Huddersfield racer Tom Sykes is setting his sights on taking second place in the World Superbikes Championship.
The 30-year-old Kawasaki Racing Team rider goes into the penultimate round of the season in third place, trailing Ducati’s Chaz Davies by 22 points.
There are four races left to run with the first two at Magny-Cours in France this weekend.
In terms of previous Magny-Cours raceday form Sykes has three wins and three further podiums – having netted four wins and seven podiums this season.
The efforts of the 2013, combined with those of teammate and new world champion Jonathan Rea, have ensured that Kawasaki has taken its first manufacturers’ title in the Superbike World Championship with two rounds of the 2015 season remaining.
“Magny-Cours has been a mixed bag for me in the past,” said Sykes, who is hoping to ensure a top two finish for the fourth consecutive season.
“It is a circuit that has been quite kind to me in terms of race results, but it has also been quite pivotal in my career.
“We lost the championship there by half a point in 2012, so of course that was bit of landmark.
“Last year things were going so well for most of the weekend but then it rained and we had a painful race day in wet conditions.
“So it is a bittersweet place but, overall, with the race success I have had there, I like it.
“The good thing is that the Kawasaki fans always bring great support and it is great to hear the grandstands.
“The turnout is incredible so it looks like they are mad bike fans in France.
“The Kawasaki brand is very strong there, which is great, because that also means in recent years those fans have cheered on Tom Sykes.
“I am certainly looking forward to getting going again.”
Magny-Cours is the final European-based round of the season with the final race weekend of 2015 will unfold under floodlights at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on October 18.
