WorldSBK, Sykes' knee? The real fracture is with BMW

Tom Sykes will now miss yet another SBK round. The injury he sustained at Barcelona, and the subsequent hospital already stay already saw him sit out the Jerez de la Frontera round, particularly in light of what might have been a serious blow to the head.

The rider recovered and the championship moved on to Portimao, the 2013 world champion present and correct. When asked to take part in a photo op, the idea being to show the fans that he was back in shape, number 66 declined. Kindly, as is his way, but neverthless, his answer was no.

Beyond the photo itself, the 36-year old didn’t like the idea of having the BMW hospitality in the background. In fact, as he left, he was heard saying something like "I am sorry, I am sorry... no, no, I don't" as if referring to the refusal.

And now, no Argentina. And that’s not all

So the suspicion that something was aleady broken between the parties was there and is now confirmed, in that Sykes and the SMR team will not travel to South America together. As in Portugal, Eugene Laverty will take his place, "borrowed" from RC Corse. With a contract as test rider and ambassador, it is the Irishman who will finish out the season.

And Tom? Without a ride, it seems. Having received his marching orders on his birthday, 19 August, the Englishman has taken it badly. And who wouldn’t? There had been contact with Honda and the HRC structure and the rumour is that a pre-contract had already been signed. But then, nothing but fog, followed by Red.

A return to his roots and a Ducati steed

Let’s return to BMW for a moment. Why is Sykes not completing the championship? The suspicion – and that's all it is, although relatively reliable and nevertheless verifiable - is that if he had finished in a specific position in the standings, his renewal would have been automatic.

Or rather, the rider could have exercised an option in his favour. But how, if Scott Redding has already been hired? Well, the former world champion had also spoken with Bonovo Action, an independent team – missing from Argentina – that also falls within the BMW orbit.

But nothing doing. Aside from a mutual respect, there’s never been a spark between the Brit and the Germans. And in the meantime, a Ducati proposal from the well-known PBM team in BSB has come along, one in which Tom is interested. Thanks also to the hard cash, guaranteed partly by BSB itself. But his signing with PBM isn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. The camel’s back had already been broken for a while.

They loved each other. Then not so much

And so to the epilogue. The rider still ‘has a lot to say’ and will do so as soon as he can, trust us. A pity, because the BMW project began with Sykes and, thanks to him, has grown to become solid and credible, if not excessively fast. Over the flying lap, Tom remains unbeatable, no one taking the M1000 RR to the limit.

Aside from Michael Van Der Mark’s win in the brief Superpole race at Portimao, facilitated by the strange weather conditions, the best results up until that point were all scored by the experienced Sykes.

The camel’s back broke at Navarra: how can you fire someone via press release and not speak to them face to face? For an old style guy like Tom, this wasn’t going to be forgotten. And then, injured at Barcelona, it was ‘suggested’ that he rest up for a while. When a rider who has ridden with all kinds of injury hears these words they can basically be interpreted as a ‘thank-you and goodbye’. Needless to say, the parties won’t see each other again.

Translated by Heather Watson

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