Tom Sykes scored a well-deserved podium second place today for Rizla Suzuki during the Brands Hatch GP round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
In the opening race, starting from fourth place on the front row of the grid at the 2.3-mile long Kent circuit, he battled with Ducati’s Shane Byrne, eventually finishing a close runner-up. He was in second position again in race two with only a handful of laps to go, when he crashed out unscathed due to a mechanical issue. The race was won by Cal Crutchlow.
Rizla Suzuki’s Atsushi Watanabe took a determined 12th place finish in race one at the Kent track, as the two times Japanese Champion continues to find his feet in the highly-competitive British Superbike Championship. His second race ended early when he was forced to retire.
Tom Sykes:
“The podium in race one has been a long time coming. My Rizla Suzuki technicians worked really hard and I’m pleased I was able to repay them with some champagne. As for race two, it was just unfortunate as I had the pace to win but crashed out due to a mechanical failure. I don’t want to dwell on the incident as we have had a lot of positives this weekend. I just want to get on my Rizla Suzuki at Donington Park and finish both races on the podium. I know we are capable of that.”
Atsushi Watanabe:
“It has been a difficult weekend. I want a better result than 12th place but I am improving all the time and my team is working well. Our next race is at Donington Park which I visited with John Reynolds so I know where the track goes - now all I need to do is be fast.”
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