Michael van der Mark’s (PATA Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team) home race became the latest to be rescheduled, with a new date set for August, following the coronavirus outbreak that is impacting on sporting schedules around the world. While the Dutchman will be disappointed not to race at Assen when scheduled, he did find positives to the new date – including not having the weekend disrupted by snow.

Van der Mark said: “As soon as possible, as soon as it’s safe, let’s race again. People are still talking about all three races at Phillip Island. It was one of the best Superbike weekends in a long, long time so when it’s safe to race let’s do it again. I’m happy they’ve found another date for the Dutch Round. The Assen World Superbike round is always quite big, a lot of fans there so it would be a shame if there wasn’t a World Superbike round at Assen. In August, in summer, I don’t think we can expect any snow this time!”

The situation is a difficult time for everyone with various restrictions in place to help stop the spread of Covid-19. For riders, this means training has been disrupted in terms of their normal routines. For van der Mark, it means looking at what is available in his garden to improvise some training routines as well as using his home gym.

27-year-old Van der Mark explained: “In my garage, I made a small gym and put everything there. I’ve got a nice treadmill which is uphill so I can do some sprints there. The more days you stay at home the more things you see you can use for training. All the small things in your garden, you don’t need to buy anything. It’s also quite interesting! You have to improvise with training. After a few days, you get better and better at it. We have to stay fit; we’ll all manage it okay.”

The Dutchman currently houses some chickens in his garden as part of his preparations for any potential lockdown. When asked about his chickens, he added: “Well I’m a bit worried that when I chase my chickens, they won’t lay any eggs! It’s all preparation for lockdown. We’ve got eggs, chickens, I have got some food there and I’m growing onions, garlic and tomatoes. You have to be prepared.”

Being prepared is something van der Mark is using for his training as he ensures he is in the best possible shape for the next round as van der Mark explains: “I’m just training to make sure I’m ready every day. If we have to race tomorrow, I’m ready. If we have to race next month, I will be ready. That’s my goal for now, and that’s the only thing we can do.”

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