SBK, Rea: "In Malaysia it will be easier with the heat"

At the latest Imola round, he had to deal with the superiority of the Ducati, with Davies not holding anything back. Sepang is therefore an opportunity to make up for the Italian round and return to the highest step of the rostrum. At the track where he won Race 1 last season, Johnny Rea dreams of a repeat performance: “In 2015 we made a great race, and I have positive memories – he stated –we got on well with the tyres, and that's why I'm happy to head back there”.

The starting point will be the Imola podium: “In Race 2 we had some small problems, but were able to collect important information – he continued – here we'll try to make a step forward. I've rewatched last year's race and we're ready”.

This Asian round will also require riders to deal with the high temperatures. This aspect could, paradoxically, be helpful: “At the last round the weather has always been a question mark – he concluded – at Sepang the choices will be easier, it will be very hot and so we can work more easily on the race set-up”.

On the other side of the garage, Tom Sykes now has to deal with lying third in the championship, having been overtaken by Chaz Davies. His latest, and only, win of 2016 dates back to the Thai round in Buriram, while at Imola he had to console himself with third place. Now is the time to turn things round: “Sepang is a track where we've been fast in the past – he pointed out – unfortunately last year we stressed the tyres too much, but apart from that I was pleased with what we did”.

The Englishman has clear ideas: “We know we have to work on balancing the bike to have a good compromise between speed and consistency – he analysed – we can trust in a great package, that will allow me to take steps forward”. Sykes is sure that he'll soon be able to get the best out of his Kawasaki: “Up until now I haven't been able to show my true potential – he concluded – this is good in one way, because it means we can still do more. I really like Malaysia, the track has been resurfaced so I think it will be a great weekend”.