VAN DER MARK DEEPLY IMPRESSED AT LAGUNA
Michael van der Mark worked hard with his Pata Honda crew on the opening day of the ninth-round World Superbike championship at Laguna Seca in the USA today. Van der Mark is visiting the USA and Laguna Seca for the first time and was deeply impressed by his initial laps of the 3.61km circuit, which included his first encounter with the infamous Corkscrew. The Dutchman made steady progress learning the demanding circuit and ended day one in 14th place, but is confident of further improvement in tomorrow’s third Free Practice session ahead of Superpole, which will determine grid positions for Sunday’s two 25-lap races.
Michael van der Mark – P14, 1m25.636: “It’s just amazing to ride this track. I’ve looked forward to it for a long time and the first couple of laps certainly impressed me. Riding down the Corkscrew for the first time, was… well, I can’t really use the words I want to, but it was incredible! I really enjoyed riding the track today but we still need to keep working on the bike, step-by-step, to improve the time. I hope tomorrow we can make a big step, because we need it, but I’m learning my way round here and I’m loving it.”