BMW confirm Ukrainian Ilya Mikhalchik as Van Der Mark’s WorldSBK replacement
Mikhalchik will replace the five-time WorldSBK race winner following a fractured leg injury that was sustained during a mountain bike accident two weeks ago.
Van Der Mark, who claimed BMW’s first WorldSBK win in eight years during the 2021 Superpole race in Portimao, missed last week’s two-day Misano test, which was crucially the German manufacturer’s first outing of 2022.
While it remains to be seen whether Van Der Mark will be fit in time for next month’s season opener which takes place at Aragon (8-10), Mikhalchik will make his WorldSBK debut during a two-day test in Barcelona (March 25-26).
The Ukrainian rider will then take part in the official Dorna-run test at MotorLand Aragon on April 4-5.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director, said this about the decision to call up Mikhalchik: "First of all, we wish Michael a good and speedy recovery, of course. His absence shortly before the start of the season is obviously very unfortunate.
"With him being absent we partly were missing a reference to last year’s topics which made the test work a bit more difficult. However, in Ilya we have a very good replacement, who will stand in for him at the next two tests.
"With him we can now work through the test list, fine-tune the 2022 package and Michael’s crew can gel. Ilya knows the BMW M 1000 RR well and is thus able to provide valuable input.
"He is a strong BMW factory rider and has thus earned the opportunity to test the WorldSBK package.
"Nevertheless, our two days of testing have been overall very constructive. Our new riders could gather experience with the BMW M 1000 RR and get acquainted with the new developments."
The well-established Endurance World Championship rider is no stranger to the WorldSBK paddock after having previously competed in WorldSSP.
