Superbike: Van der Mark confesses

Last year Michael van der Mark was the absolute protagonist in the Supersport Championship, so much so that he won the title with two races to spare.
Promoted to Superbike by the Pata Honda team with the label of predestined, the young rookie is however struggling more than expected to find the right competitiveness in the category, also due to a CBR1000RR with Superbike specifications inferior to its direct opponents.
Despite this, Van der Mark managed to gain the satisfaction of a double podium in Assen, in his home race in front of his fans.

Interviewed by WorldSBK.com, the Pata Honda rider spoke about himself, talking about the current season but also about future prospects.
We report the interview below.

Michael, once again you have surprised fans and professionals. How did things go from your point of view?

Lots of ups and downs. Each weekend was very different from the previous one. I collected a good number of points, but there were too many DNFs. We started the season without expectations and, despite this, we were very competitive in Australia – I even led race 2 for a few laps! For this reason, expectations grew a lot, but already from the next trip to Thailand we understood that we were missing a bit of power. I'm happy, but at the same time I'm not happy with how things are going.

How can the team resolve these issues?

We have to work on it. Every time there is something new to solve. It's really frustrating because the problem always comes when I'm coming back! We cannot get the full picture of the situation as it is never the same thing. However, I am sure that the team will be able to remedy this situation.

The Assen round was a clear demonstration of how much the Dutch fans care about you. How did it feel to receive such a response?

In Assen last year, I took my first victory in World Supersport and the crowd literally went crazy! The two podiums in Superbike were equally incredible. There were a lot more spectators this year than in 2014 and it was really special. We knew that the bike had always performed well in Assen, but everything else worked well too.

Your teammate is the reigning World Superbike Champion, Sylvain Guintoli. You're currently 30 points behind him, even though you did better on five out of eight occasions in qualifying. In the race, however, he did better than you 10 times, compared to yours 5. How do you explain it? Perhaps the lesser experience in the category?

No, it's not about inexperience, rather about technical problems. I only fell on two occasions and the same goes for him. We have completely different riding styles but the lap times are the same, so I think we both get the most out of the bike."

There are those in the paddock who say that Guintoli will not remain with the Pata Honda team in 2016…

If he is not happy, it is right for him to decide to leave. If he finds a new challenge to face, he should take it. I would do the same. I feel like saying that if there was the opportunity, I don't see why it shouldn't be done. I really like having him as a teammate, but in the end you race for yourself. We are very different in terms of driving, but we manage to get the most out of each other. It's nice to have someone with such a different style by your side.

The next trip on the calendar is Laguna Seca – it will be your first time there, right?

I have never been to the United States! It will be my first time and I can't wait. In all these years I have seen my current rivals racing in Laguna. Two years ago, Johnny (Rea) was injured and I wanted to replace him, but the team didn't let me! For my part, I had thought instinctively but Ronald (Ten Kate) told me: 'Your time will come'… and he was right!

Immediately after Laguna Seca you will go to Japan for the Suzuka 8 Hours, a competition of which you have won the past two editions. Could jetlag be a problem?

I usually don't have big problems with time zones. I'll just have to try to get into the right rhythm once he's on the plane. Whenever I went to Japan from Holland, I always slept; this time it will be more difficult, but I will try to do my best. The goal of winning for the third time in a row is ambitious, not only for me but also for the team. Suzuka is a truly special race. I really like the track and the same goes for the bike. Only by taking part in this race can you understand how special it is and I look forward to this new edition. The opponents are really competitive but, in the end, it is a competition lasting eight hours. As already seen in the last two years, anything can happen in this period of time; although some may be really fast for a stretch, the goal is still to finish the race.

Last week it was rumored that you would make your MotoGP debut at Assen, as a replacement for the injured Karel Abraham in the AB Motoracing team. In the end it didn't go that way, why?

I think it was all a big misunderstanding. It was a team decision, attributable only to budgetary issues. Both HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) and Honda Europe and the team agreed to let me race, but the team decided not to take risks regarding possible crashes and there was very little I could do about it.

If circumstances allow, could this become a reality later in the season?

I'm available (laughs)!

You said your goal is to use this year to gain experience and then aim for the title in 2016. You also expressed your desire to race in MotoGP. If you won the WorldSBK title next year, should we expect you to be gone for 2017?

I'm a young pilot. I believe that all young riders have MotoGP as their dream. We will see. If there is a valid opportunity I will go, otherwise I will stay in World Superbike. I like it here.