WSB: Sykes: 'We need to close the gap faster'

Tom Sykes has said he needs to work to close the gap to team-mate Jonathan Rea a little faster if he’s to compete for wins in the 2017 Superbike World Championship.

Speaking after a double podium at the Buriram circuit, Sykes was thrilled to have beaten Ducati’s Marco Melandri to third in the opening race and then second in the second outing with two clever last lap passes, but remained disappointed that he could not match his team-mate’s pace.

The 2013 WSB champion admitted over the winter that it was time for him to change his style to suit the latest era of WSB with technical regulations having been restricted in recent years. 

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“The race win wasn’t on, but second place was on Sunday so it was all about making the smartest move possible at the end,” Sykes said after the race. “I could see Marco had some limitations so on the last lap I knew I had a margin. He was faster than me in the twisty section before the last corner so I had to put the lap together.

“We still have to find that little bit more from our package. I am slowly getting there and consistency has pretty much been there. We keep closing the gap but we need to try and close it a bit faster.” 

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