Michael van der Mark and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, who both scored podiums for Pata Yamaha at Portimão last weekend, combined for 254 laps overall on board their Yamaha R1 Superbikes across the two days, with a special focus on front and rear grip in hot conditions at the Spanish venue.
On the opening day of running, van der Mark used the track time to test various set-ups and although he posted the eighth fastest time, the Dutchman was confident that the team had highlighted areas for improvement on the bike. That potential was confirmed on day two, with van der Mark setting the second-fastest time across the test, in which he racked up a total of 129 laps.
On the other side of the garage, Razgatlıoğlu was also testing a number of new parts in the morning on Thursday, as the team focused on rear grip improvements, and the Turkish rider was fourth quickest by the end of the session. On day two, Razgatlıoğlu continued to search for improvements in race pace, with the in-form youngster going seventh quickest, despite not using a softer specification tyre due to late rain, and completing 125 laps overall.
Pata Yamaha will now head to the next WorldSBK round at Motorland Aragón with valuable data, as they look to fight for victory with van der Mark and Razgatlıoğlu, as both look to close the gap at the top of the riders’ standings.
