There are just five weeks to go until official WorldSBK testing at Phillip Island on 20 February, sessions that will mark the start of the 2023 racing season. Kawasaki Puccetti Racing is hard at work making preparations for its next winter tests, with the goal of arriving in Australia in the best possible condition and starting what looks to be a very promising season on the right foot.

A few days ago, 2023 SBK rider Tom Sykes was in Italy visiting the team’s HQ in Reggio Emilia. He also visited Arrow, the famous high-performance exhaust manufacturing firm that is also a partner of Kawasaki Puccetti Racing. Another important appointment took place in the wind tunnel, where the aerodynamics of both bike and rider were carefully analysed and data collected in order to define the best seat position for Sykes.

Two very useful days then, which also allowed Tom to get to know his new technical staff. The next test sessions will take place at Jerez de la Frontera in Spain on 25-26 January and will involve not only the Superbike Team with Tom Sykes, but also the Supersport squad with Can Oncu.

Manuel Puccetti

“We really appreciated Tom visiting our race department in Reggio Emilia. It was lovely to see him, but it was also an important opportunity for our rider to be able to meet and talk with the whole technical team that will follow him at the track. During his two-day visit, Sykes was able to spend a great deal of time with his technicians and cover a range of topics, some of which there is often not time for during a race weekend or test. Tom has proved to be a very cheerful and communicative person, and it was also a pleasure to introduce him to colleagues at Arrow, one of our most important technical partners. We spent time in the wind tunnel, where we were able to look closely at the aerodynamics of the bike and rider and define the best riding position for Tom aboard our Ninja. All without interrupting the work we are doing to prepare for the upcoming season, which will kick off in around five weeks’ time in Australia.”