Tom Sykes is preparing to push his way into the World Superbike title tilt as he moves on to Thailand with added confidence from progress made at Phillip Island two weeks ago.

The factory Kawasaki rider kept within touching distance of team-mate Jonathan Rea and Aruba.it Racing Ducati's Chaz Davies to claim third place in the 2017 season opener but became the rider who lost out in the race two revised grid procedure when he struggled to battle through the pack from seventh on the grid, eventually settling for sixth place.

With Rea claiming a double victory in Australia, Sykes trails the early championship leader by 24 points but shared a race win each in Thailand last year, with Sykes winning a gritty race two battle, the Yorkshire rider is confident of clawing back vital points at the Chang International Circuit.

"This round is quite a challenging event because of the heat and the track conditions but I have enjoyed it over the last two years," Sykes said. "Last season in particular we had some good results, on the back of some not-so-strong first round results at Phillip Island.

"Considering what happened at Phillip Island last week - being right there on the podium in race one and then scoring points after having to close in on the leaders through the early laps of race two - it definitely gives me more confidence going to the Chang International Circuit this weekend."

Since the Thai round joined the World Superbike calendar in 2015 the factory Kawasaki squad is undefeated at the track with Rea claiming three wins and Sykes picking up the other.