Pata Honda rider Michael van der Mark returned to the World Supersport championship podium for the first time in five months after finishing third in the 11th-round race at Istanbul Park in Turkey.

The thrilling 16-lap race was won by Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu, sparking noisy celebrations from the large crowd, with series leader Sam Lowes finishing second. Van der Mark’s Pata Honda team-mate, Lorenzo Zanetti, was fourth.

Dutch ace Van der Mark, 20, battled closely with both Sofuoglu and Lowes in the early laps before settling into a more comfortable rhythm that allowed him to secure his first podium finish since the second round at Aragon in Spain on 14 April.

In contrast, Zanetti had a relatively slow start and had to fight his way back through the field from 11th place in the opening stages. The 26-year-old Italian took fourth place on the final lap to finish less than three seconds behind his Pata Honda team-mate.

Michael van der Mark – 3rd

I had a really good start and the first few laps were good. I wanted to go faster but the grip level was not like this morning so it was a bit difficult. I tried to follow Sam and Kenan but I was too much on the limit so I tried to find my own rhythm. I kept an eye on the group behind, who closed the gap a bit so I had to push a bit harder and keep the gap. For a few races now, we have had the speed for the podium but now we finally got here, so I am happy for that. It was quite difficult to stay with the different riding style that let me improve my grid position yesterday. I need to work on it some more because with all the adrenalin in the race it’s hard to concentrate!

Lorenzo Zanetti – 4th

I’m a bit angry because of a stupid mistake. I didn’t do a test start after warm-up this morning and we had changed the engine and the clutch. It made a big difference and I lost a lot of positions at the start. Our tyre choice was good though and I had a really good rhythm, but I lost a lot of time overtaking other riders. I am sure that my pace and rhythm would have allowed me to fight for third place and maybe even with Kenan [Sofuoglu] and Sam [Lowes], at least for the first part of the race. Fourth is not too bad and I’m happy for Mikey [van der Mark] and the team with the podium. I want another podium before we finish the season and maybe fight for third place in the championship.

Pieter Breddels – technical co-ordinator

Michael got a really good start from the third row and got up to second for a short time. He was never threatened for third place though and another podium after such a long time is great news. It hasn’t been so easy to find a good setting or pace this weekend, so it’s a great result for him and his crew. Lorenzo didn’t have such a good start and had to fight his way forward. But he showed what a strong racer he is by finishing fourth so, all-in-all, it’s been a really good day for the Supersport team.

2013 World Supersport championship, round 11

Istanbul Park, Turkey – 5.340km, 16 laps

Race result:

1 Kenan Sofuoglu (TUR) Kawaskai

2 Sam Lowes (GBR) Yamaha

3 Michael van der Mark (NED) Pata Honda

4 Lorenzo Zanetti (ITA) Pata Honda

5 Roberto Rolfo (ITA) MV Agusta

6 Roberto Tamburini (ITA) Honda

Championship pointsafter 11 of 14 rounds:

1 Lowes 205, 2 Sofuoglu 156, 3 Fabien Foret (FRA) Kawasaki) 121, 4 van der Mark 107, 5 Zanetti 99, 6 Luca Scassa 74.