Lowes heads into the Laguna Seca weekend with his confidence high, after a successful home round at Donington Park just one week ago. The 28-year-old Briton only narrowly missed out on a podium finish in front of his home crowd, but two top five finishes saw him close the gap to his Pata Yamaha teammate in the championship standings. Lowes has the podium firmly in his sights this weekend at Laguna, a track at which he also finished on the podium twelve months ago.
Donington Park saw van der Mark return to action just ten days after undergoing surgery following a heavy practice crash in Misano. It was an incredible performance from the Pata Yamaha rider, who raced to three top-ten finishes in Great Britain to pick up vital championship points. Van der Mark heads into the Laguna Seca round confident that his injured wrist will not adversely affect his performance, as he targets the top five in America.
GRT Yamaha’s Marco Melandri heads to the United States for his first race weekend since announcing that he will retire at the end of the 2019 season. The veteran Italian, who has racked up 75 podium finishes and 22 race wins since making his WorldSBK debut with Yamaha in 2011, is aiming to end his final season on a high, starting this weekend at Laguna Seca.
Once again Cortese will be facing a steep learning curve this weekend, as it will be his first at Laguna Seca, where only the MotoGP class raced when the reigning Supersport World Champion was racing in Moto3 and Moto2. A strong start in free practice on Friday will be critical if Cortese is to achieve his goal of adding to his tally of top ten finishes in California.
The iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was originally built in 1957 and is located in Monterey County, Central California. Hosting its first WorldSBK race in 1995, it was a permanent fixture on the calendar until 2004, before making its return in 2013 and being ever-present since. It is 3.610km long, has 11 corners, four right and seven left-handed, breathtaking elevation changes of over 55m and, of course, features the infamous Corkscrew. It is only the WorldSBK class that races at Laguna Seca and the on-track action kicks off for the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team on Friday at 10.30 local time for FP1, with both races taking place at 14.00 on Saturday and Sunday.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“Laguna Seca is an iconic circuit and one that is quite tight and technical but a lot of fun to ride. It has lots of changes of elevation, with the biggest coming as you drop down the infamous Corkscrew, which Is always a buzz when you get it right! The goal is to fight for the podium once again this weekend, to go into the summer break on a high note.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“it’s great to be back in the USA, especially when we got to race at such a fantastic circuit as Laguna Seca. My wrist has improved a lot even in the week since Donington and, while it’s still not back to full fitness, I’m looking forward to racing again this weekend. In Race 2 at Donington I felt that I could have fought for a top five finish if I’d had the grip, so that’s the goal here at Laguna Seca.”
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Tag Archives: Alex Lowes
Hard Fought Fourth for Lowes to Round Out His Home Race Weekend
A difficult Superpole session for both Pata Yamaha riders yesterday, in which Lowes qualified eighth and van der Mark 16th, had a marked impact on today’s two races. In the Sprint Race both riders were working their way steadily through the field only for the race to be stopped with three laps remaining, with Lowes running sixth and van der Mark eighth, when oil was dropped at the Melbourne Hairpin.
Both Pata Yamaha riders got a good start in Race 2, but as Lowes worked his way towards the front of the pack in the opening laps, van der Mark came under immediate pressure as he struggled for rear grip. At half race distance the Dutch rider had passed Ducati’s Chaz Davies for eighth position, which he held to the chequered flag.
The second half of the race was much busier for Lowes. Having got the better of Baz to move up to fifth, the Pata Yamaha rider tried on two occasions to pass Haslam for fourth at the Melbourne Hairpin, only for his fellow countryman to close the door both times. Lowes eventually made the pass stick on the penultimate lap, with Bautista now more than a second ahead in third. A spirited chase on the final lap saw Lowes close the gap to less than half a second, but he wasn’t quite close enough to challenge for the final podium place in the final corner and had to settle for fourth at the line.
Donington proved a difficult weekend for the GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese, but for different reasons. Melandri and his crew struggled all weekend to find a set-up that the Italian was comfortable, an issue that was exacerbated by the lack of dry track time on Saturday. Despite the issues, Melandri raced his way to tenth place in both of today’s races but was disappointed not to have secured better results at a track he rates as one of his strongest.
