This test will be the first bridge between the most recent season and the next, as Kawasaki will field an all-new Ninja ZX-10R in 2016. Sykes and his crew will work with KHI’s latest technical developments, including selected 2016 season parts, in advance of the imminent transition to the full-time track use of the new machine, which was recently launched to the public in Barcelona.

With a host of advances on the new roadgoing Ninja ZX-10R being a direct result of the experiences of the official KRT squad in the past few seasons of WorldSBK racing, and others being adopted to ensure that the race machine will be ‘future-proofed’ for the next tranche of technical regulation changes, the forthcoming full winter test schedule will be the arguably most important undertaken by Kawasaki’s official
team in recent years.

Before the testing begins for real there is a journalists’ test session at Motorland. This popular, and by now regular, end of season event allows selected members of the press to enjoy some meaningful track time on the championship winning KRT Ninja ZX-10R, only a few days after the final race of the year.

With Sykes a four-time race winner in 2015 and a double podium finisher at the final round in Qatar only just over a week ago, the 2013 champion will approach the tests fully prepared to take on the demanding 5.077km circuit. Tom is the lap record holder at Aragon, thanks a 1’50.890 set on his way to a podium finish of third in race one earlier this year.