PATA YAMAHA READY TO LAUNCH TRIPLE-PRONGED ASSAULT AT DONINGTON PARK
The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team are fully motivated for their home event at Donington Park this weekend, Round 6 of the 2018 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, as they prepare to challenge for honours with a three-rider lineup in the UK. Michael van der Mark is looking to bounce back from his Race 2 DNF in Imola and return to the form that saw him record a double podium at Assen.
Michael and Alex Lowes will be joined on track this weekend by official Test Rider Niccolò Canepa, fresh from finishing second in the recent FIM EWC 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring, with the Italian hoping to continue the development of the Pata Yamaha R1 and also fight for a good result.
Following on his double podium at his home round in Assen, Van der Mark rode to strong fifth-place finish in Race 1 at Imola before crashing out of Race 2 while in the hunt for the rostrum. The 25-year-old Dutch rider is looking to build on this pace at a track he enjoys riding and that plays to the strengths of the Pata Yamaha R1, highlighted by his ride to fourth in Race 2 at Donington Park last year when he missed out on the podium by just 0.784s. Van der Mark has also tasted victory at the circuit before, winning the WorldSSP race in 2014, and currently lies sixth in the overall championship standings with 113 points after 10 races.
Michael van der Mark: “I am looking forward to racing at Donington Park! It is always special to race in the UK and I am hoping to continue the progress we have made so far this season. After the double podium at Assen, we had good pace in Imola and I feel we can build on that at Donington, a track that suits the characteristics of the R1 and where I have won in the past in WorldSSP. Even the weather doesn’t look too bad, so I am looking forward to hitting the track on Friday morning for FP1!”