WorldSBK at Most: Michael van der Mark back in the saddle of the BMW M 1000 RR
Munich. The last race weekend of the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) before the summer break is scheduled for the upcoming weekend for BMW Motorrad Motorsport. The eighth round of the season will take place from 28th to 30th September at Most, Czech Republic. Michael van der Mark (NED) will be back in the saddle of his BMW M 1000 RR after his injury hiatus.
BMW Motorrad Motorsport arrives with fond memories of the racetrack in the north of the Czech Republic. Last year, Scott Redding (GBR) secured the third-place podium finish in the first main race. The BMW M 1000 RR’s potential on the track was also evident in the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) as Most was the venue for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team’s first victory in 2021.
Therefore, the goal of the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team, as well as the four BMW Motorrad factory riders Redding, van der Mark, Garrett Gerloff (USA), and Loris Baz (FRA), is to bid farewell to the summer break with strong results at Most.
Michael van der Mark, #60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I am really happy to be back again. It has been a long time and I am looking forward to this race. It won’t be easy as I missed a lot of races so for sure the speed won’t be there from the start, but I’m looking forward to being back on the bike and to be back working with the boys, and to at least have a race under my belt before the summer break. Now, I am feeling 100 per cent fit again so I can’t wait to be back out and to enjoy this weekend before the break.”
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “First of all, welcome back, Mickey! It’s great to have Mickey back on board after his long injury break. However, we don’t want to have too high expectations for him. The important thing is for him to get back into his racing rhythm on the BMW M 1000 RR before he launches a full attack after the summer break. Most is a track that has suited us well in the past. Combining this fact with the positive impressions we have gathered in the recent races, defines our goal for the weekend. Before the summer break, we aim to achieve strong results with our entire squad. The foundation for this needs to be laid in the qualifying, just like Scott and Loris did at Imola, and as Garrett would have done if he hadn’t had bad luck with yellow flags during Superpole. We approach the upcoming weekend with confidence!”