Superbike: Difficult moment for Michael Van der Mark

For Michael Vd Mark this does not seem to be an easy moment: far from the podium in SBK since Assen, where he achieved two third places amid the enthusiasm of the home crowd, he was counting on the Suzuka 8 Hours to demonstrate to Honda that he deserved greater support , but he wasn't even able to take part in last Sunday's race due to the very bad accident involving Casey Stoner.

“Even though it wasn't his fault, Casey kept apologizing,” he said Van der Mark Vd Mark– “He wasn't angry, just sad. It was a big disappointment, I have never felt so down in my life. After so much work, finishing like this... The whole garage, in reality, was in tears. I've never seen anything like it. It's testament to how hard everyone involved in this project worked.”

Despite the disappointment, the young rookie still gained valuable experience for the continuation of his career: “At the end of each session I stood next to Stoner to listen to his impressions and comments. It was encouraging to see that he and I, as well as Takahashi, were making the same observations.”

However, Michael was counting a lot on the historic race of the 8 Hours of Suzuka with a view to the future, having never hidden the desire to make the big leap into MotoGP, where Honda invests most of its resources: his name had actually been circulated, but the His chances actually appear slim.

“My contract requires me to continue in SBK. I didn't ask to do a test on a MotoGP, and I don't have concrete options to change category, also because there are some Honda satellite teams that have great potential but are facing difficult financial situations."

Consequently, he hopes that the parent company, which has made it known that it has no intention of launching a new road super sports bike before 2017, maintains its intention to invest more in Superbike, bringing the CBR closer to the fight for the podium.
There is already a first novelty for next year and it is the passage, already confirmed, from the Cosworth system to Magneti Marelli electronics, which will also allow us to make closer comparisons with our rivals.

“If Honda were to officially commit again, things could improve” – he commented Van Der Mark -“But even if there was a larger budget at our disposal. Racing like this isn't easy, you basically race only on your teammate. Seeing the bright side, I work alongside the world champion, and together we try out-of-the-ordinary solutions."

Not even in Sepang, where he is taking part in the Pirelli Malaysian Round, things are not going better: excluded from the Superpole at the end of free practice, he was barely able to enter the second heat, hindered according to him by Maetteo Baicco.
Van der Mark was visibly furious at the end of qualifying, and his mood was not improved by seeing his teammate Sylvain Guintoli take a sensational front row finish in third place.
However, the CBR Honda seems more competitive here in Sepang, so we'll see what happens in tomorrow's two races, where the young Dutchman intends to give his all to go on holiday peacefully.