The Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team is excited to get back into action at Round 7 of the 2018 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship at Brno this weekend, following their sensational weekend at the last round in Donington Park. Fresh from securing the double race win at Donington, Michael van der Mark is highly motivated to get back on track in the Czech Republic to continue his form. Teammate Alex Lowes recorded two strong fourth-place finishes in the UK and will be hoping to build on these results after the team held a successful private test in Brno recently.
The Pata Yamaha team head to Brno for the first time in anger as WorldSBK marks its comeback to the Czech track this weekend for the first time since 2012, confident after their sensational weekend at Donington Park and a recent two-day private test at the circuit.
Van der Mark secured a historic maiden WorldSBK victory in Race 1 at Donington Park and then went on to double up in Race 2 to cap off an emotional weekend in the UK. The 25-year-old became the first ever Dutch rider to win in the WorldSBK Championship and it was also the first victory for Yamaha since 2011, after their return to the championship in 2016. The 50 points he collected have seen him leap into title contention, with van der Mark now third overall in the championship standings with 163 points, just 18 behind Chaz Davies in second.
Lowes recorded two strong fourth-place finishes in Donington after battling for the podium in both races and leading for the majority of Race 2. The 27-year-old British rider is now hoping to return to the podium in Brno – after his third-place finish in Thailand – as he looks to continue the momentum he has been building at the last few rounds. Lowes is currently seventh in the championship standings with 118 points, trailing his teammate by 45 points.
The Automotodrom Brno welcomes back WorldSBK in 2018 after a six-year hiatus. The tradition of motorcycle racing in Brno dates back to 1930 on the so-called ‘City Circuit’. The first Czechoslovakian Grand Prix was held in 1965 when the 500cc class raced over thirteen laps of the original 13.94 km street circuit. The current circuit was first used for GP racing in 1987 and is popular with both fans and riders alike, with the new track built in a natural bowl which is banked in places to offer spectators an excellent view. Brno constantly changes in elevation as it sweeps across forested hillsides and its fast undulating corners test rider talent and engineering to the limit. The track itself is 5.403km long with 14 corners, eight right and six left-handed, with a number of short straights (maximum 637m) that have been known to provide spectacular overtaking opportunities and racing in the past.
Round 7 of the 2018 WorldSBK Championship kicks off for the Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team when they hit the track for the first time on Friday morning in Brno at 9:45 am local time (CEST) for FP1, with Race 1 due to start at 1 pm on Saturday and Race 2 at 1 pm on Sunday.
Michael van der Mark
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 3rd – 163 points
“After Donington, I’m even more motivated to arrive in Brno! I am so happy with the wins there and the performance of the R1. I’m pretty sure that the bike has improved even more after the test we did in Brno, so I am excited to see what we can do there. I am looking forward to riding on this great track and I will be fighting as hard as I can to get back on the podium again!”
Alex Lowes
Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team – 7th – 118 points
“After testing at Brno, I’m really looking forward to going back there to race. I haven’t ridden the track much in the past but I fell in love with it at the test. It’s a fantastic circuit with some changes of elevation and some fast flowing corners. I think it suits the R1 and my goal is simply to fight for podiums. See you there!”
