SHAWN’S SHOW!
Meet the number 19 TBR (Trevor Birrell Racing) Katana ridden by Shawn Giles. Don’t try and tickle her belly though: this Kat’s got sharp claws!
That’s because this is the bike Gilesey does battle with against Jeremy McWilliams, John McGuiness, Cameron Donald, Steve Martin and a swag of other legends at the annual Phillip Island Classic. These guys lap in the 1:35s, only a few seconds off a current superbike time!
Having ridden this bike and many more at the Island over the years, I can honestly say this Trevor Birrell (famous here for Pro Stock Suzuki drag bike engines) built one is the meanest of the lot! The barrels are bored and sleeved to take whopping 79mm JE custom order forged pistons, which are decompressed slightly. With a 66mm stroke so the bike is 1296cc. There are two types of head used by Trevor, a big port head and a CNC ported head. Gilesey’s bike runs the CNC
