Title Image

Blog

Michael van der Mark - Thailand

DOUBLE FOURTH FOR VAN DER MARK IN THAILAND

  |   News Racing

Michael van der Mark set himself up perfectly in today’s Superpole race at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand, with a fourth place finish from tenth on the grid securing him a second row start for Race 2, in which he also went on to finish fourth. Van der Mark was made to work hard for his second fourth place finish of the day, after a slight mistake dropped him back behind Marco Melandri, Sandro Cortese and Leon Haslam early in the race. The Pata Yamaha rider managed to fight his way back through to again claim fourth place, which he held to the line with a slight advantage over his pursuers. Van der Mark remains fourth in the championship standings with 61 points, but with an increased margin over Melandri in fifth.

 

Results Tissot Superpole Race
Results Race 2

 

Michael van der Mark – Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P4: “In warm-up this morning I felt good on the bike and when we made some small changes for the Superpole race I felt quite strong. The fourth place in the Superpole race was really important, because it meant I started this afternoon from the second row of the grid. I got a good launch from the start and then worked a bit with Alex, which was good, but already from the first lap I didn’t feel so comfortable with the front of the bike, maybe because the temperature was so much higher. I struggled a little, so couldn’t stay with Alex and then I made a small mistake and lost a lot of places. From there I had to work my way back to the front of the group, where I was able to maintain a consistent pace to finish fourth once again. I think we can be really proud about this weekend, with Alex’s three podiums and my three fourth place finishes. We’ve made some progress and, hopefully, we can make another step in Aragon.”