Pata Yamaha WorldSBK rider, Alex Lowes, got his home race weekend off to a flying start at Donington Park, ending the opening day in second place and only missing out on topping the timesheet by the narrowest of margins. Incredibly, teammate Michael van der Mark made his return to action today, just ten days after undergoing surgery on a fractured right radius. The Pata Yamaha rider ended the day in 11th position but is confident of improvement tomorrow.