Pata Yamaha Ready to Launch Triple-Pronged Assault at Donington Park

Setup

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team are fully motivated for their home event at Donington Park this weekend, Round 6 of the 2018 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship, as they prepare to challenge for honours with a three-rider lineup in the UK.

 Michael van der Mark is looking to bounce back from his Race 2 DNF in Imola and return to the form that saw him record a double podium at Assen.

Following on his double podium at his home round in Assen, Van der Mark rode to strong fifth-place finish in Race 1 at Imola before crashing out of Race 2 while in the hunt for the rostrum. The 25-year-old Dutch rider is looking to build on this pace at a track he enjoys riding and that plays to the strengths of the Pata Yamaha R1, highlighted by his ride to fourth in Race 2 at Donington Park last year when he missed out on the podium by just 0.784s. Van der Mark has also tasted victory at the circuit before, winning the WorldSSP race in 2014, and currently lies sixth in the overall championship standings with 113 points after 10 races.

Located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, Donington Park hosted its first motorcycle race in 1931. Requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence in 1939 at the start of the Second World War, it reopened its doors to racing in 1973. The 4,023km circuit has 12 corners in total, seven right-handed and five left-handed, plus a start/finish straight of 550m in length, and is known for its fast-flowing corners, dramatic elevation changes and its two hairpins.

The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team takes to the track at their home round for FP1 on Friday at 9:45 am local time (GMT+1) in the UK, with Race 1 scheduled for 1:15 pm GMT on Saturday, and Race 2 at 1:00 pm on Sunday.

Michael van der Mark

Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team - 6th - 113 Points

"I am looking forward to racing at Donington Park! It is always special to race in the UK and I am hoping to continue the progress we have made so far this season. After the double podium at Assen, we had good pace in Imola and I feel we can build on that at Donington, a track that suits the characteristics of the R1 and where I have won in the past in WorldSSP. Even the weather doesn't look too bad, so I am looking forward to hitting the track on Friday morning for FP1!"