Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike rider Tom Sykes misses podium at Imola, Italy – WSBK news
Kawasaki Racing Team Superbike rider Tom Sykes narrowly missed the first podium for his team in the World Superbike Championship Imola event.
The British rider won race two at Nurburgring, Germany affirming Kawasaki’s potential progress in the class. Sykes paired his win with Carlos Checa who won race one.
Sykes said, “We got a fourth position in dry weather and just missed the podium. I feel we would have been able to take a podium in race two as well. We are building on our positives and looking forward to France.”
While starting off from the fourth place on the grid, he was able to instantly grasp the lead for about five laps. Shortly after, Jonathan Rea made a pass on him followed by Aprilia rider Noriyuki Haga.
Meanwhile, Sykes fought for third place for the majority of the race and held off Carlos Checa. The British and Spanish riders raced through a tough battle until the last lap.
From the mid of race one, Sykes impressively defended his third position from the WSBK championship leader. However, the last lap paid back Checa as he got a swift pass on Sykes and claimed third seat on the podium.
Although Sykes missed the podium but this proves that Kawasaki have improved their race setup and strategy to fight for the win.
During the race two he suffered from malfunctioning brakes. Furthermore, he lacked in confidence when he decided to step down from race two. Claiming fourth position in a dry race was a pleasant day for Sykes but he hoped to snatch a podium finish.
Sykes added, “It was a massive call to pull out but apart from that we have found some speed in the dry and been riding well. We are still working very well as a team and been consistently in the top five all weekend, which is very positive.”
He further said that it was possible to hit a podium finish in race two but the unfortunate problem hampered his fighting stance. Currently, he sits at the 11th position in the championship.
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