Sykes takes Brands podium

From Team Suzuki

Tom Sykes scored a well-deserved second place Sunday for Rizla Suzuki during the Brands Hatch GP round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

In the opening race, starting from fourth place on the front row of the grid at the 2.3-mile long Kent circuit, he battled with Ducati's Shane Byrne, eventually finishing a close runner-up.

He was in second position again in race two with only a handful of laps to go when he crashed out unscathed due to a mechanical issue. The race was won by Cal Crutchlow.

"The podium in race one has been a long time coming," Sykes said. "My Rizla Suzuki technicians worked really hard and I'm pleased I was able to repay them with some champagne. As for race two, it was just unfortunate as I had the pace to win but crashed out due to a mechanical failure. I don't want to dwell on the incident as we have had a lot of positives this weekend."

Rizla Suzuki's Atsushi Watanabe took a determined 12th place finish in race one, as the two-time Japanese Champion continues to find his feet in the highly-competitive British Superbike Championship. His second race ended early when he was forced to retire.

The fourth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship will take place at Donington Park on Monday, May 26.

Race One Results
1. Shane Byrne (Ducati) 29:24.345
2. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +1.8553
3. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +3.111
4. Leon Haslam (Honda) +3.887
5. Leon Camier (Ducati) +4.996
6. James Ellison (Honda) +15.815
7. Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) +16.645
8. Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) +26.446
9. Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +30.384
10. Tristan Palmer (Honda) +33.728

Race Two Results
1. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 30:31.299
2. Shane Byrne (Ducati) +0.110
3. Leon Camier (Ducati) +0.748
4. Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +2.221
5. Michael Rutter (Ducati) +2.906
6. Leon Haslam (Honda) +3.097
7. Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) +3.121
8. James Ellison (Honda) +4.147
9. Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) +1 lap
10. Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +1 lap

Championship Standings (After 3 of 12 rounds)
1. Shane Byrne (Ducati) 140
2. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 96
3. Leon Camier (Ducati) 83
4. James Ellison (Honda) 64
5. Leon Haslam (Honda) 56
6. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 55
7. Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) 52
8. Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 52
9. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) 49
10. Tristan Palmer (Honda) 29