Podiums with Suzuki, Kawasaki and now, BMW: Tom Sykes’ versatility in WorldSBK is clear for all to see with his first podium of 2019!

2013 WorldSBK Champion Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) was back on the podium for the first time in 2019, after a fantastically calculated ride in tricky conditions saw him bring home 20 all-important WorldSBK points. The Brit, who started from third, never dropped out of the top three positions all race and used the nimbleness of his S1000RR BMW to guide him to second place at the line.

It has been a mixed season for Sykes so far, as he has had to fight against machines with much more horsepower than his BMW. The German manufacturer have brought an array of updates however, mainly surrounding aerodynamics. At the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” however, all of those updates proved worthwhile, with the fruit of the hard work in Munich blossoming into a strong result in Race 1.

Speaking after the race, Sykes said: “Where can I start? Big, big thanks and credit to the whole of the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. We’ve been working very hard behind closed doors all season and the space between where we started the project to where we are now is very short. To have results like this and show our speed is, for me, quite impressive, given my past history and experience. It’s absolutely fantastic; we had a very productive Friday, we changed the balance of the S1000RR and found some good pace on used tyres.”

Sykes took a podium with his third different manufacturer, with a first one coming in 2008 at Donington Park on a Suzuki as a wildcard, before 107 podiums with Kawasaki followed. The Huddersfield ace’s next target will be a 110th career podium, achievable tomorrow in the Tissot Superpole Race, or in Race 2.

“If I can get similar results in the two races tomorrow, it will be a nice weekend. My expectation is to be strong; maybe not on initial lap time but this weekend, I’ve been working on a race set-up and a selection on the tyre. Anything is possible at this moment, so we will take it as it comes; if it is dry then I’m sure it will be interesting, and I’ll certainly make the most of it.”

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