Joining a long line of past winners stretching back to the 1950’s, Sykes adds the accolade to his trophy cabinet in advance of a new World Superbike season on his Kawasaki Racing Team Ninja ZX-10R.

With such greats as Mike Hailwood, Barry Sheene, Valentino Rossi and Marco Simoncelli with one or more MCN Man of the Year awards to their names, Sykes recorded an acceptance speech for the presentation on the Saturday of the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show while Kawasaki’s UK General Manager, Howard Dale, accepted the award on his behalf from MCN editor, Andy Calton.

“I know this award will mean a lot to Tom”, said Dale. “He missed the World Superbike title by just half a point last year and his determination and focus in pre-season testing is evident for all to see.

As one of the UK’s most approachable and popular riders, I am sure that Tom would be touched by the fact that this award was voted for by MCN readers and that his name is alongside such an illustrious list of previous winners.”

See more news plus add your own comments, on the Kawasaki News UK Facebook page

Follow Kawasaki and your favourite riders on Twitter @Kawasaki-news