Cortese was unfortunate to crash heavily at the Melbourne Hairpin this morning, on the dropped oil that caused the Sprint Race to be red flagged. While Cortese was lucky to walk away uninjured, the crash caused major damage to his R1 and the GRT Yamaha mechanics did well to get it rebuilt ahead of Race 2, in which the reigning Supersport World Champion picked up points with a 13th place finish.
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Loris Baz, finished fifth and sixth in today’s two races, which saw his points tally for the weekend increase to 28, the same number of points scored by Pata Yamaha’s Alex Lowes. The Frenchman’s performance, in only his third race weekend aboard the R1, underlines the competitiveness of the Yamaha package.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P4 – Championship Position 4th – 192 Points
“The issues in Superpole yesterday set us back a little bit today. We made some changes to the bike ahead of the Sprint Race and, while I didn’t feel quite as good as I was expecting, towards the end I was coming on strong in what was quite a tight group. With only seven laps because of the red flag it didn’t feel like much of a race to be honest. In Race 2 I knew it was going to be difficult to get away with the leading group starting from further back, but I felt I managed the race well. I was really strong at the end, but not quite close enough to challenge for the final podium, but there were plenty of positives we can take into the Laguna Seca race next week.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P8 – Championship Position 3rd – 206 Points
“We made a change to the bike after the Sprint Race and I think we maybe went a little bit in the wrong direction, as I was struggling for rear grip from the start and couldn’t use the new tyre like everyone else. I actually got a good start but then dropped back quite quickly and there wasn’t much I could do about it. I had good pace, but I’d have liked to have been able to push harder. We have to be happy with the points we’ve scored this weekend, given the injury, but as a racer I know that if I had the grip then I’d have been able to fight with Alex and the other guys. The wrist was much better than I was expecting this weekend, so now I can look forward to Laguna with some confidence.”
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Solid Results for Lowes and Van Der Mark in Wet Race 1 at Donington Park
Grey skies and a wet track greeted the WorldSBK riders as they headed out for Superpole this morning, but with the rain easing ahead of the session a dry line was quick to appear, although neither of the two Pata Yamaha riders were able to take advantage.
A crash at Goddards early in the session meant that Lowes and his crew erred on the side of caution and opted for intermediate tyres when he returned to the track for his one and only qualifying run. While his first flying lap put him second on the timesheet, Lowes was eventually demoted to eighth place as his slick shod rivals posted faster laps in the final minutes. Teammate van der Mark suffered a similar fate, missing the window to pit for fresh tyres, which left him 16th on the grid after completing the whole session on wets.
The rain returned just after midday, making for tricky track conditions for WorldSBK Race 1. Both Pata Yamaha riders took a measured approach in the early stages of the race, getting a feel for the conditions as the field was reduced by numerous crashes. Having caught and pressurised Alvaro Bautista until his crash on lap 11, Lowes then rode alone in fifth place for most of the race, lapping consistently and retaining focus all the way to the chequered flag to pick up valuable championship points.
After some brief battles early in race, including riding around the outside of Toprak Razgatlioglu at Hollywood to break into the top ten, van der Mark also found himself racing alone. The Pata Yamaha rider, who underwent surgery on a fractured right radius only ten days ago, eventually finished in eighth position to consolidate his third place in the championship standings.
It proved a difficult Race 1 for the GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese. The Italian struggled with a lack of rear grip throughout the 23-lap race, which he started from the third row of the grid but managed to pick up points with a 14th place finish. After a good start from 12th on the grid Cortese was challenging for the top ten when he crashed without injury at turn eight just nine laps into the race.
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Loris Baz, was once again the first Yamaha rider home in wet conditions. The Frenchman was involved in the battle for the podium in the early stages, eventually finishing fourth and top independent rider on his R1.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P5
“It was difficult today because I felt like I didn’t have any grip on corner entry and exit for the whole race and, for the first five laps, it felt like I didn’t have enough temperature in the tyres. Then I sort of found a bit of a rhythm and caught Alvaro, but the race had broken up by then and I was sitting fifth with a big gap in front and a big gap behind. From then it was a case of bringing it home. It’s a shame because I didn’t feel like I was really racing, but happy to take the points for a top five finish because, as we saw today, it was very easy to make a mistake in the conditions. Hopefully the sun will be shining tomorrow and we can do a bit better.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P8
“We learned a lesson in Superpole this morning but, in the end, the race turned out quite well for us. It was a wet race and, with the injury, I didn’t want to take too many risks, especially as the conditions were particularly tricky today. I got a really good start from way back on the grid and I had good speed, but it was really difficult with so much spray from the bikes in front. It took me some laps to build confidence and that allowed the leading group to get away from me, but I think that was a good thing in some ways, because the goal today was first just to complete the race and then to score points. I had a good rhythm, a few good battles and I’m happy to finish inside the top ten today, as it was way better than we expected coming into the weekend. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s races.”
