Kawasaki Racing Team leads WSBK Malaysia 2016 as Tom Sykes rules both Superpole sessions with new lap record.
WSBK Malaysia 2016 gets underway in Sepang today on a higher note and faster pace. After the morning’s final Free Practice 3 session, the scheduled Superpole shootouts took place just after the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup supporting Moto3 race.
In Superpole 1, it was former world champion Tom Sykes that led the timing board and elevated himself up into Superpole 2. There, Sykes went even faster and claimed pole position with a blistering time of 2:02.246.
Sykes’ fastest time effectively broke the lap record of 2:03.002 set by Sylvain Guintoli back in 2014. Astride the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R, the Brit was more than a second quicker than the previous record, thus perhaps proving that the newly resurfaced and re-profiled Sepang International Circuit (SIC) is indeed faster now.
Joining Sykes on the front row of the grid is Alex Lowes astride the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team YZF-R1. Interestingly, Lowes’ fastest lap time in Superpole 2 saw him matching Guintoli’s 2014 lap record of 2:03.002.
Last but not least comes Sykes’ Kawasaki Racing Team teammate Jonathan Rea. Though equally fast, Rea’s pace was still not as quick as Sykes as his fastest time of 2:03.21 sees him lining up third on grid.
Race 1 will take place later in the afternoon at 4pm. Stay tuned as we bring you more trackside updates from WSBK Malaysia 2016 in SIC.
WSBK Malaysia 2016 Starting Grid
