2017 Kawasaki WorldSBK Team Launches in Barcelona
Rennie Scaysbrook | February 9, 2017
Kawasaki going for three WorldSBK titles in a row in 2017
Reigning World Superbike Champions Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) have unveiled their new ZX-10RR machine and unchanged team for the 2017 season in a ceremony in Barcelona.
Current and two-time World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea will once again be joined by 2013 champion and teammate Tom Sykes in the factory team, as he aims to be the first rider in WorldSBK history to seal three straight titles.
“It is nice to jump into my new leathers, see the finished bike and have so many other people around to share in the excitement of a new season,” Rea said. “After celebrating the championship I have just refocused on testing since then. We have had such a productive off-season and now I am excited for the year to start.”
Sykes will be hoping for a better season than last year, one where he struggled to match the speed of Rea with the new, 2016 light inertia ZX-10R—a bike far different to the machine he clinched the 2013 WorldSBK title on.
Below is a video with lots of parts and music…
“There has been a lot of work and preparation put in during the off season from everybody and now we are announcing the team officially,” Sykes said. It is getting to that time where we will be flying to Australia soon. It is all going to start happening very fast and tonight is the beginning of that. I am hoping to go to Phillip Island and be very competitive in the opening round. I have been trying my hardest in the winter to adapt to the bike. I would like to arrive strongly in the first round in Australia.”
Honda, Yamaha, and Ducati have all shown off their WorldSBK racing colors in the past two weeks.
Click the links if you’d like to read the only U.S. test of Jonathan Rea’s 2016 WorldSBK winning ZX-10R, as well as a full interview with the man himself.