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Strong Start for Lowes on Opening Day at Donington Park
Lowes was quickly up to speed in FP1 this morning, which he finished in third place despite a high-speed crash at the infamous Craner Curves towards the end of the 50-minute session. The 28-year-old Briton and his crew made small set-up changes for the second free practice session this afternoon, in which Lowes improved his lap time by over half a second, to end the day in second place and just 0.018s behind compatriot Tom Sykes.
It was a tentative van der Mark who exited pit lane to test his injured right wrist in FP1 this morning, but the 26-year-old experienced no pain from the injury and complained only of slightly restricted mobility on his return to the pit box after his first run. Despite the cautious start van der Mark was an impressive fifth at the end of the 50-minute session. The Pata Yamaha rider was unable to improve his lap time as he worked on refining the set-up of his R1 in FP2 this afternoon but is confident of improvement ahead of WorldSBK Race 1 tomorrow.
Cortese discovered once again today just how different a circuit looks from behind the screen of the Yamaha R1 compared to the R6 Supersport machine he rode to victory at Donington Park 12 months ago. The 29-year-old ended FP1 in 14th position, but then made a significant improvement in FP2, as he quickly adapted to the demands of racing a Superbike around the unforgiving Donington circuit, to end the day in seventh position.
It proved a difficult opening day for Melandri, who struggled with front-end chatter in both free practice sessions today. It proved frustrating for the Italian, as the chatter meant he was unable to make any headway with the set-up of his R1 at a track he rates as one of his strongest and the one at which he took his first ever WorldSBK race win aboard the Yamaha R1 back in 2011. Melandri is hopeful that he and his crew will find a solution tonight, ahead of Superpole and Race 1 tomorrow.”
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P2 – 1’27.751
“it’s great to be here and riding in front of my home crowd. I feel really good on the bike, even with the little tip off this morning. I say little, but you don’t have a small crash at Craner Curves. It was my mistake; I crashed on a cold tyre after a slow lap, so sorry to the guys for giving them some unexpected extra work today. This afternoon the bike felt good again, but I still want to improve the braking phase a bit more tomorrow, to give me a little more margin. It’s been a positive day, I’m happy with where we are and it’s also good to see Michael back on the bike so soon after his injury. It shows just how tough he is.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P11 – 1’28.529
“I think I was more nervous ahead of FP1 today than I am before a race. I was pretty confident the injury wouldn’t be a problem, but you never really know until you’re actually on the bike. I felt good on the bike from the start, with no pain, but I am missing a little bit of mobility, which means I can’t move around the bike quite so well. Every lap I was feeling a bit better but I’m not as smooth as normal and that made it a little difficult to get the bike set-up. In the afternoon we tried to improve the bike, to make it a little smoother and easier to ride and, while I didn’t manage to improve my lap time, this wasn’t really the goal. I did a lot more laps than I was expecting today; this morning before FP1 I would have been happy to pick up some points in the races, but now I think we can target the top ten.”
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Lowes Seeking Home Race Success as Van Der Mark Targets Racing Return at Donington Park
While Lowes has been a regular podium finisher in 2019, a race win has so far eluded the 28-year-old Briton. The Pata Yamaha rider heads to Donington Park with his sights set firmly on the podium once again but, with the added motivation that racing in front of your home crowd brings, hopeful of stepping onto the top step for the first time this season.
Van der Mark heads to the United Kingdom determined to race at Donington Park this weekend. The Pata Yamaha rider has completed an intensive rehabilitation program since undergoing successful surgery to stabilise the wrist injury sustained in his Misano crash, the cause of which is still being investigated. Van der Mark will have to undergo a mandatory medical examination on Thursday but hopes to be sufficiently recovered from the injury to be passed fit to race.
Should van der Mark be unable to race at Donington Park then his place in the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK team will be taken by McAMS Yamaha British Superbike rider, Tarran Mackenzie. A former British Supersport Champion with prior World Championship experience in the Moto2 class, Mackenzie took his debut British Superbike win on his R1 in the opening round of the 2019 season in Silverstone.
