An unlucky race 2 does not deter the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team concludes an unlucky fourth Superbike World Championship round at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit in Spain. While Eric Granado remains in hospital under observation after crashing in race 1, Hafizh Syahrin crashed out of Sunday’s race 2.

Early in the day, Syahrin made the most of morning warm-up, making some final changes in preparation for the ten-lap Superpole race. There was a short rain shower mid-morning but the track had dried in time for the ten-lap sprint. Holding his position through the opening stages, Syahrin oscillated between eighteenth and nineteenth battling with Baldassarri. Making up two places in the final stages, the Malaysian did well to cross the line sixteenth in this short sprint race.

The final race got underway at 2pm in dry conditions. The race came to an almost immediate end for an unlucky Syahrin, who was involved in a lap one crash at turn 4 with Sykes. The Malaysian rider was taken to the medical centre and then the local hospital for a check-up and CT scan but doctors have fortunately ruled out any serious injuries. Both Syahrin and Granado should therefore be back on track, fighting fit, for the next championship round.

Four rounds into the 2023 championship and Syahrin lies nineteenth in the general standings with six points, while Granado is yet to place on the scoreboard. The next WorldSBK round will see the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team compete at the Misano World Circuit in Italy over the weekend of 2-4 June.