WSBK: Sykes confirmed by Kawasaki

PBM Kawasaki has confirmed the signing of Tom Sykes to its World Superbike Championship squad for 2010.

The British rider will join former World Supersport champion Chris Vermeulen at Paul Bird’s team having lost his ride with the factory Yamaha squad.

Sykes joined Yamaha this year for his first full season in WSBKs but has struggled to match the pace of his title-chasing team-mate Ben Spies and currently lies eighth in the standings with a best finish of fourth.

The 24-year-old admitted his delight at getting a second chance to impress in the series with the PBM team, which will enjoy factory-support from Kawasaki.

“The team has big plans for World Superbikes next year so I’m really looking forward to being part of them,” he said.

"The big factor for me was that I have worked with the team before and know how good they are, they're one of the best teams I've ridden for and I'll have the same crew chief as I had in my rookie season in BSB.

"I've learned a hell of a lot this year and the intention is to put that experience to good use and I've every confidence that the package will be very competitive in 2010."

Sykes’ previous spell with PBM came in the 2007 British Superbike Championship where he scored five podium finishes and clinched sixth in the standings.

Team boss Paul Bird admitted his satisfaction at having completed a strong rider line-up for next season.

"I'm absolutely delighted that we have managed to sign both Chris and Tom, as they are both fantastic riders and I know they'll do a great job for us next season,” he said.

"Chris has proved how competitive he is on a Superbike as his results demonstrate and I've always rated Tom highly, that's why I handed him his first proper Superbike ride back in 2007.

"The team has made huge strides forward this year and we can now put into practice what we have learned and I fully expect us to be challenging at the sharp end in 2010.”

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Andy Wilkinson