Tom Sykes Ready For Mallory Park Challenge
Jun 25, 2008
Rizla Suzuki
TOM SYKES and his Rizla Suzuki team are ready to take on the challenging Mallory Park circuit this weekend for round six of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
Following on from his podium success at Snetterton, where he secured a hard fought third place, Sykes is determined to go for more podium glory and that as yet elusive win. The intricate Mallory Park circuit is one that he knows particularly well and he believes he can run at the front.
Atsushi Watanabe has another new track to learn and will be in at the deep end from the start of free practice on Friday 27th June. He has already taken part in a track day at the Friendly Circuit near Leicester in the Midlands with former triple Champion John Reynolds, so he has some knowledge of the 1.41 mile track. He was surprised at how small the circuit was but is determined to get the better of the tight turns which frequent the Leicestershire venue.
The singular 50-miunute qualifying session takes place on Saturday 28th June at 1440–1530. Race one takes place on Sunday 29th June at 1315 with race two at 1620. British Eurosport will broadcast live between 1300-1430 and 1530-1715.
Jack Valentine, Rizla Suzuki Team Manager said: “Tom is fired up for a good result, he knows Mallory like the back of his hand and he will be giving it 100 per cent to try and take the race win. He is confident of a good ride, our Rizla Suzuki works well there, plus Mallory Park is the first place Tom ever tested for us so we have a good history with the place.”
“As for Atsu, it will be a tough weekend for him as the track is narrow and there will be a lot of traffic to deal with. There are a lot of chicanes and heavy braking areas so it is going to be hard work for him. I’d like to see him get a good qualifying under his belt and aim for a top 10 when the racing starts in anger.”
“I know it is the half way point in the season but that won’t have any impact on how we approach this weekend. We will tackle it in our usual Rizla Suzuki manner and give 100 per cent to achieve strong results from both riders.”
