RAIN IN SPAIN HALTS PATA YAMAHA JEREZ TEST AFTER POSITIVE TWO DAYS ON TRACK
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team’s three-day test schedule was cut short at the Circuito de Jerez today, as heavy rain, strong winds and chilling temperatures hit the Andalucían region. However, the promising work already undertaken during Wednesday and Thursday’s sessions by Michael van der Mark and Alex Lowes has left the squad pleased with the outcome and confident the information garnered will see them positively through the winter’s development stage.
Team rookie Van der Mark continued the positive showing seen at last week’s debut as he familiarised himself further with his YZF-R1 and Pata Yamaha crew at Jerez. Choosing to set a small number of laps during Friday’s dismal downpour, allowing him his first taste of the Yamaha Superbike in the wet, the 23-year-old concluded his final three days in Spain with a tally of 154 laps. Running an equally demanding schedule to his British counterpart, van der Mark used the eight hour days to focus on both his individual set-up and performance elements, while also adding to the evaluation of prototype components for next season.