For the two GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK riders, Marco Melandri and Sandro Cortese, the goal for the Donington weekend is to build on what was a successful outing last time out in Misano. Melandri returned to the podium for the first time since the opening round in Australia, with third place in Race 1 in Italy, while Cortese was also battling for the podium in both the sprint race and Race 2, before crashes brought his challenges to an end.
Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Loris Baz, heads to Donington determined to further close the gap on the top five in all three races. The Frenchman, who only returned to the WorldSBK Championship in Jerez, mastered tricky wet conditions to finish fourth in Race 1 in Misano, but is still searching for a set-up that would allow him to challenge at the front in the dry.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I’m excited about racing in front of my home fans at Donington Park this weekend. I only get one chance to do this in a season and I’m really looking forward to it. The Donington Park track is so much fun to ride, especially the section that takes in Craner Curves and the Old Hairpin, which is easily my favourite part of the circuit. While most of the track is fast and flowing, the last sector is more stop start but always brings close racing. The target has to be to win in front of my home crowd, especially after coming so close last time out in Misano.”
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“I knew as soon as I’d had the surgery on the wrist that a return to racing at Donington Park was a possibility, so that’s what I’ve been working towards since. I haven’t lost any strength in the wrist, which was my main concern. The movement is still slightly restricted, but I’ve been having physiotherapy since Misano to improve this. It has hardly impacted on my training and I’ve been able to train with the same intensity as I did before the injury, so I hope to be passed fit to ride this weekend. It’s good to have Tarran there on standby, as the medical assessment and actually racing the bike are two very different things. I will only really know if I’m fit to race, rather than just fit to ride, after FP1 on Friday.”
Lowes Returns to the Podium in Sweltering and Slippery Misano
Rising temperatures and a slick track surface made for a difficult first outing for the WorldSBK grid today but, unfazed by the tricky conditions, Lowes rode an intelligent race to second place in the 10-lap sprint race. Grip was at even more of a premium for Race 2, with a number of riders caught out by the increasingly unpredictable track, but Lowes again rode to the limit dictated by the conditions, to round out his weekend with another points scoring finish in fourth place. The results mean that Lowes remains fourth in the championship standings with 164 points, but with the gap to his teammate in third now just 24 points.
It proved a frustrating day for GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Sandro Cortese, with crashes in both races while running close to the front. The reigning Supersport World Champion made the most of a front row start in the sprint race to initially challenge for the podium but was left disappointed after losing the front and crashing out of third place just after half race distance. Cortese was keen to make amends in Race 2 but, again, the GRT Yamaha rider was caught out by the tricky conditions in the early stages and crashed while running with the lead group. Cortese managed to rejoin and salvage a single point in 15th place at the chequered flag.
Marco Melandri rode an impressive sprint race, which he started from 19th on the grid as a result of a penalty imposed after Race 2 in Jerez. The veteran Italian picked up places on every lap to eventually finish sixth and claim a second row start for Race 2. Unfortunately, Melandri was unable to capitalise on this due to a crash on lap 13 while challenging for the podium positions. The GRT Yamaha rider remounted but finished outside the points in 16th place.
Loris Baz continued his familiarization with the Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK R1 today, but with hot and sunny conditions replacing the torrential rain of yesterday, the Frenchman was unable to replicate his top five finish in Race 1 today. 12th in the sprint race this morning, Baz rounded out his Misano weekend with a points scoring 12th place finish again in Race 2 this afternoon.
Pata Yamaha’s Michael van der Mark returned to the Misano paddock today, following his heavy crash in FP2 on Friday. The Jerez race winner was sporting a plaster cast on his injured wrist but was able to confirm that further examination had revealed that the two ribs thought fractured on Friday were in fact just bruised. Van der Mark will undergo surgery at Rimini Hospital to plate his fractured right radius, after which a decision will be made in conjunction with his medical team as to when he will be fit to return to action.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“The weekend has been a pretty good one overall, marred only by the mistake yesterday when I was trying to win Race 1. I got caught out by new standing water, which was a bit unexpected at that point in the race, but I’ll learn from it. This morning was good, and I was expecting to be stronger this afternoon, but we struggled a bit with acceleration as the temperature rose and grip went down. We’d made some changes to the bike compared to Friday, but the worsening track condition made it difficult to assess whether these were an improvement or not. It was tough for everyone in the race today. I tried to pass Haslam a few times, but I didn’t feel comfortable on the front and couldn’t make the passes stick, so I had to settle for fourth in the end. Now it’s off to Donington, my home track, after a two-day test in Suzuka – I’m looking forward to it!”
