Works Kawasaki rider Tom Sykes is surprised by his pace on the first day of testing at Phillip Island at what he considers one of two bogey tracks on the calendar.
Sykes ended at the top of the combined timesheets with a two-tenth advantage over team-mate and reigning champion Jonathan Rea and said he has good speed over one lap and on distance runs.
“We gathered a lot of information and that puts us in a good position for tomorrow. There are a few little parameters we can finish off and then go into the race weekend with a clear mind and start doing our job,” said Sykes, speaking at the track.
“I was surprised how the tyre has been over a distance and it gives me added confidence. Jerez and Phillip Island are our two weakest circuits, so to have good form at them is promising. We can fine tune and finalise tomorrow, we have good pace on a single lap and over distance, so this gives us a good starting point.
“We could have got away with a race simulation as there were only a few spots of rain in turns two to five but I have had so much bad luck here, I didn’t want to take any chances.”
