VALUABLE POINTS FOR PATA YAMAHA WITH TOP SIX FINISHES AT ARAGÓN
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team with Rizla riders Michael van der Mark and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu enjoyed a solid result in fifth and sixth positions respectively during Race 1 at MotorLand Aragón today. After making refinements to the set-ups of their Yamaha R1 machines in preparation for the first points-paying race of the weekend, both riders were determined to be able to fight for the podium.
However, with less than a second covering the top 12 riders in an incredibly tight Superpole session this morning, the Pata Yamaha riders found themselves starting uncharacteristically from the third and fourth rows of the grid, with Van der Mark in eight and Razgatlıoğlu in 11th.
Van der Mark made an impressive jump to fifth position within the first few corners of the opening lap, carving his way through the competition. He was able to stick to the tail of the leading group of riders and at one point make a brief appearance into the podium positions. The Dutchman maintained his own pace in fourth for the second half of the race and was caught only by Michael Ruben Rinaldi’s Ducati at the long back straight on the penultimate lap.
Michael van der Mark: P5: “We made some changes this morning on the bike after yesterday, and I was feeling strong. In FP3 I felt really good with the bike and then in Superpole I was happy with my lap, but it was just not enough to be on the first two rows because the field was so close. Eighth was not ideal but I did at least have a decent start in the race, gaining a couple of places in the first few laps. I had good pace but I struggled in some areas to stay with the guys in front of me. That meant I had to play catch up every lap and at a certain point I was just a little bit slower and struggling more. I’m happy with the overall pace and unfortunately Rinaldi passed me at the end, but I think if we can improve the bike on some small areas, for sure we can fight for a podium tomorrow.”