The seventh round of the FIM Superbike World Championship offers reigning World Superbike champion Tom Sykes a great chance of podium success.

The series returns to Italy’s Misano circuit after the track was left off the 2013 calendar and it is a track where the Huddersfield rider has enjoyed success in the past.

Sykes goes to Misano 13 points ahead in the championship having scored four race wins so far on his Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10R.

In terms of previous experience at the Rimini track, Sykes has visited the 4.2km venue near the Adriatic coast on four previous occasions, all in the Superbike class, and the 28-year-old has enjoyed two Superpole qualifying successes – in 2011 and 2012 – and he will be out to score his first podium finish on the twisty Misano layout.

“Misano, in general, is a circuit with quite a few corners and is built on a smaller scale than some others,” said Sykes.

“The Kawasaki team and myself have worked hard to develop the Ninja ZX10R so it can be competitive on a mixture of circuits and we have proven that.

“In the combination of myself, the bike and the team I feel confident that we can be competitive anywhere.”

Sykes’ most recent race finish was third at the steamy Sepang circuit earlier in the month, and the podium place was achieved despite suffering from painful hand and leg injuries sustained in first race crash which followed a mistake by his teammate Loris Baz.

“My hand is slowly improving and we are back on track for this weekend, so we will see how we go for the races on Sunday,” said Sykes.

“I will have a good chat with my crew chief Marcel today when we arrive at Misano and we will see how I we can arrive at the best possible race scenario on Sunday.

“Misano is not the most enjoyable layout as a rider because it is small and there is not so much room to let the bike get rolling.

“But it is the same for everybody, and I feel have ridden well there in the past – and I will try to ride well there once more this weekend.”

Championship standings: 1 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 201 points, 2 Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia) 188, 3 Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda) 179, 4 Loris Baz (Kawasaki Racing Team) 170, 5 Marco Melandri (Aprilia) 147, 6 Chaz Davies (Ducati) 130, 7 Davide Giugliano (Ducati) 96, 8 Eugene Laverty (Suzuki) 90, 9 Toni Elias (Aprilia) 89, 10 Leon Haslam (Pata Honda) 89

Fenay Bridge’s Kyle Smith is due to compete in the fourth round of this season’s FIM Superstock 1000 Championship series at Misano.

The 22-year-old GBR Honda CBR1000RR Agro-On Racedays rider is currently lying 12th in the standings and will be hoping to emulate his third place in the opening round at Aragon’s Motorland circuit, which he has followed with a ‘DNF’ at Assen and a 16th place last time out at Imola.

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