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Sykes: "It’s good to be able to hit the ground running"

Friday, 8 June 2018 16:49 GMT

    • British rider instantly finds strong pace around Brno

    Making a strong start to his Automotodrom Brno return, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) praises the mid-season test for his second position finish on Friday, as Kawasaki lock out the top two positions in Eastern Europe.

    Putting in his fastest time of the day in free practice two, Sykes narrowly missed out on his final flying lap in FP3 as he was working on his tyre choice, ahead of Race One on Saturday. But following a disrupted day for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship riders, the Brit was happy to have the test under his belt as, it meant he was able to focus on specific elements of the set up with his ZX-10RR ahead of a busy Saturday.

    Explaining his day, which saw him secure a time of 1.59.830, he explains: “We had mixed conditions today but we got a lot better than it was forecast, so overall it was a very good day weather wise. After having a good test here before Imola, we were able to work on a few things today, as well as working out the tyres. The two day test was very useful for reasons like today, especially with a wet track this morning and then the red flag this afternoon, so was good to have the track time from the test. There seems to be more bumps here than in the past, so it’s been good to be able to hit the ground running.”

    With regards to missing out on his final flying lap, and ending the day 0.427s behind his team-mate Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), Sykes continues: “In the end - in the hot conditions we just missed out, as we worked on a different tyre set up in preparation for tomorrows race. So we were able to get that one out of the way, even though we didn’t improve our lap time, but we are ready to go.”

    Looking ahead to a busy and difficult Saturday in the Czech Republic, the 32 year old adds: “It’s difficult to know who can bring the fight, because now people will have tonight to look over and work on their information, so I don’t want to say too much too soon. But we know our bike went well in the test and we were able to carry that momentum forward.”

    Find out if Mr Superpole can secure his 45th pole position and fight for the race win, all with the WorldSBK VideoPass.