• BMW Motorrad WorldSBK will continue with Tom Sykes in the 2020 WorldSBK season.

• The rider took the new BMW S 1000 RR to four podiums in its debut season.

• He will be joined by Eugene Laverty next year.

BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and rider Tom Sykes will continue their cooperation into 2020 WorldSBK Championship (FIM World Superbike Championship).

While the tie-up has yet to yield a win this season, Sykes had done well to put it on the podium at Misano, Italy; Donington Park (UK); and Laguna Seca (USA).

Those results were truly impressive, considering that BMW Motorrad announced their intention to join the championship with the new BMW S 1000 RR in November 2018. That left the factory, Shaun Muir team, and riders only a few months to prepare.

2013 WorldSBK Champion Sykes will be joined by Eugene Laverty next year, replacing Markus Reiterberger.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers welcomed Sykes’s continuation with the team as it provides stability. “Continuity and stability are critical factors for the success of the project,” he said. “Tom Sykes has consistently moved in a forward direction with the new S 1000 RR.”

Continuity would mean that the bike will follow a steady and somewhat predictable development path as opposed to swapping riders all the time. As different riders have different riding styles, there will be too many variables to consider. There is no luxury of time for such ventures in world championship racing.