Marino Maintains Podium Run in STK1000

2017-05-01 11:41
PATA Yamaha Official STK1000 Team's Florian Marino made it two out of two podiums in 2017 as he claimed third at the TT Circuit Assen in a shortened nine-lap race on Sunday. His teammate Roberto Tamburini was involved in a multi-rider incident that led to the original race being red flagged, but managed to take to the grid for the re-start and secured a brave ninth place despite injuries sustained in the crash.

Marino, starting from pole, was quickest to react when the lights went out in the original race and led into the first corner. The Frenchman didn't look back and quickly opened up a 0.9s lead before the multi-rider incident at turn 17 at the end of the first lap that brought out the red flag. In the re-started nine-lap race he got bogged down off the line and had dropped to fifth after the first few corners. Undeterred, he calmly started to make his way back to the battle for the podium. First taking his teammate Tamburini for fourth, then just a lap later moving into third at the expense of local wildcard Danny De Boer. Less than a second behind the leader with just four laps to go, Marino tried his hardest to close the gap to the front, but to no avail. He crossed the line in a hard-fought third place, 2.4s behind eventual winner Toprat Razgatlioglu, taking his second podium of the 2017 season. The French rider is now third in the FIM Superstock 1000 European Championship standings with 38 points after two rounds, nine points behind leader Michael Rinaldi and in a strong position heading to round three in Imola.

Teammate Tamburini started from third on the grid in the original race, but after a poor start found himself down in seventh before he was involved in the incident at the Geert Timmer Bocht Chicane at the end of the first lap that brought out the red flag. The Italian suffered a neck injury, but was able to walk away and managed to get his Yamaha YZF-R1M back to the pits. It was then a race against time to get his damaged bike ready for the re-start. His team did an incredible job and he courageously took his place on the grid for the re-started race. The podium finisher last time out in Aragon enjoyed a much better start second time around and was involved in the battle at the front during the opening lap. He fought valiantly to hold off the riders behind him and despite not being able to do the lap times he was capable of, Tamburini took the chequered flag in ninth and collected seven vital championship points. He currently sits fourth in the standings with 23 points.

Following the race Tamburini went for a further medical checks for a suspected spinal cervical sprain, contusions and a fracture on the 5th cervical vertebra. A further medical update will follow.

Untitled Florian Marino
Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team

“Today was a little disappointing, it was not the result I wanted. The season is long, so to be on the podium is good for the championship. In the re-started race I did not make a good start and riding behind the others for the first time this weekend I lost a bit of rhythm. I probably forgot to breathe a bit and I was not feeling as good as before. That was the best I could do and I can’t be unhappy about that.”
Untitled Roberto Tamburini
Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team

“My start in the first race was not so good. At the end of the first lap at the final chicane another rider made contact with me and I crashed. Thank you to my mechanics who managed to repair the bike very quickly. I had a much better start in the second race, but the feeling with the bike was not as good so I decided to just try and take as many championship points as possible. I hurt my neck in the crash so now it is complicated to see if I will ride in Imola.”
Sandro Carusi
Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team Manager

"We enjoyed a good start to the weekend. We were fast during Free Practice and Qualifying and hoped for a better a result at the end in the race. A third place is still a good result for the championship, and Tamburini also managed a good result bearing in mind the damage to his bike after the crash. We know now that he sustained an injury which will require some recovery time, so we will have to make some decisions on the next races and wish him a very speedy recovery."

Source: Yamaha Motor Europe N.V.

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