Sykes looking to make amends for Donington disappointment
Added on Thursday, April 14th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor
Sykes looking to make amends for Donington disappointment
Tom Sykes is looking to put the disappointment of Donington Park behind him this weekend as he looks to kick-start his season at Assen.
The Kawasaki rider was left frustrated three weeks ago at Donington Park as he crashed out of race one, despite enjoying a front-row start on the grid.
The Yorkshire-born rider was sitting in fourth place, well within a podium-challenging position, when he crashed out with just five laps remaining, , whilst he was forced to settle for 12th place in race two.
The result left Sykes thinking of what might have been after his superb showing in Superpole but the 25-year-old is confident that he can make amends in Holland this weekend.
“I can’t deny that what happened at Donington was disappointing and it’s taken me a while to put it to the back of my mind,” he claimed.
“I was confident I could fight for the podium as my bike was set up well, with a good compromise of handling.
“I felt confident during the race but ultimately it wasn’t to be.
“Since then we’ve made some small but important changes to the bike which I will get to test next week. My consistent lap times in practice and qualifying at Donington show we were on the pace.
“This year’s bike is a huge step forward and has really improved on all areas of the track,” he explained.
“My riding style means I usually benefit from circuits which are more stop and start, however Assen is fast and flowing and the new ZX-10R has really improved in these areas which has also allowed me to improve.”
