Pata Yamaha Hunting for Podiums at Jerez

Setup

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team will be pushing hard to secure more podiums in Jerez this weekend at the penultimate round of the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship after recording their first ever double rostrum in Race 2 at the last round in Magny-Cours.

 Michael van der Mark is in sixth, just 11 points behind Lowes with 189 points, as the Dutch rider aims to continue the run of form that has seen him on the podium twice in the last three races.

Van der Mark is on an incredible run at the moment. The 24-year-old has really got to grips with his Pata Yamaha R1 during the recent rounds, with two podiums in the last three races to show for his efforts. He is also on a run of nine consecutive points-scoring finishes, highlighting the consistency the Dutch rider has as well as his outright pace. The 2014 Supersport World Champion has a superb record at Jerez, winning the WorldSSP race on his way to the title in 2014, finishing third in 2015 in his rookie WorldSBK season and recording a double top-six finish last year at the track. Van der Mark is feeling confident with the work done at the recent test and cannot wait to return to action in Spain for the penultimate round of the season.

The iconic 4.423km Circuito de Jerez is located 90km south of Seville in the sherry-producing Andalucía region in Spain. Opened back in 1985 it hosted its first WorldSBK race in 1990, becoming a permanent fixture on the calendar from 2013. The track consists of 13 corners, 8 right and 5 left-handed, plus a start/finish straight of just 600m and contains a mix of fast, sweeping corners and slow technical hairpins, with constant elevation changes. The track is incredibly popular with the Spanish fans, who always manage to create a positive atmosphere at the circuit and also in the nearby city of Jerez de la Frontera.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team hit the track for Free Practice 1 at 9:45 am local time on Friday morning, with Saturday's qualifying scheduled to start at 10:30 am, while both Race 1 on Saturday and Sunday's Race 2 due to start at 13:00 pm.

Michael van der Mark

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team - 6th - 189 points

"After doing a lot of testing this winter in Jerez and the progress we have made with the bike during this season, I cannot wait to see how we will go there. It is a track I have a good record at and at the moment, we are in a very strong position after great results in the last three races and a really productive test in Portimao. My mission will be to fight as close to the front as possible again and, of course, the podium would be even better!"