Mackenzie a fraction outside the top ten in WorldSBK race 2 at Assen
Competing for the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team, rider Tarran Mackenzie has concluded the Dutch WorldSBK round at Assen with a very encouraging eleventh place finish in an action-packed second Superbike race.
With the wet weather having conditioned sessions across Friday and Saturday, the SBK field was not surprised to face cold, damp conditions for the morning warm-up, with most riders choosing not to exit so as to avoid any unnecessary risks. Norrodin completed just a couple of laps, while Mackenzie remained in the garage.
Conditions remained cold but dry for the ten-lap Superpole sprint race. From fourteenth, Mackenzie lost ground through lap one, slipping to eighteenth and giving himself work to do as the race progressed. Doing his best to get into a rhythm, the British rider was able to gain one position during this brief sprint, crossing the line seventeenth. Twenty-first on the grid, Norrodin did his best to stick with the riders immediately ahead but soon lost contact. On lap five, Adam took the decision to pit, having struggled with an electronics issue.
The second and final 21-lap Superbike race started in the dry at 2pm local time (CET). Mackenzie held fourteenth through the first corners, while Norrodin moved into twenty-first a couple of laps in. The Malaysian made up another position on lap five, while the Brit found a good rhythm, battling with fellow Honda rider Vierge during the central phase of the race for twelfth place. Rain began to fall with eleven laps to go but did not overly impact on the action, with the track surface soon drying again. Fighting all the way to the line to reach the top ten, Mackenzie retained a strong pace throughout and crossed the line a strong eleventh, just one tenth of a second from tenth. Norrodin was determined to complete the race and collect more important data, the young Malaysian crossing the line twentieth.
With the seven points scored this weekend, Mackenzie now places nineteenth in the general standings, while Norrodin is yet to score points. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team now has a long wait for the fourth WorldSBK round, which will run at the Misano World Circuit in Italy over the weekend of 14-16 June.
Tarran Mackenzie P11
“We worked well together as a team, making this weekend very positive, and today’s race was really good. Achieving P11 is my best SBK result so far, and it feels great to earn solid points. My bike is the same as in Barcelona, but I’m starting to understand how to ride it better. Each race provides me with more experience, which is invaluable in race situations. I’m pleased that I could keep up with some skilled riders and feel like I’ve gained a lot of useful insights. Despite the rain at times, I managed the situation as best as I could and thoroughly enjoyed the race. Being competitive boosts my confidence and motivates me for the upcoming races. I’m extremely happy and grateful to the team.”
Adam Norrodin P20
“A really difficult weekend for me. We had an electronics problem during the Superpole race, which is why I had to come into the pits in the end. We made a big change for Race 2 and the feeling was better, but we need to understand more in order to come to a good compromise in terms of setup. I also struggled with arm pump this weekend, which was strange. I had no problems with it in Australia or Spain, but it’s been an issue here, so I need to understand how to manage that situation and improve my general feeling with the bike. Hopefully we can find something during our next test session next month; we need to work out how to make progress.”
Full Results * Courtesy of DWO
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