2014 World Supersport Champion Michael van der Mark will get his first taste of the Pata Honda WSBK-spec CBR1000RR next week as he will take part in a four day private test at the “Circuito de Jerez”, Spain on November 24-25 and then again on the 27^th and 28^th after a day off. Despite having been part of the winning team in the last two editions of the Suzuka 8 Hour, the Dutch rider knows the Honda 1000cc machine fielded in the Superbike World Championship will be a lot different than its World Endurance counterpart. Van der Mark is looking forward to the new challenge and he is aware of how high the level of competition in the series is.

“Well of course I have been successful in both the Superstock 600 and the World Supersport series and my aim is to try to do the same in the Superbike World Championship. It won’t be easy as the level of competition is much higher here, but I have a great team and a very good bike on my side, so I think step by step I can make my way up to the front.”

“I think it’s going to be a completely different bike than the one I rode at the Suzuka 8 Hour the last two years, but even then it didn’t take much time for me to get used to the bike, so I think it will all be about fine tuning my style and the package we have. I’m really looking forward to get on track aboard the Pata Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP as it will be the start of a new adventure for me. I’m really excited and can’t wait to work alongside with Sylvain. It’s really cool to have two reigning champions in one team but of course there’ll be a much bigger pressure on him. I’m a young rider, he’s an experienced one and I think we can do great things.”