Tom Sykes returns to Kawasaki and the WorldSBK paddock for 2023 but for the first time in his 15-year career, it’s within a satellite squad.

After a year’s sabbatical in BSB, Sykes is back on the world stage as part of the Puccetti Kawasaki Racing Team. Four days testing at Jerez and Portimao followed by the team presentation in Italy officially launched the ‘comeback’ with the Yorkshire man feeling as upbeat and confident as ever in his new surroundings.

“The presentation was fantastic, in true Italian style,” Sykes said from ‘Ruote da Sogno’ museum in Italy’s Motor Valley. “A great location, lots of people and some good food to enjoy. Everything was organised in the best possible way, and I congratulate Manuel and his staff.

“My first goal during winter testing was to settle in and get to know the team. We definitely achieved that, as I feel very comfortable with them, and that’s another reason why the tests went well. There is still some work to do but we have laid the foundations for a good season.”

Before the celebrations, Sykes was on track for two days of testing at both Jerez Circuit and the Algarve International in preparation for the opening round of the season, at Australia’s Phillip Island in a fortnight’s time.

“The target here was to get to have a better working environment with the guys and just to feel more comfort in the garage, get that relationship going really well,” the 37-year-old told bikesportnews.com at the close of Portimao’s final day. “We did a lot of trial and error with the bike. Didn’t rush into many things, same as Jerez, just kind of explored my feelings with the bike, different settings, trying to get comfortable and get a setup where I’m able to use the bike a little bit more.

“At the end of the day, we found ourselves in not too bad of a situation, with honestly a lot of information. I’m really happy with how the whole team have worked and I have to say it’s been very productive in the last two days.”

While Sykes was feeling more at ease as European testing concluded, things were clearly not quite as he anticipated when returning to Kawasaki, the bike he secured his WorldSBK title on back in 2013.

“I can’t harp on about it too much because it’s something that I perhaps mentioned in previous years so I’ll choose my words here… slightly surprised to see where the package is actually at, in terms of where it potentially needs to be,” he said of the ZX-10RR. “There’s areas we could certainly improve, and that’s why I’ve just kind of taken a couple of steps back in terms of what we’re done in Jerez and here. Just trying to understand more of the package itself and try and get comfortable in areas where I would like to be able to push a bike but it all just kind of seemed to fall a little bit more into place in the last one and a half hours.

“Just feels more like a natural thing for myself,” he continued on his move back from the national championship, which saw him struggle with the PBM Ducati. “I’ve got massive history and memories from this paddock and honestly, having one year in BSB I have to say it was great. Stuart [Higgs] runs a fantastic domestic series and honestly, I had a lot of fun.

“I was always disappointed there because I couldn’t do what I wanted on the bike - just for a number of reasons.

“Obviously tried my best but a classic example was Donington Park. I was able to ride around my limitations and it showed when we arrived at the chequered flag, so that was nice. I just wish I could have done it more often for myself, the team and ultimately the championship.

“We’re coming back here, different set of circumstances for myself, with a satellite team, which is a first for me, in my complete history in Worlds! I’m very lucky. I’ve ridden for a lot of different manufacturers inside their factory efforts. Now I’m in a satellite team and honestly, to be with Manuel and all of the Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team, I think as far as ‘satellite’ in inverted commas goes, it’s one of the best if not the best situation. So I’m grateful for that and just trying to understand what I need to do with this bike.”

The move away from factory demands seems to fit well with the Huddersfield rider’s personality.

“The first outing, the first time we got together, honestly, it was nice because I think they were all almost a little bit timid, a little bit shy just to understand what was going to come from me,” Sykes admitted. “Just being a world champion and having a little bit of credentials, I think they were just curious to see where everything was but when I burst into the garage, singing and joking and having a laugh, I think they kind of thought ‘Oh, this lad is down to earth’.

“Honestly, I like to always try and have fun because we’re all very lucky and privileged in what we do but behind that, we’re all very serious. I’ve got a very good crew chief who speaks good English but there’s English and there’s Yorkshire, so I do speak a little bit slower just to be sure,” he joked. “All in all, I think it’s a good atmosphere. I think I’m the sensible one when you look across the garage at my teammate [Can Öncü], but really good atmosphere in there. We’re all pulling in the same direction. It’s been a really good four day test and I do feel more prepared for Phillip Island.”