Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) showed strong pace in Race 2 at the Autodrom Most as he battled for a podium although the Dutchman had to settle for fifth place. The #60 got a lightning start as the lights went out and took advantage of some drama ahead of him to move into third place on the exit of the opening chicane, before eventually dropping to fifth in the final third of the race at the Autodrom Most.

Van der Mark's weekend was compromised from Tissot Superpole after he crashed at Turn 20 early in the 15-minute session although he was able to get back on his M 1000 RR towards the end and secure 16^th place on the grid. He finished ninth in Race 1 and crossed the line eighth in the Tissot Superpole Race, although received a one-place penalty for overtaking under yellow flags. That dropped him to ninth but still secured the BMW rider a third-row grid slot for Race 2.

The Gouda-born rider used his ninth place starting position to full effect, surging up the order as the lights went out to move into third behind teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu and Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati). He lost ground to the lead duo and was soon caught up by Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha), who demoted him to fourth, and then Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) who ensured the five-time race winner finish in P5.

Explaining his Race 2 charge to fifth and lamenting an error in Superpole, van der Mark said: “It was our goal coming here and I think the results weren’t as good because I messed up in Superpole with a crash. I started from 16^th on the grid which isn’t ideal. With the WorldSBK field being so close together, you can gain some places but it’s always difficult to recover more than six places. It’s been a really good weekend. We had a nice Race 1, finishing ninth, and in the Superpole Race, the goal was to be in the top ten and I managed to finish ninth. Then, for Race 2, I had a fantastic start and had good pace at the beginning of the race. I stayed with Toprak and Bulega and tried as hard as I could as I wanted to get away from the people behind me. I lost a bit of contact with Toprak. I was managing the gap to Locatelli quite well but, at one point, he was a bit faster. Later on, Gardner also passed me. I gave it my all. I enjoyed it a lot to be able to fight for the podium again. Our goal is to be in the top six and luckily, at the end of the weekend, we finished in fifth place.”

The Dutchman, who has not been on a WorldSBK podium since Race 2 at Mandalika back in 2021, also explained how a lack of running in those positions in recent seasons potentially cost him the podium. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old will be able to take confidence heading into Portimao – the scene of his last victory, in the 2021 Superpole Race – that he could turn his 16^th place in Superpole into a fight for the rostrum on Sunday afternoon.

When asked what made him drop back in the final stages, van der Mark explained: “I pushed as much as I could at the beginning of the race to stay with Toprak and Bulega and to get away from the guys behind. I think I just pushed too hard. I was overriding a bit. It’s been a while and when you can smell a podium, you push in the wrong areas. I had to stay calm there, but if we were in these positions more often, I would get the pace back for the whole race.”

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