UNDETERRED by the news that PBM had lost their contract with Kawasaki, Tom Sykes still soldiered on to take his debut win in the World Superbike championship and in a statement from his personal management they have confirmed that he is in negotiations with the manufacturer to remain on a Kawasaki next season.
Sykes discovered that his ride for next season may be in doubt after Kawasaki informed Paul Bird Motorsports that they would end their relationship, hours later Sykes would gift the Japanese manufacturer their first win on the new ZX-10R and their first victory in five years.
As the Yorkshireman is a direct rider of PBM rather than the factory, a press release from Paul Bird stated that both the team and the rider would be without Kawasaki last year after the the decision was made to terminate their WSB effort by Kawasaki's project leader Ichiro Yoda.
A statement released by the personal manager of Sykes said that "there is a strong desire from both parties for there to be an ongoing relationship."
The full statement reads:
Tom remains a fully committed Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM) team rider and will continue to do so for the duration of his current contract. For the remainder of the season Tom's primary focus is to produce the best possible results for PBM and Kawasaki, as his recent win at the Nurburgring would confirm.
It is clear from Tom and also Kawasaki that there is a strong desire from both parties for there to be an ongoing relationship that can reap the full benefits of the work done to date. Discussions regarding this matter are in progress at this time.
Once Tom's plans have been finalised, these will be communicated via ourselves in the usual manner. In the meantime Tom will continue his role as a professional WSBK rider, doing his utmost to represent PBM and their associated sponsors, Kawasaki, and his own personal sponsors in the best possible way at all times.
