Moto GP, the sport’s world championship, next season.

Posting on his blog, he wrote: “Right now what I desperately need is time to recover from the party, to chill out, take a nice holiday somewhere sunny then see what the next step will be.”

• Do you recognise the boy? Call the newsroom on 01795 580300.