Michael Van Der Mark "pushed too hard" after incredible start

After 11 races outside the top six, Michael Van Der Mark returned to podium contention at the Czech WorldSBK round.

Van Der Mark made a brilliant start in Race 2 as he immediately cemented himself in the top three.

After a few laps the BMW rider began to come under pressure however, with Andrea Locatelli and Remy Gardner eventually getting the better of him.

But after a few difficult races, it was just the end to the weekend Van Der Mark needed.

Speaking after Race 2, Van Der Mark said: “It was our goal coming here and I think the results weren’t as good because I messed up in Superpole with a crash. 

"I started from 16th on the grid which isn’t ideal. With the WorldSBK field being so close together, you can gain some places but it’s always difficult to recover more than six places. 

"It’s been a really good weekend. We had a nice Race 1, finishing ninth, and in the Superpole Race, the goal was to be in the top ten and I managed to finish ninth. 

"Then, for Race 2, I had a fantastic start and had good pace at the beginning of the race. 

"I stayed with Toprak and Bulega and tried as hard as I could as I wanted to get away from the people behind me. I lost a bit of contact with Toprak. 

"I was managing the gap to Locatelli quite well but, at one point, he was a bit faster. Later on, Gardner also passed me. I gave it my all. 

"I enjoyed it a lot to be able to fight for the podium again. Our goal is to be in the top six and luckily, at the end of the weekend, we finished in fifth place.”

Keen to stay at the front of the field for as long as possible, Van Der Mark also hinted at overriding as a reason for why he lost more grip compared to the two Yamaha riders.

Van Der Mark stated: “I pushed as much as I could at the beginning of the race to stay with Toprak and Bulega and to get away from the guys behind. 

"I think I just pushed too hard. I was overriding a bit. It’s been a while and when you can smell a podium, you push in the wrong areas. 

"I had to stay calm there, but if we were in these positions more often, I would get the pace back for the whole race.”