IN
THE
WIND
P48
TOM SYKES TO LEAVE KAWASAKI
T
om Sykes' nine years as a
Kawasaki WorldSBK rider will
come to an end at the comple-
tion of the 2018 season, after
official confirmation of what most
people in the WorldSBK pad-
dock had expected for some
time.
After several seasons of
rivalry and occasional bad blood
between Sykes and teammate
Jonathan Rea, it seemed like it
was time to go for Tom, espe-
cially after a particularly troubled
period in his personal life.
Add to that his media bust-up
with Rea himself after a Brno
race collision, and finally a
public criticism of Rea's crew
chief, Pere Riba, in a TV inter-
view at Laguna Seca, and an
exit seemed more certain every
week. Once Rea had officially
chosen not to go to MotoGP and
re-sign with Kawasaki in WorldS-
BK, it seemed even more certain
Sykes would move.
"I feel the time has arrived;
the moment to make a change in
my career and seek new chal-
lenges," Sykes said of leaving his
long-time factory slot. "Having
the motivation to push to your
limits and that of your machine is
all the more important when you
look for the victory at every race
and I feel I have given all I can
within KRT."
A new start may be exactly
what Sykes needs but with both
Yamaha official seats taken by
their existing riders, Michael van
der Mark and Alex Lowes, any
potential GRT Yamaha squad
may not want to sign more than
one experienced rider along-
side their main target Marco
Melandri. Sykes has probably
fewer options than a month ago,
but there is possibly Ducati. Or
SMR, currently branded Milwau-
kee Aprilia. Or Red Bull Honda.
There are some seats available.
Gordon Ritchie
Tom Sykes still
has some options
in the WorldSBK
paddock.
