The early season form of KRT riders Tom Sykes, Loris Baz and SBK Evo rider David Salom has been strong from the very first race weekend and with the next round coming at Imola each Ninja ZX-10R rider has another opportunity to push on in the championship fight.

As the fourth round of the now 13-round championship looms over the horizon Sykes is leading by 12 points, with his ever-improving team-mate Loris Baz now third in the rankings and only 15 points from Tom.

Sykes has already won two races this year and feels he could and should have two more victories so far, after one race in Australia and another one in Assen were cut short by red flag interventions at an unlucky stage of proceedings.

The 21-year-old Baz has been impressive all year and has three second places to his credit in 2014, but not quite another win to add to his career tally of two. Winning the Superpole contest for the first time recently, to take the best possible starting position at Assen, Baz is having his best year in WSB in terms of championship position and is proving a threat at every kind of circuit he encounters.

The KRT squad’s lone official SBK Evo class rider, David Salom, is still working to reduce the effects of a hand injury suffered in testing, but it has not held back his raceday push for good results in any case. In the overall Superbike championship rankings, and despite running a stock engine by regulation like every other Evo runner, David is 13th from the regular 27-strong entry. He is currently just one point from the lead of the Evo class rankings.

For Sykes the 2013 WSB round at Imola provided his second double win of the season, and helped push him on to become champion at the final round of the year in Spain. Last year at Imola Baz had a fast fall in Superpole and was restricted to ninth and sixth places as a result. This year he is relishing the challenge again and determined to go for more podium finishes.

The 4.936km long Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit is an intense and challenging ribbon of tarmac that weaves its way through the edge of the town of Imola itself. It was the circuit that Sykes scored his first ever career pole position at for Kawasaki, back in 2010. With 20 Superpole wins to his record Sykes is eager to get a 21st and start both Imola races from the best possible place on the grid.

After Imola the championship heads back the venue that started the entire WSB world off in its debut season in 1988, Donington Park, in the UK. Raceday will be on Sunday 25th May.


Tom Sykes:

“I have been keeping myself in shape ready to kick off again this weekend coming. We have worked on consistency a lot this year and we do not make things too complicated on race weekends. I am enjoying my racing and I am very motivated. The racing part of my character is still very frustrated to think that I could have had two more race wins if it had not been for red-flagged races. That is the racer inside speaking but I am still very much looking forward to continuing with the season in a positive way. The Ninja ZX-10R is working well again. Imola is not a circuit that I consider my favourite but we have had a lot of success at that venue. It also features the Italian WSB fans who are always very welcoming and very passionate. They certainly seem to make Kawasaki and I feel very welcome.”

Loris Baz:

“I cannot wait to go back to Imola after the last race at Assen and I want to get back on the podium again to make up for not doing it last time in the Netherlands. I won my first Superpole at Assen, which was good for us all, but I wanted to finish the races higher up. Imola is a really famous track that I have learned to like because it is really hard. I had a nasty crash in Superpole there last year but I was fast, so I am confident for how it will work out this season. My Imola target is to get back onto the podium and score as many points as possible to maintain a strong position in the championship standings.”

David Salom:

“I think Imola will be a good track for our bike, because it can make quick changes of direction on it through the chicanes and it is very manoeuvrable. Also, when you exit the chicanes and corners you have good power and our bike is quite fast down the straights. For sure it will be difficult in Imola for me because my right hand is still not 100% and Imola has a lot of hard braking areas, plus many ups and downs. In general the circuit is very physical. But I am improving all the time and it will be better than Assen. I have confidence because to be riding a Kawasaki at Imola is a very good position to be in.”

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