Mackenzie and Norrodin set to work at Magny-Cours

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team and riders Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin are competing in round nine of the 2023 Supersport World Championship at the Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit in France this weekend.

The first practice session revealed the complexities of the French circuit to the two young riders, both competing at Magny-Cours for the first time. Both Mackenzie and Norrodin made modifications to the setup of their CBR600RR machines during the first session. Mackenzie ultimately put in a 1’44.069 to place twenty-eighth, while a 1’44.443 was Norrodin’s best time of the session, with which he finished thirty-first.

The pair were not deterred by the dirty track surface – which caused crashes and a brief interruption with a red flag during the course of the afternoon’s second practice session – with both Tarran and Adam working hard to prepare for tomorrow’s Superpole and first race. Both riders were also able to improve on their earlier references, a 1’43.040 for Mackenzie putting him in twenty-third position overall at the end of Friday’s track action, with Norrodin finishing thirty-first thanks to a time of 1’44.053.

Tarran Mackenzie P23

“Another new circuit so I had to learn the track this morning, but I quite enjoyed that. We made a good step with the bike this afternoon and I had quite good fun. From Most onwards, I feel that I’ve really enjoyed riding the bike and that always helps you to ride a little better. The gap to the front is still there, but our position is better, so I think it’s all relevant and I’m confident I can find more time tomorrow. I’m looking forward to Saturday’s qualifying and race.”

Adam Norrodin P31

“A challenging day, it’s a tough circuit! We’re losing something in acceleration and need to understand how to manage this. We know we must improve in some areas, so we need to find something that allows us to move a little closer in tomorrow’s qualifying in preparation for the race. I built confidence with the track between FP1 and FP2 but know we need to make the next step in order to be ready to race.”

Full Results *Courtesy of WorldSBK