Double Points Haul For Sykes In Portugal
By: Web Editor
The Kawasaki Racing Team might have been down to just one rider for round two of the 2010 Hannspree World Superbike Championship at Portimao this weekend but it turned out to be a double points haul for Yorkshireman Tom Sykes who recorded a 13th place in race two to go with his 15th place in the opening race.
With Australian Chris Vermeulen only able to do one lap of Friday morning's free practice due to difficulties in bending his right knee after his big Phillip Island crash a month ago, and despite a huge effort by rider, team and the medics, the 27-year-old from Brisbane was subsequently withdrawn from the meeting leaving 24-year-old Sykes from Huddersfield as the Paul Bird Team's only representative in Portugal.
Aboard the factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, Sykes showed good speed during the practice sessions inside the top ten and eventually managed to qualify in 12th position and on row three of the grid after Superpole.
In the opening race, Tom maintained his 12th place early on but a mistake saw him drop back to 16th where he battled for most of the race before grabbing 15th at the flag after a battle with pole-setter Cal Crutchlow who had crashed and remounted.
Race two saw Sykes get a poor start and was again relegated to 16th position where he ran for most of the race once again. Despite setting good lap times, he couldn't get a clear run and was held up by several riders in front but as the race progressed, he managed to claw some places back to finish in a respectable 13th position for the Penrith-based team, thus scoring his second points of the day.
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