WorldSBK.com spoke to reigning World Superbike Champion Sylvain Guintoli, who has had a difficult first part of the season in his new home with the PATA Honda World Superbike Team. The 32-year-old Frenchman is yet to find the pace to compete at the front of the field, where former Honda rider Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) is now dominating proceedings. Here is what Guintoli had to say about his season so far with the Dutch squad.

Rating the beginning of the season
“The first part of the season has not been easy. I got a serious neck injury during a test in Jerez at the end of January and that took a lot of time to heal. I can still feel it it but I’m comfortable on the bike now. This incident took time away from developing our bike and finding the right settings. Last time in Assen we were closer to the leaders but the beginning of the season hasn’t been easy.”

Adapting to the Honda
“It’s a different bike but we also have new rules this year. The bike is versatile but I’m still trying to adapt my riding style, to tailor the bike around me but it is taking more time than we expected. We spend each race weekend working in order to get a better feeling but right now we’re not where we want to be. We are putting a great effort but the results haven’t come yet.”

About what he needs to get more competitive and if there is there more work to do on his own riding or the bike set-up
“A little bit of both. Right now we’re surely not at our best. Of course, the bike has to be ridden in a different way than the one I was riding these past few years. I need to change my riding style and we’re doing a massive work so that I can have a better feeling on the bike.”

About his expectations for a podium finish and when it will arrive
“Very soon I hope! We took a step forward in Assen. I hope that we’ll soon be there because it’s been quite some time without a podium finish. It would be nice to get back on it. We’re not obsessed with the results, the more important is to find the pace and a good feeling on the bike. Once we’ll have this, we’ll be able to gain more speed.”

If he was surprised by Rea’s dominant start to the season
“Not at all. Jonathan is a talented rider and changing manufacturers gave him a boost in motivation. He’s riding well, he isn’t making any mistake and everything is going well for him. I’m happy for him because he’s a nice guy, he’s very talented and he deserves this success, which he’s been running after for a long time.”

His expectations for Imola, where Rea scored a double with Honda last year
“We’ll see. The situation is different this year with the new rules. On our side we’ll keep on working in the same direction. I hope that we’ll make so more progress and continue to improve the feeling on the bike so that we can be fighting at the front.”