LEPTON racer Tom Sykes is feeling in good nick as he prepares for round two of the 2010 Hannspree World Superbike Championship at the weekend.
Sykes and the Kawasaki Racing Team head for the Portimao track on the Portuguese Algarve upbeat about their chances aboard the factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R as the series returns to Europe.
New signings Sykes and Chris Vermeulen endured mixed fortunes at the opening round at Phillip Island in Australia last month – former MotoGP race winner Vermeulen crashing out while Sykes qualified well before notching a 13th place finish.
Sykes said: “I’m really looking forward to the race in Portugal.
“We’ve learned a lot with the bike since Phillip Island and to be honest I’m really happy with the team set-up and how we are working together.
“I’m feeling positive about the bike as we have a completely different set-up and made valuable progress since we last tested in Portimao in January which adds to my confidence for a decent result there.
“I have high expectations for myself and the team and I hope we can deliver a good result for PBM and Kawasaki.”
Vermeulen is facing a race against time to be fit enough to compete following a second race crash at Phillip Island.
Vermeulen said: “My knee is improving each day, but at the moment I cannot bend it enough to sit on a bike, so I’m hoping by race weekend I will be able to.”
