The Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team are ready for the season finale at Jerez this weekend, the final round of the 2017 STK1000 European Championship. Florian Marino heads to Spain second in the overall standings, just eight points behind the leader, knowing he has a chance to become champion. His teammate Roberto Tamburini’s aim will be to try and secure third in the championship standings as he looks to end an impressive 2017 season on a high.
Marino likes the Jerez track and finished on the podium in WorldSSP when he last raced there in 2014. The 24-year-old French rider has been in excellent form all season, recording five podiums and he now has a chance the be crowned the STK1000 champion in Spain if results go his way. Trailing Michael Ruben Rinaldi by eight points heading into the final race means if Marino wins his rival must finish in second to prevent him becoming champion. Despite the extra pressure, the former Moto2 rider will approach the Jerez race weekend with the same mindset that has seen him on the podium in the last two races at Portimao and Magny-Cours.
Tamburini has three podiums to his name in 2017 and is currently fourth in the championship standings with 95 points, 19 points behind the rider in third. The former Moto3 and WorldSSP rider has a good record at the Spanish track and was victorious in the STK1000 race in 2015, so is feeling confident that he can record his fourth podium of the season to end the year in the best way possible.
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 STK1000 Team take to the track at 9 am local time on Friday morning for FP1, with Saturday’s qualifying due to start at 15:00 pm and Sunday’s race scheduled for 15:15 pm.
Roberto Tamburini
Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team – 4th – 95 points
“It is the last race of the season, so it is very important to have a good pace with the R1M from the very first session. The track conditions at Jerez can change a lot from the morning to the afternoon, so we must make sure I have a good feeling with the bike in both types of conditions. My target is to be on the podium and to try and fight for the victory so that we can finish the championship in the best possible way.”
Florian Marino
Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team – 2nd – 120 points