Bringing Dutch delight to the TT Circuit Assen, Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) took his first ever double podium in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, ending the weekend with a third position.

After a stunning display on Saturday, the Dutch rider felt he didn’t have the same level of pace on Sunday, however with a strong motivation and supportive home crowd he was able to keep a cool head and take the final spot on the podium. Putting in some strong opening laps, he was up and fighting for the podium early on and then pushed to keep with the leaders. Coming into some difficulty in the final three laps, van der Mark was able to glide his YZF-R1 home to third position.

Van der Mark: “I am really happy with how the weekend went, and I am so happy with the podium in race two. After the start from eighth place I didn’t feel like I had the pace, so I struggled a bit but I kept trying and Jonathan passed me. I kept with him for a long time and I was feeling ok but he finally left. I was hoping that together with Jonny we could catch Tom, but I didn’t work out. But I’m really happy with third place, in the home race with a double podium is amazing. I pushed a bit more today as I came from eighth, especially in the first laps and I had to stay calm as I knew my pace could be ok. We gained a lot of confidence, it’s good to fight with the front guys and see what we can improve with them.”

On the other side of the garage, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) had a difficult weekend in The Netherlands, crashing and rejoining the 21 lap race. After a stunning Superpole lap to get him his debut pole position on Saturday, it was a disappointing end to the weekend.

However the British rider is already looking ahead to bounce back ahead of the next round in Italy: "It was a tough race, there is not a lot to say really. I crashed at the chicane when the front let go without any warning, I got back on and that was it, the race was finished already. So it wasn't the best day for me and of course, I'm really disappointed, but the team had good results with Michael and I will look to bounce back with a strong weekend in Imola after the Brno test."

Relive all the action from the MOTUL Dutch Round, with highlights, races and interviews all with the WorldSBK VideoPass.