Two scintillating performances from Alex Lowes on Sunday saw the Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider add two more podium finishes to the one he achieved in Race 1, making it three from three for the 28-year-old Briton. Lowes took third in the morning’s Superpole race then backed that up by again racing to another podium in Race 2 in the afternoon. Michael van der Mark set himself up perfectly in the Superpole race, with a fourth-place finish from tenth on the grid securing him a second row start for Race 2, in which he also went on to finish fourth. GRT Yamaha Supported WorldSBK rider, Marco Melandri, overcame stability issues to finish sixth, while Sandro Cortese made it six top ten finishes in as many races by bringing his YZF-R1 home in seventh place.
As the afternoon’s main race began, a good start for Lowes saw him slot in behind eventual race winner, Alvaro Bautista, and reigning World Champion, Jonathan Rea on the opening lap. But while the Pata Yamaha rider had the speed to pull a gap on his pursuers and to match Rea’s pace, he didn’t quite have enough in reserve to overhaul the Irishman for second place. Rather than risk all for no gain, Lowes rode a fast and consistent second half of the race to secure his third consecutive podium of the weekend. The result consolidated Lowes’ third position in the championship standings with 53 points.
Van der Mark was made to work hard for his second fourth place finish of the day, after a slight mistake dropped him back behind Melandri, Cortese, and Leon Haslam early in the race. The Pata Yamaha rider managed to fight his way back through to again claim fourth place, which he held to the line with a slight advantage over his pursuers. Van der Mark remains fourth in the championship standings with 48 points, but with an increased margin over Melandri in fifth.
Melandri was heavily involved in the battle for fourth place from the start of the race but again experienced some stability issues that have plagued him throughout the weekend and, despite some aggressive passes as he tried to challenge Haslam for fifth place, the Italian was forced to settle for sixth at the chequered flag. Melandri lies fifth in the championship standings with 44 points.
Cortese was also a protagonist in the battle for fourth place for much of today’s 20-lap but lost contact with the group following a near high-side just four laps from the end. The reigning Supersport World Champion was quick to recover but simply ran out of laps as he chased back to the group ahead, leaving him to pick up his sixth consecutive top ten finish of the season in seventh place.
Words and Photos: Yamaha Racing (Europe)
