Ryanair charge Superbike champion £75 to take trophy home

Jack Kennedy is a four time British Supersport Champion – winning in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 – and wasn’t impressed by Ryanair’s additional charge

Jack Kennedy is a bike racing star (Getty Images)

Superbike star Jack Kennedy was brought back down to earth with a bump when he was charged £75 to take his trophy back to Ireland by budget airline Ryanair.

Kennedy was returning home from the UK after a stunning last-lap move saw him win his sixth race of the season in the British Supersport Championship.

The British Supersport Championship is a support series to the British Superbike Championship for engine capacities smaller than Superbikes.

And the four-time British Supersport champion took to X/Twitter to share what he thought of the airline’s decision – which wasn’t exactly all positive.

Kennedy fumed: "Nice one @Ryanair charging me £75 to bring my trophy on board that I won in the UK and travelling home to Ireland FR667. What an absolute joke 😤!"

He received a few suggestions of how to get around the charge from supporters who largely shared his feelings.

JohnBoy (@RRacepainter) said: "I would have wore it like a hat & challenged them if they said it wasnt, well done mate 🍾", while Carl (@carlywarly68) added: "Would have been cheaper to buy the trophy a seat 😂"

Jack Kennedy has won plenty of Superbike trophies during his career (Getty Images)

DEESY#76 (@CTDees) said: “Best hand luggage I’ve ever seen!!!” and Vera Kennedy (@verakennedy14) added: “Even @Ryanair can’t take the shine off that win 🏆✊🙌”

We'll leave the last word to @underscoregav who has a valid point: "Do you expect them to have an exception policy for massive trophiesIf they did, everyone would start taking trophies filled with flip flops and T-shirts onboard."

At the time of writing, there was no response from the airline, famed for trying to charge passengers to use the toilet, but many felt they should be celebrating their nation’s success not trying to profit from it.