Melton motorcycle racer delivers on Isle of Man return

The Melton rider finished third in class in race one as he continued his preparations towards his ultimate goal - the Isle of Man TT.

Shuttlewood faced two races on the Billown course, in Castletown, the first of which brought out mixed grid of 1000cc and 600cc bikes.

Conditions were tricky following rain in the lead up to the first race which left damp patches on the fast technical parts of the course.

He made a good start from 16th on the 34-strong grid and then got his head down.

After a good battle with two 1,000cc bikes he finished the race 10th on the track, and third in the 600cc class, with a fastest lap of 2min 35secs.

Two days later came the second race, solely for 600cc machines, and once again the Leicestershire racer started 16th on the grid.

A lightning quick start, propelled him up to fourth place by turn one.

But despite lapping five seconds faster than the previous race, with a best of 2min 30secs, suspension issues caused Shuttlewood to overshoot on lap four, dropping him down to 10th place.

He recovered quickly and clawed back two places to finish the race in eighth place.

The scheduled third race later the same day was abandoned after a fatal accident involving James Cowton in a separate race brought the meeting to a premature end.

The MJP Services KY-JAX Racing team now begin preparations for their debut in the 2018 Manx GP where they will compete in the newcomers A race and the Senior Manx GP.

“We managed to get stuck in and finish the first race on the podium and eighth in the second race.

“Unfortunately this could have been fourth, but I made a mistake causing me to run on and lose a few places.

“We’ll hope to gain valuable experience on the mountain course on our next visit and prepare for the Isle of Man TT which is our ultimate aim,” he said.