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Unlucky Van Der Mark to Miss Misano Races After Dominating Day One
Having shown his potential with second place in FP1 this morning, van der Mark was the fastest rider on track in FP2. The Pata Yamaha rider looked all set to improve on his previous best time as the session drew to a close, but his flying lap ended with a heavy crash as he exited the final turn. The session was red flagged while circuit medical staff attended to van der Mark by the side of the track, before transporting him to the medical centre.
After further examination in the medical centre van der Mark was diagnosed with concussion, fractures to the radius and trapezium bones in his right wrist and fractures to ribs nine and ten on his right side. The Pata Yamaha rider was transported to Rimini Hospital, where he will remain under observation for 24 hours as a precautionary measure, before undergoing surgery to plate the radius fracture.
“When you see an accident as severe as Michael’s today, it really brings home the risks that all the riders take when they are pushing to the limits,” said Pata Yamaha Team Principal, Paul Denning.
“Thankfully he is ‘basically’ ok, despite injuries that will rule him out of the races this weekend. Of course, this is a huge disappointment for him, the team and for Yamaha because – following Jerez’s superb victory – Michael’s outright pace and consistency here in Misano had set him up to again challenge for the race wins. His parents, girlfriend Nadieh and Andrea Dosoli are with him at the hospital, we know he is in good medical hands and at this moment everybody involved in Yamaha’s WorldSBK project sends Michael all the best wishes and positive energies we can for a swift recovery. His potential is clear and we can’t wait to see Michael back on the R1,” concluded Denning.
It was a solid opening day for the remaining Yamaha riders, despite the hot conditions resulting in a distinct lack of grip compared to the recent two-day test at the circuit. Cortese managed the conditions well and was one of the few riders to improve on his FP1 time in this afternoon’s second free practice session, with the reigning Supersport World Champion ending the day fourth on combined times.
Lowes was satisfied with the progress made today, having spent both practice sessions working on race set-up on used tyres. The Pata Yamaha was missing some feeling from the front of his R1 but is confident that he and his crew can find a solution ahead of qualifying tomorrow.
For Melandri the focus for tomorrow is on improving available grip and the feedback from both the front and rear tyres. The Italian was ninth fastest today but is confident of improvement tomorrow.
Also confident of improvement tomorrow is Ten Kate Yamaha rider Baz who, together with the team, is still learning how to get the best from the Yamaha R1 with which they made their debut last time out in Jerez.
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P5 – 1’36.380
“The track temperature is a lot higher and the track is more slippery than it was when we were here for the test a few weeks ago. Today we just worked through the program, staying on used tyres, but I still need to find a bit more confidence with the front of the bike. We’ll have a look through the data tonight to find a solution ready for tomorrow, but the main thing is that Michael is relatively okay after what was a big crash in FP2. That’s not how you want to end the day after setting the fastest time but, hopefully, he’ll be back on the bike very soon and I wish him all the best.”
Pata Yamaha's Van der Mark Aiming to Repeat Jerez Success in Misano
While Jerez proved an unlucky round for Alex Lowes, with a series of incidents seeing him pick up just two points, the 28-year-old Briton’s speed and consistency over the course of the weekend means that he heads to Misano with his sights set firmly on a return to the podium. After a solid debut in Jerez for the Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK squad, which culminated in a top ten finish in Race 2, Loris Baz heads to Misano keen to close the gap on his Yamaha mounted rivals.
Van der Mark heads into the Misano weekend riding a wave of confidence, after a stellar performance in Jerez. Podium finishes in both Race 1 and the Superpole Sprint Race proved just a warm-up for the Pata Yamaha rider, who went on to claim his and Yamaha’s first race win of the 2019 season with a dominant ride to victory in Race 2. It’s a performance that the 26-year-old is keen to repeat this weekend in Misano, a track at which all five Yamaha riders tested a few short weeks ago.
