Tom Sykes to Make BSB Return with Aprilia
Former WorldSBK champion Tom Sykes will make a sensational return to BSB at the upcoming Donington Park round
2013 WorldSBK champion Tom Sykes will make his return to BSB with the IN Competition Aprilia Team at the upcoming Donington Park round as a replacement for the injured Lewis Rollo.
Sykes is no stranger to Donington Park, in fact, it was by far his most successful circuit while competing in WorldSBK, as he won on nine occasions, all of which came in succession between 2013 and 2017.
The British rider last competed in British Superbike in 2022 with Ducati, winning on two occasions that year, which, you guessed it, were both at Donington Park.
The Aprilia RSV4 is still lacking performance compared to its rivals, with Yamaha and Ducati once again appearing to have the strongest bikes at the start of 2025. That said, if there’s any rider that could produce a big performance as a replacement rider, and at Donington Park, it’s likely to be Sykes.
“I’m excited about the prospect of coming back to BSB,” said Sykes. “I got a call from Pete Jennings, and I knew this would be a great opportunity to get back on-track. It will be a great experience with no pressure and [to] assist the team in developing their Aprilia RSV4 Superbike.
“It’s a great chance to help each other. I absolutely love Donington and have never ridden an Aprilia before, so it is something I am very much looking forward to. Chris Barnes and Ian Newton have already made me feel very welcome and it will be good to be back at a track that is fun to race on a Superbike.”
As part of his stand-in ride Sykes will be making a return to competitive action for the first time since 2023 when he was injured at the Donington Park WorldSBK round while riding in place of Michael Van Der Mark at BMW.
The upcoming Donington Park BSB round will take place on May 16-18.
Find all the latest BSB news on Visordown.com
After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
