WorldSBK: Tom Sykes leaves Puccetti for BMW

Tom Sykes has left the Puccetti team and will return to the factory BMW squad.

Tom Sykes has left the Puccetti Kawasaki team after four rounds with the team and now makes the switch to BMW. At BMW, Sykes will step in, substituting for the injured Michael van der Mark, who continues his recovery.

The 2016 WorldSBK Champion, Tom Sykes has had a tough season with the Puccetti Kawasaki team. Sykes would retire from five out of the first seven races of the season, with technical issues.

Sykes returned to WorldSBK this season after racing in the British Superbike Championship on a Ducati. For 2023 however, he would be reunited with a Kawasaki but will part ways after four rounds.

Discussing his departure from Puccetti Kawasaki, Sykes said: “I had no hesitation in joining the Kawasaki Puccetti team and helping them with the refinement of their Ninja ZX-10RR package. I hope all the data I helped them accumulate over testing and the first races of the season pushes them closer to winning races in the future.”

Just hours after the announcement of his departure, Sykes announced that he would step into the factory BMW squad. He replaces Michael van der Mark, who is recovering from a crash in Assen.

This line-up now means that the factory BMW team will have a British line-up, with Sykes joining Scott Redding. He will first join Redding at the two-day Misano test before racing with the team until van der Mark is fit to race.

This marks a return for Tom Sykes, with the Brit racing for the squad in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He would claim multiple podiums with the team at Donington Park and Misano, finishing a best of eighth in the standings.

Sykes said: “I’m looking forward to temporarily returning to the BMW Motorrad Motorsport and to the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team. I will work hard to support them as best as possible. I know them from the beginning and was involved in developing the BMW M 1000 RR. Now I get the opportunity to contribute again to the development process. 

“I’m looking forward to getting on the new BMW M 1000 RR at the Misano test. At the same time, I wish my former teammate Mickey all the best on his way to recovery while I give everything to stand in for him in the best possible way.”