Tom Sykes and the KRT world superbike squad wrapped up a successful test at Jerez last week – the final chance for a spin before the mandatory testing ban commences in December. Refining race set-up, the 2013 world champion managed a best lap of 1:39.6. Just to give you some idea on how bloody quick that is, it would have qualified Sykes ahead of Stefan Bradl in 6th place on the MotoGP grid at Jerez this year. Of course, there are track conditions and fuel loads to factor in but it’s still impressive.
Tom Sykes: “We did a bit of everything at this test and it has been very good for us. I did a lot of laps again so my crew chief Marcel is working me well! We tested many different components, which you do not always get the chance to do in the middle of the season. Our testing schedule during the season was quite minimal compared to what we used to do, so this test has been a good experience overall. We retried certain things to understand if they are definitely better, especially over race distance, and I am happy with how it has gone. The Ninja ZX-10R is working well even though Jerez is not one of my strong points. That shows we have improved our package, which is the main thing.”
Thankfully, The Grinner has decided to run the #1 plate in 2014 and will feature his lucky #66 in the graphic.