Pan Mac snaps up British Superbike star Shane 'Shakey' Byrne's memoir in three-publisher auction

Pan Macmillan has snapped up the autobiography of Shane “Shakey” Byrne, the most successful British Superbike Championship rider in history, in a three-publisher auction.

Non-fiction publisher Robin Harvie acquired world rights to Unshakeable from David Luxton Associates. It will be published in autumn 2020.

Byrne is the only rider to have won the British Superbike Championship six times, notching up nearly a century of wins during his career.

Pan Mac said: “Unshakeable tells the story of Shane’s remarkable life that has been lived on, and over, the limit. Shane’s previously untold story charts the journey from his abandonment as a newborn baby in a London city hospital to his unlikely crowning as one of the most popular British motorcycle racers of his generation. He shares the story of his horrendous crash in 2018, in which he nearly lost his life, and recounts tales of gangsters, glamour models and glory in one of the most exciting and dangerous sports on the planet.”

Byrne said: “I'm so happy and unbelievably proud to have been given the opportunity to share my story. Who knew that a kid from a council estate riding around on his BMX making motorbike noises would eventually end up here!”

Harvie added: “Shane is a complete legend and his genius on the bike is matched only by his candour on the page. He has written a story that will resonate not only with his fans but for anyone who wants to know what life looks like right at the limit of human capability. Unshakeable is set to be one of the biggest motorsports autobiographies for a generation.”