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SBK, Van der Mark: "I told Toprak I would win instead of him."

"It's a shame we didn't get on the podium together, my goal was to steal as many points as possible while waiting for his return. It wasn't easy to keep believing in him these two years, but he brought fire to BMW."

SBK: Van der Mark:

Portimao 2021 - Magny-Cours 2024: Michael van der Mark returned to winning ways after a three-year drought, picking up another surprise triumph in the wet, riding a BMW. It was a statement of great significance both for the Dutch rider, who managed to come out on top in a very tricky long race that practically decimated the starting grid, leaving behind a nightmarish two-year period. Both for the Bavarian manufacturer, which found the 31-year-old in one of the most difficult moments of the season: the weekend in which it had to do without Toprak Razgatlioglu, halted by the injury suffered in Friday afternoon's frightening crash.

"Honestly, everything is very strange right now. We wanted to fight for the podium this weekend, yesterday we showed we had a good pace and it's incredible to have won this race. Even though the conditions were horrible, you still had to finish first," van der Mark commented at the end of the race. "It still feels unreal and it's a shame that Toprak and I are not on the podium together, but it's still good for the team to have taken another win."

Hard to put into words the value of this success.

"Honestly, it's been a very tough two years. It's not easy to come back with the current level of SBK, after losing a lot at the riding level due to two major injuries, and it was also hard for me to keep believing in it, but fortunately we have seen progress. Especially at the beginning of this year. That's also why BMW renewed my contract," the winner admitted, "This has given me a lot of confidence, allowing me to stay calm and keep building, but the last two seasons have been really difficult and I think BMW's progress and Toprak joining the team shows that, in the end, if you don't give up, stay calm and keep believing, you will get there."

It was an emotionally charged Saturday afternoon for Mickey, as also seen in the Parc Fermé. Where teammate Razgatlioglu was also there to celebrate him.

"Everyone here only sees me at the circuit, but it was not easy to be home so many times for so long. I think the biggest merits go to my son and especially to my girlfriend, who never complained and always motivated me and did everything for me, never even saying a bad word to me. Without them maybe I would have dropped out or something, but it's nice to have this kind of support at home," he underlined.

"What did Toprak say to me? It was good to have him here. He had a heavy crash and was really lucky. He has brought so much fire to the team this year and we work together so much, so I had told him before the race that my goal was to steal as many points as possible while waiting for him to come back," van der Mark added. " He told me that I deserved this win, and I told him that if he didn't continue the 13-win streak, I would take care of it. Now BMW has 14 wins in a row, and that's incredible. I hope to be back on the podium with him soon."

Despite the great pace shown in practice by the Dutchman , it was difficult to predict a victory for him before Alex Lowes' crash. Was that the moment when he himself realized he could do it?

"I didn't know how many laps to go and it was a really long race," he commented, "Honestly, at the beginning I thought mounting slicks was the right choice. But when it started to rain there was no grip with those tires and I think I stayed out one lap too many. Anyway, I got back on track ahead of Lowes after the pit stop, we had a good battle at the beginning and I thought that was the pace I should have kept, without pushing like crazy. Alex passed me and I tried to stay with him without taking too many risks. He was pushing pretty hard and unfortunately he crashed, but from there on it was a long race for me, in which to find a balance between the right speed and not taking too many risks."

The BMW rider once again proved to be a specialist in the wet, but the race could have had a positive outcome even without the rain.

"How far away is victory in the dry? I'm getting closer and closer. The only issue is that sometimes in the dry I fall back into my old habits. I am trying to adjust my riding style as I did yesterday, showing that it is getting better and better. I need a few more races in the dry," the 31-year-old explained, "I'm trying to change my style and I've almost completed it, although it's not easy, especially when you lose contact with the front group, because then you fall back into your old habits. It's something I have to avoid, but I'm learning a lot from Toprak and I think the way I'm riding, and even more so the way he's doing it, is the right way."

 

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