After taking on a new WorldSBK challenge in 2019, former World Champion Tom Sykes has now had two sets of tests on his S1000RR.

On day one in Jerez, running without a transponder fitted, he set a fast pace according to some, and the rider himself did not deny he was pleasantly surprised how day one went, with a 1’40.8 lap reported.

“You do not need to know the time but I was on paper third fastest, which I am impressed with” Sykes told bikesportnews.com. “That was my third day on track with this bike and the first day that is more towards a Superbike spec. You could almost call that the first day on track from where we are at. There is such a big list of positives to take away because it went so well yesterday.”

He had a more disturbed day two, with a fast fall, but that did not dampen Sykes’ spirits as he soon heads to Portimao for another test, against his peer group.

“We had a bit of an issue today but yesterday, as a whole, kind of pleasantly surprised me. Today we had something going into the last turn, which meant I had to have a relatively big crash, which is not what you want.

"It was a late start anyway for this programme so the intention was to keep it shiny side up, hence the reason why I had a little bit in reserve. I kind of expected this to happen on our first day of testing, so in general our testing has gone really, really well. We just had one of those days and everything considered it is something and nothing.

"It is nice that it has happened here and not further down the line. I really enjoy my new environment, and really enjoying riding the S1000RR. There are so many stones we have yet to turn and keep working.”

Sykes’ test was cut short by the consequences of the second day crash, the cause of which has not been given. A fall is something Sykes knows is not ideal at this stage of proceedings. “Although we have lost most of a day testing it is also probably good for those guys, because on a race weekend the schedule is very tight and they have done a lot of exploring themselves.

"I am not stressing because if we were way of the pace it would be a different story. I feel already we are on a good direction. The general feel of the bike is well suited to my style and there is a lot of potential in the S1000RR. The base bike is also a very high level. As a production bike I am sure, certainly for the street, it is an incredible piece of machinery. I am just grateful that the base bike is high and it gives us a good working platform for here in the World Championship.”

Some have said that the new bike is already more powerful as a base than the previous bike, but Sykes has no knowledge of the 2018 version. “I never rode the last one but so far so good. Power delivery has not been an issue, I have got a lot of experience and I feel that the guys have benefitted from that. We are working very well together.”

On a bike that is very similar on paper to his previous Kawasaki WorldSBK machine – both ‘conventional’ inline four-cylinders with alloy twin spar frames - Sykes said of comparisons between the two, “It is quite different. It would be unprofessional of me to compare and say too much in public. Obviously I can do that behind the scenes with my engineers, but it is a different beast and I am grateful for that. Obviously now we have just got to work. There are clear areas of the bike which are standing out to me and we will work on those.”

Sykes did give some insights into what the team were testing, even at this relatively early stage. “We have been trying different swing arm and various bits that we are testing, people can see that and we are still learning. Given our speed yesterday, and our initial speed this morning on the hard tyres, that is not our issue. That, is working and learning together as a group and we still have test days before Phillip Island.”