"It's been tough to watch": Former WorldSBK winner wants full-time return
Michael Van Der Mark admits “it’s been tough to watch” WorldSBK after losing his full-time seat.
Michael Van Der Mark admits watching WorldSBK from afar has not been easy as he makes his return in place of the injured Miguel Oliveira.
Van Der Mark lost his full-time seat at the end of 2025 when the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team decided to bring in a completely new line-up consisting of former MotoGP race winners Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci.
Van Der Mark has since become a test rider for BMW’s WorldSBK project, as well as racing for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.
The Dutchman made his WorldSBK return this morning during FP1 at Most, after replacing Oliveira who suffered multiple fractures in a crash at Balaton Park last time out.
It’s unclear how long Oliveira will be sidelined for at this stage, although it does mean that Van Der Mark has a busy few weeks ahead of him.
While disappointed to be replacing Oliveira under the current circumstances, this weekend’s races could be an opportunity for Van Der Mark to make an impression at a time where teams will be speaking to riders about 2027 seats.
And that certainly aligns with what Van Der Mark said heading into the weekend, as he admitted he wants to be on the WorldSBK grid.
Van Der Mark said: “It feels nice to be back racing, but I wish it were in a different setup because Miguel was having a good season so far.
It’s a real shame he’s out. I’m more than happy to help the team and ride his back. Everyone was saying you’ve got a quiet life with only four races in EWC, but now it looks like I’ll be fully booked for the next five weeks!
It’s been busier than before. It’s a different job, something I’ve been enjoying, but the thing I enjoy the most is being on the grid. I still have stuff to test, but when you go out in a race weekend, for sure, you go out in race mode.
“If I see an opportunity to get some good results, I’ll always go for it. It’s been tough to watch WorldSBK as I want to be on the grid. It’s good to see Miguel already getting some podiums and Danilo improving.”
