Van der Mark and Kennedy ready for Aragon round

FIM Supersport World Championship rider Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) leads off a strong Honda contingent as the Supersport World Championship heads for its second round of the season at Motorland Aragon in Spain this coming weekend.

Van der Mark was a revelation in the opening round, with the reigning Superstock 600 European champion for Honda making a superb full season debut in WSS in third place at Phillip Island, Australia, in late February. The 20-year-old Dutch rider has tested at Motorland last week which should help each of them make a good impact in the qualifying and race results.

A tenth place finish was a good start to his first full WSS season for Irishman Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda). He had been a fifth place qualifier in Australia, delivering an instant improvement in performance after the Rivamoto team had switched to Honda power in the winter.

Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda) had an incredible run of bad luck first time out on a Honda to miss out on points in race day but the proven WSS podium finisher is well capable of a strong result at the same Motorland circuit he finished third at in the 2012 round of the WSS series.

Michael van Der Mark (Pata Honda World Supersport Team)

"We had quite a good test at Aragon and in Australia we were fast so I hope we can stay in a good position all through the Spanish weekend. I am not saying I will be on the podium but I will hope to be in the top five again. It looks like we are quite consistent and we will be doing all we can to be in front again. Australia was something very special and everything we did was working. The best thing about Australia was that we found a good set-up and a good pace and I hope we can have the same in Motorland."

Jack Kennedy (Rivamoto Honda)

"I am confident, excited and ready to race at Aragon. It almost feels like the start of the season again because it has been such a long gap between starting the season and the next round coming along this weekend in mid-April. We managed to get a test in at Aragon two or three weeks ago but it was very cold and spitting with rain sometimes but the weather should be a lot better when we go back there to race."

 Sheridan Morais (PTR Honda)

"This will be pretty much my first round because I did not get to do a lot at the last race. I cannot wait to get started and I have been training pretty hard back home in South Africa. I hope everything runs smoothly. Last year I got on the podium at this event and fortunately when I tested the Honda for the first time it was at Aragon, at the end of last year, so I cannot wait to get going. I hope it all goes smoothly and we can be fighting at the front."