After a more difficult 2015 season, the Ten Kate squad have already tasted the prosecco of the podium this year, with a good few visits to the rostrum for Michael van der Mark and a win for Nicky Hayden. Ahead of the summer break, WorldSBK.com caught up with Ronald Ten Kate to talk about the season so far, the riders – and where the Honda has improved to become a podium challenger once again.

“We’ve improved the bike in three areas,” explains the Dutchman. “The engine; where we created a bit more power, the electronics got a lot better, and on the chassis side we’ve done a lot of work, with different swingarms etc…so in those three important sectors we have improved and that’s what has made the bike faster. It’s not just horse power.”

The results in 2016 have certainly improved, with a podium for van der Mark kicking off the season in Australia in P3, before the Dutchman went one better the day after and went up a step further. Leading races then led to his first pole position – also a first for a Dutch rider in the World Championship – and he currently sits equal with Ducati’s Davide Giugliano on points in the title chase. As a second season, it certainly makes for good reading.

“We had a brilliant start to the season,” agrees Ten Kate. “He was blindingly fast. Even on tracks that we were struggling on last year – I mean he got his pole position in Thailand, which is a track that was really difficult for us last year. So that left a lot of hope for us, and then there was a downer for a couple of Rounds where the performance just wasn’t there. He was struggling with setup a bit and Michael himself was struggling but we’ve got through that and the second half of the season will be much better.”

The performances of van der Mark have not gone unnoticed, and neither has that notice gone unnoticed by his team.

“It’s flattering to see that so many people now see his potential. He’s a young rider, he’s a nice guy so he’s great for PR and he’s fast on the bike – and he’s still growing on the bike. So any manager who doesn’t look into Michael’s career would be quite stupid. We hope he’s going to stay one more year with us but this is silly season…so let’s see how silly it gets…”

With the summer break now upon us in the WorldSBK calendar, the rumour mill and contract negotiations are now in full swing. With Kawasaki Racing Team the only podium-finishing team in 2016 who have as yet confirmed their line up for the year ahead, there is much to play for. One rider who won’t be moving anywhere however is Nicky Hayden, with the American legend now just over half way through his 2-year deal with the Honda team, and a definite returner in 2017. So what is it like having a MotoGP superstar join the lineup?

“In the past we also had Carlos Checa coming from MotoGP, so that was quite different but Nicky was even more – it all exploded!” smiles Ten Kate. “Not just the press but PR in general, the fans and attention…which is good. It just gives us more motivation. Nicky is a great guy to work with. He comes from MotoGP, he’s a Champion there and even a Legend. From Day 1 he settled in with the team, working hard as ever. He’s known as working hard and everything and I can really say…yes he does live up to it! He’s a pleasure to work with and during the season he’s just building up and getting faster and faster, so there’s no question from me that we’re expecting to see him on the podium a few more times this year and we’re expecting a win in dry conditions too…”

Hayden has been an impressive WorldSBK rookie – long ago wildcard at Laguna Seca notwithstanding – and added another podium finish to his tally at his home Round in the US ahead of the summer break. In addition to his first WorldSBK win in wet conditions at Sepang International Circuit, the present is bright and the future even brighter.

“We’ve never stopped working on or believing in the project but sometimes you just need a bit of a boost and that win in Sepang was one,” says the Dutchman of the team’s first win since the departure of Jonathan Rea to Kawasaki at the end of 2014. “It was adrenaline for the team, and it had been a long time. We’re used to being frontrunners and 2015 didn’t bring that at all, so to be back at the front where we want to be and where we belong was really good.”

With both riders in the top 6 in the Championship and never out of contention for the podium or the victory, the team are certainly back to their frontrunning best. The last four Rounds of the 2016 season promise a great climax to the year, before 2017 is on the horizon and it’s mission: reset, ready to attack once again.