WorldSSP – Mackenzie and Ibrahim Norrodin conclude WorldSSP round ten at Aragón

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team and riders Tarran Mackenzie and Ibrahim Norrodin have completed round ten of the 2023 Supersport World Championship at Motorland Aragón in Spain. With Adam Norrodin out of action due to injury, he was replaced this weekend by younger brother, Ibrahim.

Both Mackenzie and Norrodin made the most of this morning’s warmup, working to identify a solution that would give them a little more in the subsequent race. Keen to improve on yesterday’s performance, the duo was in a determined frame of mind as they took to the grid ready for a 12.30pm CET race start. Tarran got away very well when the lights went out, making up several positions right off the line to move into twenty-third position. Lapping with slightly stronger pace than the group ahead of him through the first half of the race, the Brit worked hard to close in on his nearest rivals. Gaining one more position in the final stages, Mackenzie ran a consistent race that he concluded in twenty-second position, the race red flagged on the very last lap due to an incident for another rider.

Competing in Supersport for the first time this weekend, Ibrahim positioned twenty-eighth through the opening stages of this 16-lap race, losing a little time in the general chaos of the first corners. Despite his lack of experience, the young Malaysian was able to battle with, and pass, two of his rivals over the course of the opening laps. Considering the gap that had meanwhile opened up ahead of him, the young rider was unable to execute any more passes but did gain a further three positions, effectively managing the latter stages of the race and crossing the line without incident in twenty-third place.

After ten of twelve championship rounds, Mackenzie lies seventeenth in the general standings with 40 points, Adam Norrodin twenty-third with 20. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team will be back in action already next weekend, with the eleventh WorldSSP round taking place at the Internacional Autódromo do Algarve in Portugal from 29 September to 1 October.

Tarran Mackenzie P22

“Today went better. We made a change overnight that allowed me to improve in warm-up and match my time from qualifying, and I then set a personal best in the race. I knew coming into the weekend, following our recent test, that I struggle through certain sectors more than others. But I ran a better race anyway and worked hard to catch the guys in front. As the tyre performance started to drop, I found it a little trickier and then the red flag came out at the end, so I didn’t have an opportunity to pass anyone else. Overall, a much more positive day though, and now we only have a couple of days before we’re back at it at Portimão, where I hope we can find something more.”

Ibrahim Norrodin P23

“We struggled a little in race 2; it didn’t go as I expected, to be honest. I made a bad start and had trouble passing Okaya, which caused me to lose time. Once past him, I tried to push and lap as fast as I could but I knew I couldn’t catch the riders in front of me, because the pace of those immediately ahead was in line with mine. So I focused on maintaining my pace and avoiding any mistakes. Then the red flag stopped us one lap ahead of time, and I finished P23. I’ve learned a lot this weekend anyway, and will try to harness this experience during next week’s Portimão round.”

Full Results *Courtesy of WorldSBK