Lowes was denied a podium finish in Race 1 when he was the innocent victim in a last lap, last corner incident with Jonathan Rea, for which the reigning World Champion was later penalised. Unfortunate crashes in the remaining two races may have made it a weekend to forget for Lowes, but the 28-year-old Briton showed he had the pace for the podium and, as a result, heads into the Misano race weekend confident he can fight at the front once again
Jerez saw Melandri return to the podium for this first time since the opening race in Australia and, having found a set-up on the GRT Yamaha R1 that better suits his riding style, the veteran Italian is confident that there is more to come. Melandri rates Misano as one of his favourite tracks and he heads to Italy’s Adriatic coast determined to give his home crowd something to cheer about this weekend.
Sixth in Race 2 in Jerez, his best result of the season to date, means Cortese heads into the Misano weekend with the top five firmly in his sights. Like Jerez, Misano is a track the reigning Supersport World Champion knows well and one of the very few circuits at which he’s tested the R1 prior to a race weekend.
Baz rounded out his debut race weekend aboard the Ten Kate Yamaha R1 with a top ten finish in Jerez, a result that Frenchman is keen to build on this weekend in Misano. Baz and the team still face a steep learning curve, after returning to the championship midseason, but the Ten Kate Yamaha rider is confident that their combined experience will stand them in good stead as they work to close the gap on the other four Yamaha riders.
The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is a fast, flowing, and technical track located next to the picturesque town of Misano Adriatico in the province of Rimini, North East Italy. A firm favourite with riders and fans alike, it held its first event in 1972 and has been a permanent fixture on the WorldSBK calendar since 1993. The track underwent extensive modifications in 2006, with the direction reversed so that races now run in a clockwise direction. The iconic track, which is 4.226km in length, comprises ten right and six left-handed corners together with a 510m long start-finish straight.
Onboard Lap YouTube
Michael van der Mark talks through a lap of the Misano World Circuit
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“We had a great weekend in Jerez with two podium finishes and our first race win of the season, so we head to Misano now with a really good feeling. We tested in Misano less than a month ago and, although the weather wasn’t ideal, we got enough dry track time to make things a little easier for us to get up to speed quickly this weekend. We have a really good package now, as we saw in Jerez, so I’m pretty sure we can enjoy another great weekend in Misano and fight once again for podium finishes in all three races.”
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“After a good test in Misano a few weeks ago, and with speed we showed in Jerez, I’m looking forward to getting back on track this weekend. We didn’t get the results we were hoping for in Jerez, but rather than going into Misano looking to make amends, I’m going to stick to the working process with my guys that has worked so well for us all year. We showed we had the pace to challenge for the podium in Jerez, so we know we can do the same this weekend in Misano. It’s always a great atmosphere when you race in Italy and, unlike the test, this weekend looks like it’s going to be a scorcher!”
Pata Yamaha’s Van Der Mark Storms to Race 2 Victory in Jerez
Despite starting the Superpole Race from seventh on the grid, van der Mark managed to fight his way through the field to finish second, which secured him the front row start he needed to launch his challenge for the victory in Race 2 this afternoon. The Pata Yamaha rider got a good start and, after a brief battle with Melandri and Toprak Razgatlioglu in the early stages, the Pata Yamaha rider then shadowed reigning World Champion, Jonathan Rea, as the pair quickly pulled away from the pursuing pack at the head of the race.
Seven laps into the race, as Rea’s pace started to drop and the chasing group began to close again on the two leaders, van der Mark made his move, outbraking the Kawasaki rider into turn two to take the race lead. The Pata Yamaha rider rode faultlessly for the remainder of the race, increasing his lead over Rea with every lap to win by more than three seconds. The victory, the first for Yamaha this season, consolidated van der Mark’s third place in the championship standings, which he now holds with 188 points.
While van der Mark enjoyed success in Jerez, it was a different story for his teammate, Lowes, who had a day to forget. Despite showing impressive pace all weekend, the Briton was denied a podium finish yesterday by Rea’s overly ambitious passing attempt at the final corner and then picked up just two points in the two races today. A crash while battling with his teammate in the Sprint Race was followed by another on the opening lap of Race 2, as Lowes got pushed wide into turn two, having started from tenth place on the grid. The Pata Yamaha rider managed to rejoin the race, picking up two points for 14th place at the chequered flag.
Melandri repeated his podium success from yesterday by finishing third in the Sprint Race this morning but missed out on points in Race 2 this afternoon. The GRT Yamaha rider led the race away from the line, but a collision with Chaz Davies at turn five saw both riders crash out of the race after just six laps. Melandri has since been sanctioned for the incident.
