Brands BSB Final: Sykes concludes ‘disappointing season’

Like team-mate Josh Brookes, Tom Sykes had his final ride for the MCE Ducati team at Brands Hatch at the weekend but, unable to replicate the victories he had at the previous round at Donington, he had to settle for a best finish of tenth in his last BSB races of 2022.

Three points scoring finishes meant 12th place overall was the outcome for the 2013 World Superbike Champion in the final championship standings although qualifying on Saturday, when he could only manage 13th, shaped the course of his weekend. “I got unlucky in qualifying as I was on a good lap when the rain came down at the far side of the circuit and that meant my starting position wasn’t as good as it could, and should, have been,” he explained. “I had a better feeling with the bike than what I did when we were here in July but was still finding it difficult in some areas. That was obviously frustrating as we had a couple of places where we were really strong, but we did what we could.” Sykes was unable to improve his results on the final day of the year and finished the weekend with a brace of tenths and an 11th, admitting the year was a far cry from what he’d hoped for, and expected, when he returned to BSB. “I can’t deny it’s been a disappointing season as I came to BSB and the PBM team to get involved and fight for the title,” he said. “Unfortunately, we had some restrictions and whilst we showed what we could do at a big circuit like Donington we, ultimately, couldn’t do that often enough.” “I’m upset for myself and the team as the level of talent at PBM, in all areas of the garage, deserves a lot more. Sometimes you have difficult seasons and, unfortunately, 2022 has been one of those years. I’m obviously very grateful for the opportunity at PBM