PATA YAMAHA AND VAN DER MARK READY FOR IMOLA CHALLENGE
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team and Michael van der Mark are prepared to do battle once more as they head to Imola this weekend for Round 5 of the 2018 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship.
Fresh from a stunning double podium and his best ever WorldSBK points-haul weekend at his home race in Assen, Michael van der Mark cannot wait to get back on his Pata Yamaha R1 at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola.
The Pata Yamaha team head to Italy for Round 5 ready for action after the back-to-back races at Aragon & Assen, plus an encouraging two-day private test in Brno. Local hero Van der Mark delighted the passionate Dutch fans at the TT Circuit Assen by storming to second in Race 1 – setting the fastest lap of the race along the way – and then securing a sensational third in Race 2 at his home round. The 36 points he collected for his efforts not only meant it was his best WorldSBK weekend in terms of results but also saw him move up to fourth in the championship standings with 104 points. The 25-year-old Dutch rider will be looking to continue his excellent 2018 momentum and believes he should have a good base setup with his Pata Yamaha R1 at a challenging track, where he finished in seventh and ninth positions respectively in the two races last year.
The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola first hosted a motorcycle race in 1953 and is a firm favourite amongst supporters and riders alike, due to its fast but technical nature. Located 40km east of Bologna the 4.936km circuit is named after the Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari and his son Dino. The layout of the track has changed considerably over the years and it is one of the few tracks on the calendar that runs anti-clockwise. It now consists of 22 corners and combines high speed turns along with a number of chicanes and the Tosa Hairpin, with a longest straight of just 358m.
Michael van der Mark: “After a good race weekend at Assen and a positive test at Brno, I’m really looking forward to Imola. It’s going to be interesting to see how the bike will work, as Imola is such a different track then the places we have been to this year, but I believe that the base package of the YZF-R1 should also be good at Imola!”
Looking to build on their encouraging start to 2018 and after a strong performance at the Brno test, the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team will take to the iconic track for Free Practice on Friday at 9:45 am (CEST) local time, with both races taking place at 1:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.