It was a successful weekend in Jerez for Cortese, with the reigning Supersport World Champion enjoying a return to form after a difficult weekend last time out in Imola. The GRT Yamaha rider finished ninth in the Sprint Race, before going on to claim his best result of the season to date with sixth place in Race 2.
It was a solid debut weekend for the Ten Kate Yamaha Supported WorldSBK team and their rider Loris Baz. The Frenchman was forced to retire from the Sprint Race on the opening lap due to a technical problem but bounced back to add to his points tally with ninth place in Race 2 this afternoon.
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“What an amazing day! I was a bit upset with myself in the Sprint Race because I tried some optimistic overtakes that lost me a lot of time but in the end, I managed to finish second, which put me on the front row for Race 2. I got a good start but then Johnny passed me quite quickly and I was happy to sit behind him and conserve my tyres after Alvaro crashed out. But his pace wasn’t quite what I wanted to do and I could see the group behind were starting to catch us, so I decided to put in a pass and see if I could pull away, which I did. It’s been an incredible weekend and the bike has been great, with only very small changes required. I’m really happy with the progress made with the bike, so many thanks to the team and to Yamaha for all their hard work.”
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK
“It’s been a tough weekend here in Jerez. In Race 2 I was pushing to make up places after starting from tenth on the grid, because I knew we had the pace to run with the guys at the front if we could get there. I got pushed wide in turn two, which is a bit tight when everyone arrives at the same time on the opening lap, and I slid off. Not what I was hoping for, but the bike was working really well at this track, we had good speed and we were consistent. Unfortunately, we were also a bit unlucky. We need to focus on these positives and continue working so in the same way so that we come back stronger in Misano. Congratulations to Michael and the team on the win today.”
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Yamaha Enjoy Strong Opening Day in Jerez
Van der Mark and Lowes made their mark early in Jerez, with the Pata Yamaha pairing making it a Yamaha one-two at the top of the timesheet in FP1. While van der Mark continued working to improve braking stability in FP2, Lowes opted to run a race simulation to evaluate tyre endurance, critical for the two feature length races in Jerez, where track temperatures will be far higher than those experienced during winter testing at the circuit back in February.
Both Pata Yamaha riders also used today’s two free practice session to confirm their findings from last week’s Misano test, with positive results.
Melandri and Cortese also benefitted significantly from the progress made at the recent Misano test. Melandri in particular was extremely positive about the improvements to his Yamaha YZF-R1, after rediscovering the confidence that has been absent since Thailand saw him finish today sixth on the timesheet.
After a difficult weekend on his first visit to Imola two weeks ago, Cortese was back on the pace today in Jerez, a track at which he has a lot of experience and which he rates as one of his favourites. The reigning Supersport World Champion finished seventh today, less than a tenth behind his GRT Yamaha teammate, but is confident of further improvement ahead of tomorrow’s 20-lap Race 1.
Ten Kate Yamaha’s Baz got his first race weekend aboard the Yamaha YZF-R1 off to a solid start with 12th position in FP1 this morning. The Frenchman was looking to improve further this afternoon but lost valuable track time as a result of a high-speed crash at Turn 4 that, fortunately, he walked away from uninjured.
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P2 – 1’39.654
“It’s been a really positive opening day and I felt good with the bike from the start. The changes we tested in Misano really seem to have worked and that inspired a lot of confidence in the R1. We knew this afternoon would be interesting once the track temperature went up, so we wanted to see how the bike reacted to that. Again, I was quick from the start, but we still need to do a bit more work to improve on the brakes, as I’m still struggling a little to get the bike stopped. But, overall, I’m really happy with the first day here in Jerez.”
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha WorldSBK – P4 – 1’39.839
“We made a good start in FP1 this morning, finishing the session second behind Michael. This afternoon I did just over race distance on a set of tyres, which dropped us down the times a little but the pace was still good. We’ve got some new parts that we weren’t able to test over a long run at the Misano test because of the weather but, after today, we have a much better understanding of the bike and where we’ve improved. I’ve always been fast here in Jerez, so I know I can do the times, but we just wanted to work on the bike on worn tyres and in the hotter temperatures this afternoon, to get a better feel for how it’s going to be in the race tomorrow. A good start to the weekend and one on which we can build for the race tomorrow. I’m happy.”
