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Since winning his second Superstock 1000 crown in 2013, Sylvain Barrier has had quite a hard time. Following a heavy fall early in 2014, when he was making his WorldSBK debut, he then suffered serious injuries in a road accident and missed several races. In 2015, he started the season on a BMW but parted company with his team after a few races and went back to the Superstock 1000 class, to ride the new Yamaha YZF-R1; Barrier had another big crash in his first test on the Yamaha and had to once again stay away from the track in order to recover from his injuries.

For 2016, the French rider will have another chance to race in the WorldSBK and will be riding one of the Kawasaki ZX-10R machine of the Pedercini Racing Team, with official support from Showa.

Sylvain, after these two very difficult years, how are you feeling about this new start in WorldSBK?
It’s been confirmed very recently. My manager and I worked very hard for this project and we didn’t have a lot of options, maybe two or three. I’ve known (Team Owner) Lucio Pedercini for at least eight years now and we’ve always had a good relationship, although we were rivals for many seasons, especially when Bryan Staring was racing for his team in 2012.

The bike and the team are competitive. If we have good results, Kawasaki will be backing us up with some extra support. That’s an important point. Moreover, during each round, I’ll spend two hours per day with Tom Sykes or Jonathan Rea’s Crew Chief (Marcel Duinker or Pere Riba), depending on my riding style and if I’m closer to Tom’s or Jonathan’s. It’s another positive thing and now I have to once again show what I’m capable of, like I did in 2012, 2013 and even 2014 after my accident.

How’s your physical condition right now?
I’m working mainly on my shoulder, the most complex joint in whole human body. I work in Lyon with a physiotherapist who is part of the French national gymnastics team and knows very well what it’s all about. Next week we’ll have some testing in Spain. I’ve already been on-track with Michelin in Sepang, to test their MotoGP tyres. I’ve been riding with them every two or three months, so I’m already up to speed. I haven’t lost the rhythm after my surgery. My shoulder is not hurting too much anymore. I sometimes feel some pain after a long day at work but I no longer lose strength and my lap times are consistent.

Have you ever tried the new Kawasaki?
I’ve never ridden on the Kawasaki. I remember very well having raced against it, with Jeremy Guarnoni in Superstock 1000 and then in the EVO class of World Superbike with David Salom. I know the electronics were way better than what I had. I felt like it was a bike which could adapt easily from one track to another, a very well balanced bike. It’s not always the best one but it’s always there close to the top.

In 2014 you had a very heavy crash in Phillip Island just before the season-opener. What will your state of mind be like next year, when you return to the island for the first races of 2016?
Honestly, I won’t have the same state of mind as in past years. In 2014, James Toseland and I analysed the layout to be better prepared than ever. My Crew Chief told me from the first practice session to be careful with the new engine. Leon Haslam was giving me a hand, showing me his lines on-track. On the second day, I was feeling good, there had been a red flag and my Crew Chief told me to do one last run on new tyres. I felt I was losing grip on the left side, I went into the last corner and the rear got away from me. I was thrown very high into the air and the fall was violent. My pelvis was broken in three places.

Last season, on the BMW, we were very excited because we thought we could be at the front since the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, we had done 300 laps during the off-season when other teams like Kawasaki had done more than 1,000. I tried to cut the gap but fell a few times. I had to slow the rhythm to avoid any bad crash. After these two years, I’ve always been a bit reluctant to ride at Phillip Island! The idea was making me so ill-at-ease until Michelin asked me to run an endurance test for their MotoGP tyres, with rubber that had been developed for this track and this tarmac in particular. Since then, I see this track differently. This time I’ll go to Phillip Island with my manager and my wife. My dad won’t be coming because he’s afraid to relive something like 2014. I’m doing my best so that everything goes smoothly. I’m confident I can do well, especially if I can have the same kind of package that David Salom had last season.

How do you see yourself faring against your rivals next year?
We’ll start the season with engines that won’t exactly be the same as the ones the KRT (Kawasaki Racing Team) guys will be using. There should be a difference of five to seven horsepower between the engines Rea and Sykes use, and mine. We’ll have the same electronics but the mappings are always two steps behind what’s on the official Kawasakis. It will depend on our results. If we manage to get into the top six, we’ll be able to expect some updates. The chassis and brakes will be the same, but we’ll be working closely with Showa on the suspensions; we have a deal with them and one of their technicians will be working alongside the team.