Superbike: Sepang stingy with satisfaction for Tom Sykes

The round at the Sepang International Circuit doesn't exactly bring luck to Tom Sykes, considering that for the second year in a row the Englishman returns home with a bitter taste in his mouth, especially after the excellent conditions on Saturday.

The day of racing at the Pirelli Malaysian Round, in fact, proved to be very troubled for him: starting from pole position, the KRT driver tried in race 1 to escape and seemed to succeed until, five laps from the end, the decision pushing hard right from the start resulted in a drastic drop in grip, which caused him to lose many positions.

“It certainly didn't go as we would have liked, especially after the excellent start to the weekend. It was quite strange, I thought I would be able to maintain the pace for the whole race, but instead the last five laps were the longest of my career" – he commented Tom Sykes – “I really struggled, I couldn't stay in the fold. In the warm up we used the 'old' rear tire and I did several laps in 2'05, so I felt very confident going into the race. Nobody expected such a drop and it is certain that I always like to push to the maximum. It would have been nice to be able to do it for all 16 laps but it wasn't our day."

Looking for redemption in Race 2, the heat was even more complex than the first for him due to a contact during the first corners with Biaggi, who was in turn hit by Guintoli.
Sykes found himself with a damaged brake lever on the first lap, returning to the track in 17th. During the sixth lap he was also the victim of a fall, finishing fourteenth.

“The track conditions did not willingly accept my driving style and obviously I am disappointed. Race 2 turned out to be a much worse disaster."

Having definitively exited the title fight, now only a matter of six points for teammate Jonathan Rea, and overtaken in the standings by Chaz Davies, Sykes will now try to recharge his batteries for the rest of the season during the summer holidays, enjoying his second son, born while he was in Malaysia.