CHALLENGING NEW CIRCUIT FOR VAN DER MARK
Pata Honda rider Michael van der Mark will visit a new circuit this weekend at Sepang in Malaysia for round six of the 2014 World Supersport championship. The Dutch ace is leading the series after winning last time out at Donington Park in the UK and, after crashing out of the opening round in Australia, the 21-year-old from Rotterdam has finished the last four races in either first or second place. Although the 5.548km Sepang International Circuit 60km to the south of Kuala Lumpur is an unfamiliar layout for Van der Mark, it’s a new challenge that he’s looking forward to meeting on his Honda CBR600RR.
Michael van der Mark: “This will be my first visit to Sepang but I enjoy the challenge of learning a new circuit and it went OK at Suzuka last year. I’ve done a lot of laps on the PlayStation and watched a few more on YouTube and it looks really beautiful. It seems like the layout will suit the CBR quite well, so I’m excited to start on Friday. I expect the weather conditions will be difficult, too, but I have been training with many layers of clothing at the same time of day as our sessions, so I’m feeling prepared and really looking forward to the weekend when I hope to continue the recent good results.”
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator: “Although Michael has not been to this track, the CBR has a very good base setting now and I don’t think he will take long to learn the layout. He is in good form at the moment and we’ll be looking to continue that this weekend.”