WSBK – Statements by World Superbike riders in Buriram – Statements from the second WSBK round

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World Superbike riders’ statements in Buriram

WSBK - Statements by World Superbike riders in Buriram - Statements from the second WSBK round

The second round of the 2016 World SBK took place this weekend in Buriram, Thailand. To complete our near-live reports, here are the statements of the Superbike riders at the end of their two Thai races.

WSBK Round 2 Statements

Tom Sykes, 1st:
"It’s my first win of the year and I really had to fight to get it. I’m happy because Jonathan has an incredible level on this circuit and we have made a giant leap from last year. I really have to thank all the guys on the team. They worked very hard during the winter and we continue to learn. It was a great race, a great battle. What makes it even more satisfying is the fact that from the sixth lap on I got into a fight with a front axle understeering, making my pass speed slower than I wanted. I saw at one point on the giant screens that there were some great pilots behind me. It put a lot of pressure on me, so I had to rethink my management of the race. Getting a win after so long is a great feeling !"

Jonathan Rea, 2nd:
"We found a little improvement today in terms of set-up: ten laps from the end I felt I had a much higher pace than Tom. I really wanted to win and I tried a couple of times. But you have to really attack hard to win a race against a very fit Tom who is defending very well. Well done to him: he did a good job today and beat us to the seams. It’s good for Kawasaki to get a double, although I would have preferred to be the front guy. Congratulations to Tom: I went above and beyond to win yesterday, but today I tried my best and got beaten. I’m sure it was a beautiful sight to watch. We increased our lead in the championship compared to and the day went well. I just wanted to win the race, but getting beaten is really great for my motivation !"

Chaz Davies, 3rd:
"I am satisfied with the progress made since yesterday. Thanks to the team, we solved several issues and I was able to fight at the front again. We lacked a little something to try to get the win. We still have to improve from an engine point of view, but this track was probably the most difficult for both me and the Panigale R and I leave it with a smile. This podium gives me a lot of confidence for the next races".

Michael van den Mark, 4th:
"The race was not easy, but I can only be happy with the result. Getting pole position and third in the first heat and now securing a fourth place in the second certainly surpasses our expectations of this event, given the difficulties we encountered last year. I’m really happy with the bike and my own pace. We decided not to change the front tire type for the second race. We knew it was kind of a poker move and it didn’t really work. I didn’t have the same feeling as during the first run. It was a risk we had to take and in the end we added 13 points to our total".

Nicky Hayden, 5th:
"I have to admit the bike was a lot better today. We made a lot of changes to it overnight and I just felt more comfortable, maybe not completely but the improvement was noticeable. I was able to ride without making any mistakes and the bike was perfectly smooth. I didn’t get the best of the starts and wasn’t fast enough in the opening laps to be aggressive and overtake. Lap after lap, I felt more and more at ease: towards the end, I started to sign my best laps in the race, which is very positive. I would be lying if I said that after the warm-up I didn’t hope I could fight a little better. However, I still learned a lot and overall this weekend went well".

Sylvain Guintoli, 6th:
"We encountered a few issues this weekend. To be honest, and I said it afterwards, I thought I could compete here. We did, especially during testing. We made progress throughout the weekend and between the two races. The team also did a lot of work. They worked until late last night to break down the data. A big thank you to them! They stayed until the end to try to make the right choices. We improved our performance between the two races from 25 seconds behind the winner in the first heat to 13 in the second. I was able to fight a little more in the second part of the race thanks to a less tired tire. It’s a very good learning weekend for Yamaha but we must continue our efforts before joining for the next race.".

Sylvain Barrier, 17th:
"We can’t say we were lucky this weekend, but I want to stay positive and excited: there is a part of today’s race where I couldn’t fully express myself, but over the weekend I found the rhythm to finish in the Top 10 and I hope to demonstrate it as soon as possible".

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