VAN DER MARK STRONG ON OPENING DAY AT PORTIMÃO
Pata Honda’s Michael van der Mark was second-fastest overall after today’s two free practice sessions in preparation for round eight of the 2014 World Supersport championship at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve in Portugal. The 21-year-old Dutch ace, who currently leads the series, dominated the afternoon session when a strong wind affected lap times. He finished more than six tenths quicker than rival Kenan Sofuoglu, who topped the combined times today, just four hundredths of a second ahead of Van der Mark.
Michael van der Mark: “This morning started really well and I had a really good feeling with the CBR which allowed me to go fast immediately. This afternoon the wind was really strong compared to the first session so it was difficult to beat the earlier times. I still had a good feeling though, and the changes we made to the set-up worked really well and I was even able to improve my lap time. I’m really happy with the bike and I think tomorrow we can focus on race set-up for Sunday.”
Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator: “Michael stayed second on combined times but he was easily the fastest this afternoon. His last run was a series of laps that were consistently faster than the second fastest guy so we’re looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings.”