Title chances still open for Sykes following Moscow round

For Kawasaki Racing Team's Tom Sykes, the last few days have been particularly significant, culminating in the best possible way with a win and a second place in the two races at Moscow. The results keep Tom's chances of battling for the title alive as the Yorkshireman is still in third place, 41 points behind the new leader, and they couldn't have come at a better time for the Kawasaki team after his contract renewal for the 2013 season. This will also enable Sykes to tackle the remaining three rounds of the season without any extra pressure.

"It has been fantastic to make a commitment quite early in the season. It's great to be on the good end of the silly season because that is a weight off my shoulders and I think I have proved my worth this year. Last year did not reflect my potential, I do not feel, but this year I was able to demonstrate what I believe I can do. Obviously Kawasaki has done an absolutely fantastic job, an outstanding amount of work and put in so much effort. Everybody can see what we have done this year. I have a fantastic bunch of guys working with me, all my guys in the garage. It is a good team effort, well managed, very professional and I could not ask for any more. That is another reason why I really pushed to stay with Kawasaki."

Regarding the weekend in Russia, Sykes declared he was happy with the way things panned out, with the win in race 1 coming after a lights-to-flag domination on a damp but drying track. "I did a lot of work on tyres on Saturday and we went a slightly different way from most people in race one. The bike felt great. Quite a long race, to be honest, and it is quite a physical circuit. The lap is short but more concentration and physical input in needed compared to some other circuits. But, realistically, we are happy. A first and second, still third overall and the gap at the front tightening up. There are still a lot of points to play for."