Tom Sykes was on the podium in both races at Magny-Cours as he showed his form in all conditions over the weekend, finishing third on Saturday and repeating the result in Race 2.

The Yorkshireman was pleased to have been on the pace in all conditions and he rode consistently over the three days in France, even if he was unable to chip away at his teammate and rival Jonathan Rea’s championship lead in the standings.

In fact Sykes leaves France one point further behind Rea, now with a 48 point deficit, and it will take a significant turn around for him to snatch the title from his Kawasaki colleague over the last two rounds of 2016.

Reviewing Sunday’s race Sykes stated, “It was very strange. During practice, warm up and the race we had a good pace, I felt very comfortable and also good consistency on used tyres. I’m disappointed because the tyre selection we had today didn’t work for me. The start was good and it was easy to manage the lap time, then from half race distance I was struggling and this is something I need to understand. Ultimately the big thing is I have found some form again in the rain this weekend, I was so relaxed here I the wet and the dry and this is good.”

He continued, “The good thing is we have been consistent all weekend in all conditions, but it is a big shame to miss out and to be third today. I found it very difficult trying to get into the corners. I lost the front twice up in the top hairpin. That’s no excuse, the two guys in front had great speed. We need to learn from this. Overall, I feel more comfortable on the bike this weekend in general and that’s a positive. It’s just a bit late in the season, but at least we are getting there. We have still got a lot of points and four races to come.”