The 2022 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is in full swing and the 2022 grid has been set. However, one rider who will not be present is Tom Sykes, as the 2013 World Champion’s 13-season stint in World Superbike has come to a close at the end of 2021 with the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and heads back to British Superbikes for a new adventure with PBM Ducati. One of the most charismatic riders on the grid and one of the biggest characters, we look back at Tom Sykes’ WorldSBK career, from his Rizla Suzuki debut, 2013 title and 2021 swansong.

BURSTING ONTO THE SCENE: a wildcard debut

Whilst he was known for the WorldSBK exploits, Sykes made an unassuming appearance in 2003 at Brands Hatch as a wildcard with the Northpoint Yamaha team, qualifying ninth and finishing 12^th. Five years later and it would be another Brands Hatch wildcard appearance, this time on a Suzuki in WorldSBK; straight onto the second row, Sykes retired from third in Race 1, before finishing seventh in Race 2. At the next round at Donington Park, he was back and took a memorable podium in Race 1, what would turn out to be the first of 114 to-date. Impressing in his four races, he earnt himself a factory Yamaha contract for 2009, alongside fellow rookie Ben Spies.

THE EARLY YEARS: Yamaha and the switch to Kawasaki

Sykes was quick out of the traps and in his first 12 races of 2009, finishing inside the top ten in all. Perhaps overshadowed by teammate Spies’ performances, Sykes took a best result of fourth at Assen in Race 1, finishing 2009 in ninth overall. With Spies moving on, 2009 WorldSSP Champion Cal Crutchlow moving up and James Toseland returning to WorldSBK for 2010, Sykes moved over to Kawasaki for his second full year in a switch that’d eventually see an iconic and formidable pairing.

Racing for the factory Kawasaki outfit which was then run by Paul Bird Motorsport – the team he will end up back with in BSB for 2022 – he was impressive with his equipment. In stark contrast to 2009, it took Sykes nine races to get a first top ten as the ZX-10RR struggled to challenge Aprilia, Ducati and Yamaha. Five top-eight finishes and a pole in the last six races of the year, Sykes’ form picked up and in 2011, he’d go on to take a historic first win at a wet Nurburgring in Race 2, as well as a more consistent year. 13^th overall at the end of 2011 on the new ZX-10RR, it was starting to look good.

KAWASAKI’S NEW ERA: Sykes’ renewed potential and clinching a World Championship

As Paul Bird Motorsport left to pursue other ventures, a new era of Kawasaki came in; Provec Racing took charge in 2012 with Guim Roda at the helm, with Sykes showcasing what he could do when given the tools. The new Kawasaki was in the ballpark from the off and Sykes took three podiums from the first four races and the first three poles. His first win of 2012 came in a shortened Monza Race 2, whilst his first ever full-distance race win came along in WorldSBK’s first ever race in Russia. Two more wins would see him miss out on the title by just half-a-point come the end of the year to Max Biaggi, the closest margin ever, but Sykes was now ready to take the crown in 2013.

Despite no podium in the opening three races, Sykes went on an eight-race run of rostrums, with a fine home double at Donington Park – the first of his career. Six more wins saw Sykes clinch the title with one race remaining as a third in Race 1 at Jerez was enough to see him crowned Champion. A momentous occasion for the British rider, joined by his family and the team as he gave Kawasaki a first World Superbike title since 1993, when it was Scott Russell. 20 years of waiting, it was a new era for Kawasaki as they were now the benchmark for the opposition.

POST-TITLE FIGHTS: rivalries ignite in the KRT box

For 2014, Sykes would come close to the title but ultimately, wouldn’t clinch it for a second season. A mid-season fall-out with teammate Loris Baz after the Frenchman took him out at Turn 2 on the opening lap of Sepang’s Race 1, Sykes missed out on the title by six points and despite winning more races than any other rider, lost out to Sylvain Guintoli. For 2015, a new teammate and a new rivalry: Jonathan Rea’s arrival to Kawasaki and instant impact saw him become the lead rider to challenge for the title, taking it with ease whilst Sykes was third – both split by Chaz Davies and Ducati. In 2016, Sykes would again enjoy big battles with Rea, most notably in Thailand at the Chang International Circuit and although he took the fight to the final round, he was 51 points short.

As 2017 started, Rea was now a double Champion and whilst Sykes was eager to get back to title-winning ways, his teammate’s consistency grew stronger. Sykes took 16 podiums and two wins on his way to third in the Championship in 2017 as Rea won again, before a further two wins would come in 2018, although he could only finish fourth overall. Sykes’ win at Assen in Race 2 would prove to be his last for Kawasaki and to-date, but it was vintage Sykes as he edged clear at the front before finishing 5.445s ahead of Rea, at a circuit Rea had dominated at since joining KRT. The rivalry would hit a new peak at Brno that season, after an early-race collision in Race 2 left Rea out and Sykes angered. Sykes left Kawasaki at the end of the 2018 season, as he had a new project for 2019.

BMW BECKONS: a new development project

With the Kawasaki era now behind him, Sykes was now part of the BMW factory team, with the all-new S 1000 RR. A solid start to 2019 saw Sykes on the front row again in just his third round for the team, before a first podium came at a rain soaked Misano, BMW’s first since 2013 and Sykes’ 109^th of his career and on a third manufacturer. Three more podiums, Sykes was eighth in the standings, before a 2020 season saw ‘Mr. Superpole’ start from his 50^th career pole position at Phillip Island.

Despite the success of 2019, Sykes wasn’t able to mount a podium challenge for 2020 but remained with the manufacturer into 2021 as the highly anticipated M 1000 RR was unveiled, the first ever BMW WorldSBK motorcycle with an ‘M’ engine. Sykes was instantly more competitive and was back as a consistent force inside the top six, taking two podiums at Donington Park. However, it was announced prior to round seven at Navarra that Sykes wouldn’t be in the factory set-up as Scott Redding made the switch from Ducati to BMW. Despite a Honda seat being of “big interest”, Sykes leaves the paddock and heads back to BSB for his first full-time ride there since 2008.

A SPECIAL LEGACY: Sykes’ trail blazing WorldSBK records

Sykes wasn’t dubbed Mr. Superpole for no reason and the British rider racked up 50 in WorldSBK, more than anyone else in Championship history, seven clear of Troy Corser. Then there’s putting Kawasaki back on the map with their first title in 20 years back in 2013; he also placed the British flag back at the top of the final Championship standings for the first time since James Toseland in 2007, whilst also winning 34 races, putting him in fifth overall. In terms of podiums, he’s fourth on 114, five clear of Carl Fogarty and just two shy of ‘Nitro’ Noriyuki Haga. With a history of being able to develop a motorcycle and renowned for being one of the biggest characters in WorldSBK, we all wish Sykes the very best moving forward.

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