MONZA BECKONS FOR SYKES AND VERMEULEN Round five of the 2010 Hannspree World Superbike Championship takes place next weekend at the historic Monza racetrack on the outskirts of Milan in Italy where the Kawasaki Racing Team are hoping for some better luck. Following a crash at the opening round at Phillip Island in late February, Australian Chris Vermeulen is gradually battling back to fitness and hopes last week’s comeback rides at the Assen circuit, where he was in the points, has paved the way for some better results starting at Monza. Gritty Yorkshireman Tom Sykes has showed impressive pace this season on the Paul Bird Motorsport Team’s factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10Rs and had he not been knocked off on the opening lap in race two at Assen, he’d have had his seventh points scoring ride out of the eight races run so far for the Penrith-based team. Meanwhile team boss Paul Bird will miss the Monza event as he’s in competitive action himself whereby he will be defending his Manx National Rally crown on the Isle of Man in his Ford Focus WRC. Indeed Bird is in action this weekend taking part in the Killarney Rally of the Lakes in Ireland as a shakedown for the Manx event. Chris Vermeulen: “Im really looking forward to the Monza event as it’s an exciting race and a special circuit with it being so fast. It will be great to race there again, this time on the Kawasaki, as the last time was 2005 and I had a win so it’s a positive circuit for me with good memories and results. As for my knee, I’m still not 100% but I’m working hard on it and it’s improving each day. I still have some difficulties with movement but it will be an improvement from Assen. I’m looking forward to jumping on the bike and seeing what Monza brings to us.” Tom Sykes: “I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike for the Monza weekend as I feel slightly cheated that I wasn’t able to finish race two at Assen after the progress we’d made there. With each race I am getting more and more comfortable on the ZX-10R machine and I’m learning a lot about the bike every weekend. We are making steady progress and I have full confidence in my team so I hope that I continue to bring the bike home within the points and hopefully creep into the top ten which we’re all aiming hard for.”