WSBK – WSBK 2016: Sylvain Barrier signs with Kawasaki Pedercini – Occasions KAWASAKI

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WSBK 2016: Sylvain Barrier signs with Kawasaki Pedercini

WSBK - WSBK 2016: Sylvain Barrier signs with Kawasaki Pedercini - Occasions KAWASAKI

Sylvain Barrier is back in World Superbike! After a particularly disjointed and painful 2015 season – in short, difficult -, the two-time Superstock 1000 champion will try to get back on the handlebars of a Kawasaki ZX-10R from the Pedercini team….

Winner of the FIM Superstock 1000 cup twice on the S1000RR of the BMW Italia team (in 2012 and 2013), Sylvain Barrier rode a Superbike in 2014 with a helmet full of hopes: the French rider was following in the footsteps of his mentor James Toseland, won twice in WSBK…

Alas, the terrible road accident in March and the injury contracted a few months later at Laguna Seca completely thwarted his plans, namely, to clinch the "title" in the Evo category and claim a more capable motorcycle. Next year.

Summary of the previous season…

Reappointed in 2015, our dear "Syl’20" unfortunately paid the price for the reshuffle at the head of the Italian subsidiary of the Bavarian manufacturer: after only two events, BMW Italia and its French champion suddenly decided to separate (read our).

Engaged in the wake by Michelin to develop future MotoGP compounds, Sylvain intended to bounce back by participating in "his" STK1000 cup and the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV). By shining at the controls of the all-new R1, he hoped to return to World SBK through the front door..

Twice unfortunately, a fall that occurred during testing for the first Superstock event in Aragon severely limited Sylvain’s performance. "Due to the very low temperature, I lost the front end in the second corner. I got stuck in the safety of the front brake lever. When the motorbike hit the gravel pit, it fell on top of me causing fractured four ribs and severe pain in my shoulder. So I took part in the race gritting my teeth, he explained to our colleagues from WorldSBK.

Eleventh of his first race on the Yamaha, the n ° 20 was hit a week later on the Assen circuit, fortunately without gravity, which allowed him to chain the STK and SBK CIV races, as well as the Michelin tests, but without the shoulder pain dissipating…

"I went to consult and we were thinking of a muscle problem", recounted Sylvain last September."The doctors therefore strapped my shoulder, but the dislocation was still there. After a while, the strap tore off my skin. And so I made the decision to consult my surgeon who had already operated on me some time ago".

Supported by Doctor Jerome Garret, "a watchmaker in this field", Sylvain underwent an intervention in July to settle"a rupture of the subscapular ligament with muscle pulling. It wasn’t much, but it was the cause of my problems".

Needless to say, the 13th place in Superstock last year does not reflect his real level. The big boss of the Kawasaki Pedercini team knows this perfectly well. This is why Lucio decided to entrust the first of his Ninja to our compatriot !

Back in force on a Ninja

The Italian boss, who sets up his team in new premises near Venice, insists that "this project is a step in the evolution of the team, from an organizational point of view but also on the technical side, especially with regard to electronics". An element that has become crucial in motorcycle speed !

"We want to quickly become a solid point of reference for riders who want to be among the best in WorldSBK "", continues Lucio Pedercini,"starting with someone who has always impressed me, Sylvain Barrier".

For his part, the n ° 20 hopes that this new contract will mark the end of his misadventures: "I have suffered greatly from the consequences of two accidents that happened at difficult times in my career. The break that was imposed on me allowed me to fully recover and then regain a positive energy as well as the determination to resume competition", Sylvain believes.

"I will go back to WorldSBK with a team that cultivates a passion, a friendly and professional atmosphere, and in which I will have everything I could need", he rejoices, convinced that"we can do great things with Kawasaki".

Let us note in conclusion that the Pedercini team will enter, like last year, a second ZX-10R in World Superbike. The machine, world champion last year thanks to officials Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, may well be coveted … Christophe Ponsson and David Salom, the two former holders are in the running. Signatures to follow, stay tuned !

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