Former World Superbike Champion Tom Sykes believes he has the tools to take back the title from team-mate Jonathan Rea in 2016 as the bike is closer to what he needs to get back on top.

It would appear that Kawasaki have made the new ZX-10R closer to a base level that more suits Sykes’ riding style instead of the 2015 model which allowed Rea to run away with the crown.

“Obviously last year it was like the rules and regulations were such that I was riding the bike and not racing it. Just because of the way of the engine, the way of many things. I was not able to even come close to my limit in terms of what I wanted to do on the track,” Sykes told bikesportnews.com.

Fast forward to the 2016 model and he is already in the starting blocks in his quest to win back his title. “There is no question that this new bike is going to allow me to race more. I really struggled in some areas last year, and when I got passed I never had the answer. I always thought I was on the limit of the bike in the end.”

It was a package problem, not a personal one, for Sykes. “I never question my own capabilities as such, and neither do the people around me. So the plan is this year, with a lot better base, to start winning races again. I only won four last year and obviously this year the plan is to make that figure a lot higher. I definitely believe we have the tools this time to make that happen.”

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