Van Der Mark Does the Double Dutch at Home in Assen

“Today was proper old school Superbike, with two long races in one day. This morning we had to go with the harder rear tyre because the track was quite cold. It made the bike difficult to ride because the rear was spinning quite a lot and there wasn’t so much feeling, but we knew this would be the case and it was definitely the right choice for the race. In the second race the temperature had risen enough to go with the soft option rear, but the pace at the start of the race wasn’t as high as I’d expected. I could see Johnny in front of me, but I was battling with a few riders and trying not to lose position, so I couldn’t chase earlier in the race. I tried to stay calm and, once clear of the battles, I managed to close the gap to Johnny and was planning to make the move with two laps to go. But then the opportunity came to go around the outside of him in a fifth gear corner a lap early, so I took it. After that we had a good battle, I think we touched at least once around the back part of the circuit, but we were both struggling for grip at that point. The team did a great job with the bike this weekend, so thanks to them, and a big thank you to the Dutch fans for their support, in what were very cold conditions for anyone sat in the grandstands. I’m happy we could repay them with two podiums today.”

“I didn’t feel so strong in the colder conditions of the first race this morning, but it was good to get into a bit of a battle with Leon in the race and even better to beat him to fourth place on the last lap. I felt a lot stronger in the second race, when the slight increase in temperature meant we could run the soft rear tyre. I got up into third after passing Michael and I felt quite good, but then when he came back past me there were a couple of sections where he was a bit stronger than me and I couldn’t quite stay with him. I have to be happy with two fourth places, as this was the best we could do here today, so I’ll take the points and start looking now towards the next race in Imola. Congratulations to Michael and the team, as it was great to see a double podium again today. There’s a fantastic atmosphere in the team and we’re making steps forward every week, which is good to see and great to be a part of.”

“It was a tough weekend after the big crash in Superpole yesterday. The torn collarbone ligaments meant I was in a lot of pain on the bike and I was lucky that Race 1 was postponed from yesterday to today, as this gave me chance to rest a little bit more. The first race was really tough; I had a lot of pain and had to change my riding style to compensate but, by the time I’d figured out how to ride the race was almost over and the pain came back. In Race 2 we worked a little on the bike and made a big step, which allowed me to fight in the top ten and eventually finish 11th. So, not many points today, but I’m happy with how, in this short time, the team managed to adapt the bike well. We know what we need to focus on for Imola, which is a short track where acceleration is important and demands a very different set-up compared to here. For me the focus is now on rest and recuperation so that I’m fit and ready for Imola.”

“The races were, if I’m honest, very difficult. Again, I had the same problem I’ve had since the start, with the bike almost impossible to get stopped on the brakes and difficult to turn. I can’t use my normal riding style because, with any lean angle, the bike is quite aggressive over the bumps. Where normally I am quite fast is currently the weakest point we have, so it’s not easy. The team is working hard but I think the cold and the characteristics of the Assen track have made a hard job even harder this weekend. We will see. We have three weeks now before Imola; different track, different weather, which will be a bit better but, well, it’s not easy at the moment.”

“The weather here in Assen made for a tough weekend, but the teams did a fantastic job to adapt to the changing conditions. The two Pata Yamaha riders have impressed this weekend with Alex bouncing back from two crashes on what was a difficult Friday to finish fourth in both races and showing his maturity by accepting that this was the best result possible in the conditions today. As the only Dutch rider in WorldSBK, Michael is under a lot of pressure to perform at his home race. With the support of the team he has managed that pressure exceptionally well and he certainly gave his home crowd something to cheer about with his double podium here today. The way in which he raced to third and second places today was impressive; he is one of the best riders I have seen at this track for quite a few years. We were expecting a reaction from Michael after the first three rounds without a podium finish, but this reaction here in Assen exceeded our expectations, so congratulations to him and his team. Sandro’s results were compromised by the big crash in Superpole, but he managed the situation and the pain really well today, to come away with two points scoring finishes despite the injury. Unfortunately, we are not currently able to give Marco the feeling he is looking for with the R1, but we are confident that this situation will change in the coming races and he will be back at the front again, as he was in Australia. Finally, congratulations to the Evan Bros. Bardahl Yamaha team for their one-two with Federico and Randy in today’s Supersport race. Congratulations also to Thomas Gradinger on his podium finish, his first in WorldSSP and also the first for an Austrian rider.”