Pata Yamaha’s Michael van der Mark managed to finish ahead of team-mate Alex Lowes in just his third race for the team, with the Dutch rider crossing the line a credible fifth.
Van der Mark enjoyed a decent Yamaha debut in Phillip Island, taking top 10 finishes in both races. But he was 12 and seven seconds away from Lowes, who fought for the podium in both 22-lap contests.
The Dutch rider made big strides throughout practice, and guided his YZF-R1 to sixth on the grid, just a tenth away from his team-mate.
In the early laps of the opening race, the two Yamahas ran line astern, with van der Mark visibly quicker. Three laps in, van der Mark pounced at Turn 5 and made the move stick.
“I am really happy,” said the Yamaha rider. “Yesterday afternoon I did a race simulation which was OK, and we tried some things on the bike which meant I was a lot faster.
“In Superpole I put in a good lap; P6 for us is a good job. In the race I got an OK start and I stayed in the same position, in the beginning Alex and I lost time in the first two sectors where we missed some speed.
The 2014 World Supersport champion was able to quickly build a gap behind him once clear of Lowes, but the group ahead were too far away, so he settled into fifth spot through to the flag.
Feeling more comfortable on the bike than he did in Australia, van der Mark is hoping the team can make further strides in morning warm-up in order for him to capitalise on his front row start.
“I’m really happy to finish in fifth, it’s only the second race weekend with the team and I’m really happy,” he added.
“I felt really comfortable with the bike today, so this is a big step from Phillip Island. To start on the front row is good for us; hopefully we can stay a little bit closer in the first laps with the front guys.
“We missed the first few in the first couple of laps, hopefully tomorrow we can stay with them a bit longer and we can find some pace, because that’s all we need.”
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