SYKES CONQUERS HIS DEMONS IN ASSEN
Kawasaki star opens up about marriage break-up as he gets back to winning ways at last
O Kawasaki star wins at last after ‘tough times’
Tom Sykes put the demons of his marital separation behind him to return to winning ways. The 2013 champ stunned Assen with a dominant performance in race two on Sunday. It was a much needed and conclusive win, finishing over five seconds ahead of Jonathan Rea, which made it Kawasaki’s first 1-2 of the season. It’s been nearly a year since Sykes last topped the podium. Since then, the usually bubbly Yorkshireman has experienced a great deal of turmoil but has now made this public and by doing so appears to have regained his mojo.
“It has been a massive mental battle,” the 32-year-old father of two told MCN. “The personal issues are something I try not to let affect me, but it is such a fundamental part of my life that I can’t stop it coming to work with me. It has been the most difficult period of my life.
“My style wasn’t suited to this bike. For the first time ever I have accepted I need to adapt my style to the bike and not the other way around. Winter testing was good.” Phillip Island saw Sykes make his best ever start to a WSB season when he finished second to Marco Melandri. But his results then stalled due to technical problems in Thailand and a poor tyre choice in Aragon, plus the reduced power the Kawasaki has under the new rules. At Assen he was back to his best – leading from the first corner to the last and he was delighted to have ended Rea’s domination at the Dutch circuit. He took him until the second race of the meeting to strike after a frustrating fourth place in Saturday’s opening encounter. “This was a long time coming. On Saturday we had incredible speed but got stuck in traffic; I was so frustrated when I went to bed because I knew it should have been better. I wanted a clear track to prove to myself and a few other people that I still have what it takes. My plan was to show some classic Sykes. It felt really nice to control the race. I wasn’t screaming and shouting on the slow-down lap. It was actually very emotional because of everything that has gone on in my life.”
Sykes takes particular pleasure in beating Rea at Assen on the day the triple world champ was going for a record 13th victory on a single circuit. It would have been Rea’s ninth consecutive win there and the all-time record for double wins. “Since Jonathan beat me at Donington I have always thought, ‘that’s it! I’m going to repay the favour at Assen’. I mentioned that on the stage but I don’t think it went down too well. I was laughing, but he wasn’t. I am pleased with the way I got in front and then extended the lead. I even made a mistake at Turn 1 and ran off the track near the end, but I was just going to see the crowd!”
The top WSB teams now head to Brno for a two-day test. Kawasaki boss Guim Roda hinted to MCN that they will test an engine upgrade allowed under 2018 tech regs with a view to racing it soon, but a cheeky wink was the closest he came to confirming it.