Tom Sykes and Ian Lowry will once more join up to compete for the Kawasaki Racing Team in WSBK, this time around facing the challenge of the classic Imola circuit in Italy.

Sykes had a season best combined performance of fifth and seventh last time out and is raring to go again at a circuit he has already tested at, earlier in the year. At that particular tyre test session, Sykes was in the top ten and the English rider is happy to go back to this unique circuit inside the very heart of the city of Imola.

In the overall standings Tom is now 15th, with the rider ahead only six points away - and therefore eminently catchable. Having tested both the 2010 and 2011 Ninja ZX-10R machines at Valencia recently, Sykes is at maximum readiness to race, not only at Imola but also in the final round of the current championship at Magny-Cours on October 3.

For Ian Lowry his first ever WSBK race came at the German round in early September, and he is back for more at Imola, another circuit he has never seen before. He was 12th in race one at the Nürburgring and hopes for that kind of result - or better - in each race at Imola.

Tom Sykes:

“I am looking forward to getting back to Imola because we had a positive test there a few months back. We have had some good settings to work with since then too. We know where we are at with the bike and we have to take the settings we had in Germany on to Imola and get some more results like we had there. We just have to find a balance between the settings we had in the test at Imola and where the bike is now. Imola is a bit like a British track in some ways, some very bumpy sections as well, so you have to concentrate hard.”

Ian Lowry:

“I have never been to Imola before so this will be another learning experience for me. The boys have been there, testing earlier this year, and they said the bike was pretty good there. So I want to get out on track and get into it again. WSBK racing is still all new to me and I think the team are happy enough if I keep progressing and I feel better every time out on it. There are no slow riders out there in World Superbike!”