SOLID RESULT FOR VAN DER MARK IN WET RACE 1 AT DONINGTON PARK
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider Michael van der Mark achieved his goal of a top ten finish with eighth place in today’s WorldSBK Race 1 at Donington Park, despite starting from the sixth row of the grid. Grey skies and a wet track greeted the WorldSBK riders as they headed out for Superpole this morning, but with the rain easing ahead of the session a dry line was quick to appear but Van der Mark missed the window to pit for fresh tyres, which left him 16th on the grid after completing the whole session on wets.
The rain returned just after midday, making for tricky track conditions for WorldSBK Race 1. After some brief battles early in race, including riding around the outside of Toprak Razgatlioglu at Hollywood to break into the top ten, Van der Mark found himself racing alone. The Pata Yamaha rider, who underwent surgery on a fractured right radius only ten days ago, eventually finished in eighth position to consolidate his third place in the championship standings.
Michael van der Mark – Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P8: “We learned a lesson in Superpole this morning but, in the end, the race turned out quite well for us. It was a wet race and, with the injury, I didn’t want to take too many risks, especially as the conditions were particularly tricky today. I got a really good start from way back on the grid and I had good speed, but it was really difficult with so much spray from the bikes in front. It took me some laps to build confidence and that allowed the leading group to get away from me, but I think that was a good thing in some ways, because the goal today was first just to complete the race and then to score points. I had a good rhythm, a few good battles and I’m happy to finish inside the top ten today, as it was way better than we expected coming into the weekend. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s races.”