Nice couple of 5ths considering the wrist, Tom will surely get stronger as the season continues.

Sykes played smart. I'm glad he rode otherwise he'd be way behind by the next round. Remember that we don't know who'll win every race in WSBK.

Same old problem with the K-Wak eating up its tires.

@ Rocket R1

Please leave the negative comments at the door if you didn't even bother to watch the races. Tom was riding with a fractured wrist and heavily bruised ribs. Furthermore Phillip Island has been one of Kawasaki 's worst tracks over the years notoriously harsh on tyres and Kawasaki got two days less testing than most. Tom also did something we haven't seen him do too well in the past. He managed his tyres and physical condition to make a late charge in both races.

I reckon they can see the day as a success!
GO TOM!

@Nick636
I did watch the race and also heard that his bike had blistered the rear tire badly and caught a look at it at the end of race 1 and its looked alot worse then the RSV's.
Unless your a moderator I'll comment on anything I want too..Nothing negative just stating the obvious.
Dont make excuse's for Kawasaki..they had the same chance as all the other teams and its Toms fault he crashed and lost 2 days testing not Honda,Suzuki,Ducatis or Aprilia's for that matter.Seems to me Checa missed a whole test and came back to put the Ducati on pole!
I actually like the ZX10R and Tom Sykes but they still havnt solved there tire managment problems.

Tom and his bike are just too fast for the tires, and the idea of having production bikes on a single control tire is a joke, but he probably could have done better had he been in better shape.

Due to circumstances one word describes my thought:

IMPRESSED.

The commentators even mentioned that the Aprilia bikes are smoother on their tyres. Tyre wear has been a problem for Kawasaki but its too early to judge if they've fixed it or not. The track was resurfaced which made it abrasive as well. Respect to all those riders who rode today through their injuries! They are clearly not soccer players - LOL

re: "The track was resurfaced which made it abrasive as well."

yup, all bets are off.

@ RocketR1


I have not said it was anyone else's fault they missed the tests, but you can't deny Tom was NOT in the best shape. And as "LanceTheHooliganAlbon" said, the Aprilias are easier on their tyres. Even Melandri battled with tyres in the second race. PI is HISTORICALLY a Ducati track by the way.

Just wait for Aragon... GO SYKESY!