Nearing that ever important battle for the podium, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) head to the beach-side Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli full of anticipation, with a set-up for their YZF-R1 machines already in mind.

Lowes was able to make his 2017 podium debut last time out at his home round of Donington Park, and the British rider is hoping to continue this pace into the Pirelli Riviera di Rimini Round. The 26 year old is keen to get action underway around the 4.2km circuit, and is turning his attention to how he will tackle a tough round.

“It’s going to be a hot weekend in Misano,” begins Lowes. “I'm really looking forward to it. We had a successful test at the track, with a couple of things that I feel will give us more performance, and I have been looking at how I can improve personally to make that next step closer to the guys at the front! I know the team have been working hard during the two weeks off, so I can't wait to get out on the R1 on Friday and start work this weekend.””

Dutch rider van der Mark relishes the challenge ahead of him, and is feeling more positive with experience around the circuit on board his Yamaha. Putting in a substantial amount of laps throughout the test two weeks ago, the 26 year old feels positive steps have been made with his YZF-R1 as he makes his goals very clear.

Van der Mark explains: “I'm looking forward to Misano. We had such a good test there, nearly 180 laps, and it really felt like we made a step forward. It's also good for me to arrive at a track where I have ridden with the YZF-R1 before, so we don't start have to start from zero. The weather is looking perfect, so we can just focus on working on race pace from Friday, and my aim is to get on the podium.””

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