Tom Sykes goes into his 13th full season in the World Superbike championship this season and third with the Motorrad BMW Team🍸. 

Sykes will line up on the brand new M 1000 RR package along with team-mate Michael Van Der Ma♔rk, Jonas Folger and former team-mate Eugene Laverty, as the German manufacturer looks to close the gap at the front. 

The 2013 world champion currently has 34 wins in th🤡e class - which puts him in the all-time top ten winners list, but the British rider is far and a🃏way the leading rider when it comes to pole positions. 

Sykes has 50 ꦫpole positions to his name, which is a record that can’t be matched by any current rider 🐷in 2021, as Jonathan Rea is next on that list with 27. 

In a recent World Superbike organised video series, WorldSSP rider Federico Caricas🔯ulo asked Sykes how he prepares for a fast lap.

Sykes alluded to everything happening ‘in slow motion’, and ꦦthat the 🔯performance he is able to extract is all based on the ‘grip’ available. 

"For me, everything goes in slow motion, I have a lot of time to think and react. On my starting lap, I ju🦹st feel 🎐the grip that I can have," added Sykes. 

"As soon as I cross the line to do my Superpole lap, for me everything is a reference: the initial acceleration, the identification ✱of my braking points, the way I release the front brake in the corner and face it directly... everything revolves around the grip you have. 

"Of course, this is all changing because now you have a lot more grip. I feel very fo꧟rtunate to be able to react to this very quickly and understand the full potential in such a short time."

M🐻ost of the Superpole success for Sykes came during his extensive time with Kawasaki, however, the Huddersfield born rider has also claimed a pole position in each of the🦂 last two seasons on the unfavoured BMW S 1000 RR. 

"I feel safer on a Superpole lap than on a race lap, I feel m⛎uc🎉h more natural on the bike," added the 35 year-old. 

"In the past, when I was looking for crazy records on the circuits, especially with qualifying tires, I was always aiming 𒊎to open u🐟p the throttle and balance the bike as much as possible and using that rear grip as much as possible. 

"For me, it is a very easy and comfortܫable way to harmonize with my riding style."