Two official Kawasaki riders will be going for glory this weekend at Silverstone as Joan Lascorz and Tom Sykes set out to get into the leading mix in each race at the revamped British venue.

Silverstone is a home event for not only the Paul Bird Motorsports-operated team (based in Cumbria) but also Sykes, who is in his second year in the official outfit. Sykes, originally from Yorkshire but now living relatively close to Silverstone, is particularly keen to get back to top form at is home race. He has recently completed a short test at the hilly and narrow Cadwell Park circuit in England, to try out some chassis settings in an effort to save some set-up time once he gets to Silverstone.

Joan Lascorz moved into the position of top ranked Kawasaki runner at the previous round at Brno, stepping one place above Sykes to 13th overall in the process. The immediate aim for Lascorz is climbing his first ever WSB podium but two strong finishes would help him eradicate memories of the crash at this track last year, which cost him the chance of going for the WSS championship. His injuries held back many of his preparations for his assault on the WSBK class this year but Joan is now settling into the Superbike role well, having already posted two top five race finishes in what is a particularly tough season.

Team regular Chris Vermeulen will not be racing at Silverstone as a fall at Brno cut short his raceday in the Czech Republic and he has been advised to sit this meeting out to be fully race fit for the next WSBK round at the Nürburgring on September 4.

The Pedercini Team is mounted on Kawasaki machines again in 2011 and they will field Roby Rolfo and Mark Aitchison at Silverstone, with Rolfo two places above his team-mate, in 17th place overall.

At 5.9km in length the Silverstone circuit is not only one of the longest used in modern day racing it is also one of the fastest, with best average lap speeds of 168kmph – well over 100mph being put in last year. The pits and paddock complex are now situated in the new Silverstone ‘Wing’, a fact which even British riders like Sykes may take some time to get used to after so many seasons using the former paddock buildings.

Joan Lascorz:

“I like this track and last year I expected to make a very good race in Supersport, if I hadn’t had my mishap. Let's see this year how it goes with the Ninja ZX-10R. We are forming a greater understanding, race by race, of the reactions of the bike. From the Kawasaki side they always try to give me the bike I need and they are working hard after every race. From my side I am trying to adjust my riding style to make the best of the tyres and the bike and I am also working hard to keep my body fit. In particular, what we need to improve is how to open the gas correctly and also how to explain to my crew chief the important reactions of the bike. I am trying to understand what the really important aspects are to let me go faster and which are the ones I have to remove from my riding style. Our goal now is try to stay between tenth and fifth in the races as often as we can and, maybe even more importantly, to qualify well and make a good starts to learn from the most experienced riders.”

Tom Sykes:

“I am in highs spirits at the moment and looking forward to the Silverstone weekend. It is a massive circuit and really enjoyable. It has a fast average speed and it is very flowing in nature. I hope we can pick up the pace and have a result like we had in Misano and Aragon. I like to stop the bike, turn it and when I open the throttle I want to open it hard. I see no reason why we cannot go to Silverstone and pick up our game. The test we had at Cadwell last week was an eye-opener! I had just come from Brno and I think it must be four times the width of Cadwell, so it felt so fast to be running on a track so narrow. We tried a couple of things and got a bit of a direction on where I would like to improve the bike. It was good to get a couple of hours of track time to help us make the most of our practice time this weekend. Silverstone is only 30 minutes from my house now, so it is even closer to home. I want to put on a good show in Britain and having friends and family there is just another nice little added ingredient to race weekend. I want to have two strong results this weekend.”