van der Mark acclimatises with no electronics

Michael van der Mark spends two days without electronic assistance on the PATA Honda as he concentrates on getting a feel aboard the Superbike.
van der Mark acclimatises with no electronics

Michael van der Mark spent his first two days on the PATA Honda Superbike with no electronic assistance so as to get a better feel for the CBR1000RR following his step up from the Supersport ranks.

The Dutchman got his first taste of World Superbike machinery during four days of testing in Spain, van der Mark spending the first two days dialling into the machine by trying it without electronics.

By day three van der Mark was using more electronics and a qualifying tyre, allowing him to get his best time down to 1min 41.437secs, just seven tenths off Alex Lowes' top time.

"When I first got on the bike on Monday it was certainly different, but I've really enjoyed this first test! The weather hasn't been so great but I started on the first two days with no electronics, just to get a feel for the bike and a new level of power.

"On Wednesday I used a bit more of the electronics and we made some really big changes just to see what each part of the system can do, so that was really useful. I was quite happy with everything this week and also happy with my lap times on old tyres.

"I also used a qualifying tyre on Wednesday and was able to go around a second faster on that, which is the expectation I think. Now, it's back to training through December before getting back on the bike in the middle of January, which is going to be a really busy month."

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